LIBRARY 

OF 


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Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words  shall  not  pass  away. 

(Matt.  xxiv.  35.) 

Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar  Jona,  because  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  re- 
vealed it  to  thee,  but  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  And  I  say  to 
thee :  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 

(Matt.  xvi.  17,  IS.) 


also  shall  live  by  me.  This  is  the  bread  that 
came  down  from  heaven.  Not  as  yonr  fathers 
did  eat  manna  and  are  dead.  He  that  eateth 
this  bread ,  shall  live  forever.    John  VI.  56—59. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/explanationofepiOOgoffrich 


EXPLANATION 

OF  THE 

EPISTLES  AND  GOSPELS 

FOR  THE 

SUNDAYS,  HOLIDAYS  AND  FESTIVALS 

THROUGHOUT 

THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  YEAR, 

TO  WHICH  ARE  ADDED 

INSTRUCTIONS  ON  CHRISTIAN  FAITH  AND  MORALS, 

EXPLANATIONS  OF  DIFFERENT  CEREMONIES  AND 

PRACTICES  OF  THE  CHURCH, 

AND 

THE  LIVES  OF  MANY  SAINTS, 

BY 

REV.  LEONARD  GOFFINE, 

PRIEST  OF  THE  ORDER  OF  PREMONSTRATENSIANS. 
EDITED  AND  ENLARGED  BY  REV.  GEORGE  OTT,  DEAN  ANT)  PASTOR. 

WITH  THE  APPROBATION  OF  THE  RIGHT  REV.  BISHOP  OF  RATISBOX. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  NEWEST  GERMAN  EDITION 

BY 

REV.  GERARD  M.  PILZ,  0.  S.  B. 


IN  TWO  PARTS,  PROFUSELY  ILLUSTRATED. 


NEW  YORK  &  CINCINNATI,  0. 
PUBLISHED  BY  FREDERICK  P.USTET  &  C°. 

TYPOGRAPHER  TO  THE  HOLY  SEE. 

1871. 

New  York,  52  Barclay  street.    —  Cincinnati,  0.  204  Yine  street. 


IPAN  STACK 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by  HERMAN  BLtJMELINGr, 
of  the  firm  of  Fr.Pustet  &Co.,  in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


0X  / 15(* 

mi 


PREFACE. 


THe  merits  of  this  devotional  work  have  been  so  long 
known  and  recognized,  that  few,  if  any,  remarks  con- 
cerning them  are  now  needed,  but  it  is  thought  a  slight 
sketch  of  the  author's  life  may  not  be  out  of  place  at  this 
moment. 

Leonard  Goffine  was  born  at  Cologne  on  the  6.  December 
1648,  and  was  received  into  the  Premonstratensian  Abbey 
of  Steinfield,  Westphalia,  July  18.,  1669.  He  labored  with 
admiral:  le  zeal  for  many  years  in  the  parishes  of  Oberstein 
and  Coesfield,  yet  finding  time  to  write  a  number  of  devo- 
tional works,  which  by  their  excellent  style,  and  manner 
gained  him  the  esteem  even  of  the  Church's  adversaries.  The 
present  work  especially  was  received  with  undivided  appro- 
bation, an  approbation  which  has  endured  from  its  first 
appearance  until  now,  and  is  now  in  no  ways  diminished, 
having  only  increased  with  time,  as  confirmed  by  the  many 
editions  which  have  been  issued.  The  varying  needs  of  the 
times  have  made  additions  necessary,  and  certain  doctrines 
which  have  excited  the  particular  enmity  of  outsiders,  have 
been  dwelt  upon  more  at  length  by  editors  of  recent  editions, 
in.  order  that  being  more  clearly  understood,  they  might 
the  more  effectually  disarm  prejudice,  but  the  general  ar- 
rangement has  in  nowise  been  altered. 

After  laboring  with  untiring  zeal  for  the  diffusion  of 
Christian  knowledge  and  consequently  for  the  enlargement 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth,  the  Rev.  Leonard  Goffine 

0£4 


■VI  PKEFACE. 

died  calmly  and  peacefully  at  Coesfield,  August  11.,   1719, 
in  the  seventy  first  year  of  his  age. 

The  present  translation  is  from  the  twenty  ninth  German 
edition,  and  it  has  been  the  aim  of  the  translator  to  make 
it  at  exact  as  possible,  and  nothing  has  been  omitted  or 
added  —  Symbolism  by  Buchman,  Missal  by  Nickel, 
Beauties  of  the  Church  by  Himmioben,  Version  of 
the  Holy  Bible  by  Allioli,  and  Ascetic  Works  of  St. 
Liguori  and  St.  Francis  of  Sales,  &c.  May  this  book, 
therefore,  'in  our  days  in  which  on  the  one  hand  horrible 
hatred  against  all  positive  Christianity  unmistakably  develops 
itself,  on  the  other  happily  the  faith  in  Jesus,  the  Son  of 
God,  our  Mediator,  and  the  love  for  His  spouse,  the  one,  holy 
Roman  Catholic  Church  begin  to  awaken  in  souls,  partly  cold, 
partly  lukewarm,  may  this  book  contribute  to  this  faith  and 
love,  that  they  may  continually  increase,  strengthen,  and 
bear  fruit  for  time  and  eternity. 

This  is  the  prayer  and  the  sincere  wish  of  the 

EDITOR. 


ALMANAC. 


The  moveable  feasts,,  that  is,  those  that  do  not  come  upon  the  same  day 
every  year,  are  all  regulated  according  to  Easter,  and  may  be  seen  in  the 
following  table,  so  that  when  we  know  on  which  day  of  the  month  Easter 
comes,  we  can  easily  know  all  the  other  moveable  feasts,  if  we  only  attend 
to  the  dominical  letter,  which  is  given  in  the  second  column  and  indicates 
the  Sunday  of  the  year  opposite  to  which  it  stands.  If  in  this  table  after 
the  date  of  the  years  from  1870  till  1895  two  letters  stand  beside  each  other, 
then  that  year  is  a  leap-year,  and  the  first  letter  shows  the  Sunday  until 
the  25th  February,  the  Feast  of  St.  Matthias,  from  this  date  forward  the 
second  letter  indicates  the  Sunday. 

A.  TABLE  OF  MOVEABLE  FEASTS. 


A.  D, 


a     t  Ash- 

Septua-     Wednes. 
gesima.        day- 


Easter. 


Ascen- 
sion. 


Pente- 
cost. 


Corpus 
Christi. 


g  £  g  First 

a&J  Sunday 

111  in 

sg*  Advent. 


1871  A 

1872  GF 

1873  E 

1874  D 

1X75  C 

1876  BA 

1877  G 

1878  F 


1879 
1880 
1881 


I 

14  23 

15  4 

16  15 

17  26 


E 

DC 

B 


18821  A 


1883 
1884 

1885 
1886 

1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 

1891 
1892 
1893 
1894 

1895 
1896 
1897 
1898 

1899 
1900 
1901 
1902 


G 

FE 

D 

C 

B 

AG 
F 
E 

D 

CB 

A 

G 

F 

ED 
C 
B 

A 
G 
F 
E 

903  D 
1904  CB 
19051  A 
1906!    G 


5Febr. 
28 Jan. 
9Febr. 
lFebr. 

24  Jan. 
13Febr. 
28  Jan. 
17Febr. 

9Febr. 
21  Jan. 
13Febr. 

5Febr. 

3  22  21  Jan. 

4  yiOFebr. 

5  14   lFebr. 

6  25  2lFebr. 

7  6   6Febr. 
81729  Jan. 
9  28  17Febr. 

10i  9   2Febr. 


22Febr.  9  April  18 May  28  May    8  June 

14Febr.  31  March   9  May  19  May  30  May 

26Febr.  13  April  22  May    1  June  12  June 

18Febr.  5  April  14  May  24  May    4  June 


18 
19 

1 
2111 


lOFebr.  28 March'  6  May  16  May 
1  March  1 6  A  pril  25  May    4  June 

14Febr.  1  April  10  May  20  May 
6  March  21  April  30  May    9  June 

26  Febr.    13  April  22  May    1  June 

HFebr.   28 March1  6 May;  16 May 

■2 March:  17  April  26  May1  5  June 

22  Febr.  |  9  April  18  May  28  May 


7  Febr. 
27  Febr. 

18  Febr. 
10  March 

23  Febr. 
15  Febr. 
6  March 

19  Febr. 


25  March 
13  April 

5  April 
25  April 

10  April 

1  April 

21  April 

6  April 


3  May  13  Mav 
22  May  !  1  June 

14  May  24  May 
3  June  13  June 

19  May  !29  May 
10  May  20  May 
30  May    9  June 

15  Mav  25  May 


20  25  Jan. 

1 14  Febr 

12  29  Jan. 

23  21  Jan. 


15  410Febr. 


15  2  Febr. 
14  Febr. 
7   6  Febr. 


18  29  Jan. 
29  11  Febr 

2  10   3  Febr 

3  21  26  Jan. 


HFebr.  '29 March.  7  Mav  47  May 

2  March  17  April  26  Mav    5  June 
15  Febr.     2  April  11  May  21  May 

7  Febr.   25  March   3  May  j  13  May 

27  Febr.  114  April  ;23  May  i  2  June 
19  Febr.     5  April  14  May  24  May 

3  March]  18  April  27  May  I  6  June 
23  Febr.    10  April  19  May  29  May 


15  Febr.  2  A  pril  11  May 

28  Febr.  14  April  23  May 

20  Febr.  7  April  16  May 

12Febr.  30 March   8  May 


21  May 

2  June 

26  May 

18  May 


27  May 

15  June. 
31  May 
20  June 

12  June 

27  May 
;  16 June 
i  8 June 

24  May 

12  June 

4  June 

24  June 

9  June 
3lMay 
20  June 
I  5  June 

28  May 

16  June 
1  Uune 
;24  May 

!  13 June 
j  4  June 

17  June 
9  June 

1  June 

13 June 

6  June 

29  May 


26 
27 
25 
26 

27 
25 
27 
24 

25 
27 
24 
26 

28 
25 
26 
23 

25 
27 
24 
26 

27 
24 

27 
28 

25 
26 
24 
25 

27 
25 
26 
27 


2   8 Febr.  25Febr.    12  April  21  May  31  May 

;>  13  31  Jan.    17  Febr.     3  April  12  May  22  May 

6  24  19 Febr.  8  March  23  April  1  June  111  June 

7!  51 11  Febr. 28 Febr.    15 April  24 May!  3 June 


11  June  25 
1  2 June  26 
22 June  24 
14Junel  25 


3  Dec. 
lDcc. 

30Nov. 

29  Nov. 

28  Nov. 
3  Dec. 

2  Dec. 
IDec. 

30  Nov. 

28  Nov. 

27  Nov. 

3  Dec. 

2  Dec. 
30  Nov. 

29  Nov. 

28  Nov. 

27  Nov. 

2  Dec. 
IDec. 

30  Nov. 

29  Nov. 

27  Nov. 

3  Dec. 

2  Dec. 

IDec. 

29  Nov. 

28  Nov. 
27  Nov. 

3  Dec. 
IDec. 
IDec. 

30  Nov. 

29  Nov. 
27  Nov. 

2  Dec. 

3  Dec. 


VIII 


B.  CALENDAR  OF  IMMOVEABLE  FEASTS. 

The  days  printed  in  open  print  in  the  almanac  of  immoveable  feasts, 
are  Holidays.  Emherdays  are  moveable  and  therefore  are  not  given  is  this 
almanac;  they  are  the  Wednesdays,  Fridays,  and  Saturdays,  which  come 
after  the  third  Sunday  in  Advent,  after  the  first  Sunday  in  Lent,  after 
Pentecost  Sunday,  and  after  the  Feast  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross. 


JANUARY. 

1  a  Circumcision   of  our 

Lord.  Fulgentius,  B.*) 

2  b  Makarius,  Her. 

3  c  Genofieve,  V. 

4  d  Titus,  B.  M. 

5  e  Simeon  Styl,  Her.;    Teles- 

pliorus,  P. 

6  f  Epiphany.  (Second  Sun- 

day after  Epiphany,  Feast 
of  the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus.) 

7  g  Lucian,  Pr.  M. 

8  a  Erhardus,  B. 

9  b  Julian  and  Basilissa,  MM. 

10  c  Paul,  Her. 

11  d  Theodosius,    Abb.    Her.; 

Hygynus,  Pr.  M. 

12  e  Arcadius,  M. 

13  f  Godfrey,  Count. 

14  g  Hilary,  B.C.;  Felix,  Pr.C. 

15  a  Maurus,  Abb.;  Paul,  Her. 

16  b  Honoratus,  B  ;  Paula,  W.; 

Marcellus,  P.  M. 

17  c  Anthony,  Abb.  Her. 

18  d  Peter's   Chair   at   Rome ; 

Prisca,  V.  M. 

19  e  Canute,  K. ;  Marius,  Mar- 

tha, MM. 

20  f  Fabian  and  Sebastian,  MM. 

21  g  Agnes,  V.  M. 

22  a  Vincent   and   Anastasius, 

MM. 

23  b  John,  Almon. ;    Espousal 

B.V.M.;Ildephons,B.C; 
Emerentiana,  V.  M. 

24  c  Timothy,  B.  M. 

25  d  Conversion  of  St.  Paul. 


26  e  Polycarp,  B.  M. 

27  f  John  Chrysostom,  B.  C. 

28  g  Raymond  de  Penafort,  C. ; 

Julian,  B.  C. 

29  a  Francis  of  Sales,  B. 

30  b  Adelgundes,  V.;  Martina, 

V.  M. 

31  c  Peter  Nolascus,  C;  Ludo- 

vica,  W. 

FEBRUARY. 

1  d  Ignatius,  B.M.;  Bridget,  V. 

2  e  Purification  of  blessed  Vir- 

gin Mary. 

3  f  Blase,  B.  M. 

4  g  Andrew  Corsini,  B. 

5  a  Agatha,  V.  M.;     Paulus, 

John,  and  James,  MM. 

6  b  Dorothy,  V.  M. 

7  c  Romuald,  Abb. 

8  d  John  of  Matha,  Founder  of 

Order  of  Trinitarians. 

9  e  Apollonia,  V.  M. 

10  f  Scholastica,  V. 

11  g  Euphrosina,  V. 

12  a  Eulalia,  V.  M. 

13  b  Gregory  II.,  P. ;  Catharine 

of  Ricci,  V. 

14  c  Valentine,  Pr.  M. 

15  d  Faustinus  and  Jovita,  MM. 

16  e  Juliana,  V.  M. 

17  f  Flavian,  Arch-B.M.;  Con- 

stantia,  V. 

18  g  Simeon,  B.  M. 

19  a  Mansuetus,  B. ;      Conrad 

Piac,  C. 

20  b  Eucherius,  B. 


*)  Explanation  of  abbreviations:  Abb. — Abbot;  Ap. — Apostle;  B. — Bishop; 
C— Confessor;  D  —  Doctor;  Her.— Hermit;  M  —  Martyr;  MM.— Martyrs: 
P.— Pope;  PP.— Popes;  Pen.— Penitent;  Pr.— Priest;  V.— Virgin; VV.— Virgins. 


ALMANAC.                                    .                  IX 

21  c  Adelaide,  V.  Abbess. 

25  g  Annunciation    of    the 

22  d  St.  Peter's  Chair  at  An- 

blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

tioch. ;  Margareth  of  Cor- 

(The  Feast  of  the  Seven  Dol- 

tona, Pen. 

ors  is  celebrated  on  the  Friday 

23  e  Romana,  V.;  Peter  *Dami- 

before  Palm  Sunday.) 

an,  Her. 

26  a  Ludger,  B. 

21  f  Matthias,  Ap. 

27  b  Rupert,  B. 

(In  a  leap-year  the  Feast  of 

28  c  Gontran,  King. 

St.  Matthias  is  celebrated  on  the 

29  d  Eustasius,  Abb. 

25th,  and  then  there  are  29  days 
in  February.) 

25  g  Walburge,  V.  Abbess. 

30  e  John  Climacus. 

31  f  Guy,  Abb.  C. 

26  a  Dionysius,  B. ;  Alexander, 
P. 

APRIL. 

27  b  Leander,  B. 

1  g  Hugh,  B. 

28  c  Romanus,  Abb. 

2  a  Francis  of  Paula,  Founder. 

.">  b  Mary  of  Egypt,  Pen. 

MARCH. 

4  c  Isidore,  B.  C. 

1  d  Swidbert,  B. 

5  d  Vincent  Ferrer,  C. 

2  e  Simplicius,  P. 

6  e  William,  Abb. 

3  f  Cunegundes,  V. 

7  f  Herman  Joseph. 

4  g  Casimir,  King,  Con.; 

8  g  Albert,  B. 

Lucius,  P. 

9  a  Mary  Cleophas. 

5  a  Gerasimus,  Her.  Abb. 

10  b  Mechtildis,  V.  Abbess. 

6  b  Fridolin,  Abb. 

lie  Leo,  the  Great,  P.  ft 

7  c  Thomas  Aquinas,    C.  D.; 

12  d  Zeno,  B.  M.;  Julius,  P. 

Perpetua    and    Felicitas, 

13  e  Justinus,   M.;    Hermene- 

MM. 

gildis,  Queen,  M.;  Ida,  V. 

8  d  John  of  God,  C. 

14  f  Tiburtius,  Valerianus,  and 

9  e  Frances,  W. 

Maximus,  MM. 

10  f  The  forty  Martyrs,  of  Se- 

15  g  William,  Her. 

baste. 

16  a  Gerauld, Duke;  Turribius, 

1 1  g  Gumbert,  B. 

B.  C. 

12  a  Gregory,  the  Great,  P.C.D. 

13  b  Euphrasia,  V. 

17  b  Rudolph,   M. ;     Anicerus, 

Pr.  M. 

14  c  Mathildis,  Empress. 

18  c  Apollonius,  M. 

15  d  Longinus,  M. 

19  d  Wernerus,  M. 

16  e  Heribert,  Arch-B. 

20  e  Marcellus,  B. ;    Sulpicius 

17  f  Patrick,  B.  C;    Gertrude, 

and  Servilianus,  MM. 

V.  Abbess. 

21  f  Anselm,  Arch-B.  C. 

18  g  Cyrillus,  B. 

22  g  Soter  and  Cajus,  PP.  MM. 

19  a  Joseph. 

23  a  George,  M. 

20  b  Joachim,  C,  Father  of  the 

24  b  Mellitus,  M.;    Fidelis  of 

blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

Sigmaringa,  B. 

21  c  Benedict,  Abb. 

25  c  Mark,  Evangelist. 

22  d  Catherine  of  Sweden,  V. 

26  d  CletusandMarcellinus,PP. 

23  e  Nicholas  of  the  Flue,  Her. 

MM.;  Adalbert,  B. 

24  f  Gabriel,  Archangel. 

27  e  Zitta,  Servant  V.;   Pere- 

1           grinus,  C. 

X                                                           ALMANAC. 

28  f  Vitalis  and  Valeria,  MM. 

29  b  Theodosia,  M. 

29  g  Peter,  M.;   Robert,  Abb.; 

30  c  Felix,  P.  M.;    Ferdinand, 

Antonia,  V.  M. 

King. 

30  a  Catherine  of  Sienna,  V. 

31  d  Petronilla,  V. 

MAY. 

JUNE. 

1  b  Philip  and  James,  Ap. 

1  e  Pamphilus,  Pr.  M. 

2  c  Athanasius,  B.  C. 

2  f  Marcellinus,    Peter,    and 

3  d  Finding  of  the  Holy  Cross; 

Erasmus,  MM. 

Alexander,  Eventius,  and 

3  g  Clotildis,  Queen. 

Theodolus,  MM.;  Juveni- 

4 a  Optatus  of  Mileve,  B. ; 

lis,  B.  C. 

Francis  Caraciolo. 

4  e  Monica,  W. ;  Florian,  M. 

5  b  Boniface,  B.  Ap.  of  Ger- 

5 f  Pius  V.,  P.  C. 

many,  M. 

6  g  John  Damascenus,  D. 

6  c  Norbert,  Founder. 

7  a  Stanislaus,  B.  M. 

7  d  Claudius,  C. 

8  b  Apparition  of  St.  Michael ; 

8  e  Maximinius,  B. 

Victor,  M. 

9  f  Pelagia,  V.  M. ;  Primus  and 

9  c  Gregory  Nazianzen,  B.  C. 

Felicianus,  MM. 

10  d  Anthony,  B.  C. ;    Gordian 

10  g  Margaret,  Queen;   Bardo, 

and  Epimachus,  MM. 

Arch-B. 

11  e  Mamertus,  Arch-B. 

11  a  Barnabas,  Ap. 

12  f  Nereus,Aclrilleus,andPan- 

12  b  John  a  Sancto  Facundo,  C. ; 

cratius,  MM. ;  Flavia  Do- 

Basilides,  Cyrinus,  Nabor, 

mitilla,  V. 

and  Nazarius,  MM. 

13  g  Servatius,  B. 

13  c  Anthony  of  Padua,  C. 

14  d  Basil,  the  Great,  B.  C. 

14  a  Boniface,  M. 

15  b  Dympna,  V.  M. 

15  e  Vitus,  Modestus,  and  Cres- 

16  c  John  Nepomucene,  M.; 

centia,  MM. 

Ubald,B.  C. 

16  f  Luitgardis,V.;Benno,B.C. 

17  d  Paschal  Baylon,  C. 

17  "g  Montanus,  Soldier. 

'  18  e  Vincent,  M. ;  Felix  Canta- 

18  a  Marcus  and  Marcellinus, 

licio,  C. 

MM. 

19  f  Peter  Celestine,  P.C.;Po- 

19  b  GervaseandProtase,MM.; 

tentiana,  V. 

Juliana  of  Falconieri,  V. 

20  g  Bernardine  of  Sienna,  C. 

20  c  Florentina,  V. ;    Silverius, 

21  a  Hospitius,  C. 

P.M. 

22  b  Julia,  V.  M. 

21  d  Aloysius  Gonzaga,  C. 

23  c  Desiderius,  B. 

22  e  Paulinus,  B.  C. ;    10000 

24  d  Joan  converted  by  Christ ; 

Martyrs. 

John  Francis,  King,  C. 

23  f  Ediltrudis,  V. 

25  e  Gregory  VII.,  P.  C;  Urban, 

24  g  John  Baptist. 

P.  M. 

25  a  Febronia,  V.  M.;  William 

26  f  Philip  Neri,  C;   Eleuthe- 

of  Monte  Vergine,  Abb. 

rius,  P.  M. 

26  b  John  and  Paul,  MM. 

27  g  M.  Magdalen  of  Pazzi,  V.; 

27  c  Crescentius,  B.  M. 

John,  P.  M. 

28  d  Ireneus,  B.  M.;    Leo,   P. 

28  a  Germanus,  B. 

C. 

21)  e  Peter  and  Paul,  App. 
30  f  Martial,  B. 


JULY. 

1  g  Aaron,  High  Priest  of  Old 

Law. 

2  a  Visitation  of  blessed  Virgin 

Mary ;  Processus  and  Mar- 
tinianus,  MM. 

3  b  Heliodorus,  B. 

4  c  Ulric,  B. 

5  d  Cyrilla,  M. 

6  c  Goarius,  Pr. 

7  f  Willibald,  B.;    Pulcheria, 

V.  Empress. 

8  g  Kilian,  B.  M.;   Elisabeth, 

Queen. 

9  a  Anatolia,  V.  M. ;  Leonard 

and  his  companions,  MM. 

10  b  Seven  Brethren,  MM.;  and 

their  mother  Felicitas ;  Ru- 
fina  and  Secunda,  MM. 

11  c  Pius,  B.  M. 

12  d  John  Gualbertus,  Abb.; 

Nabor  and  Felix,  MM. 

13  e  Anacletus,  P.  M. 

14  f  Bona  venture,  B.  C. 

15  g  Henry,  Emperor,  C. ;   Se- 

paration of  the  Apostles. 

16  a  B.V.  Mary  ofMt.Carmel; 

Faustus,  M. 

17  b  Alexius,  C. 

18  c  SymphorosawithherSeven 

Sons,  MM.;    Camillus  of 
Leffis,  C;  • 

19  d  Arsenius,  Her.;  Vincent  of 

Paul,  Founder. 

20  e  Margaret,  V.  M. ;  Jerome 

Aemil,  C. 

21  f  Praxedis,  V.;  Victor,  Sol- 

dier, M. 

22  g  Mary  Magdalen,  Pen. 

23  a  Apollinaris,  B.  M. ;   Libo- 

rius,  B.  C. 

24  b  Christina,  V.  M.. 

25  c  James  the  Greater,   Ap. ; 

Christophorus,  M. 

26  d  Anne,Mother  of  B.V.Mary. 


ALMANAC.  XI 

i  27  e  Pantaleon,  M. 

28  f  Nazarius,  Celsus,  Victor, 
PP.  MM.;  Innocent,  P.  C. 

29  g  Martha,  V.;  Felix,  P.- 
Simplicius,  Faustinus  and 
Beatrix,  MM. 

30  a  Julitta,  M.;  Abdon  and 
Sennen,  MM. 

31  b  Ignatius,  C. 


AUGUST. 

1  c  Peter's  Chair;  Machabees, 

MM. 

2  d  Stephen,  P.  M. ;   Portiun- 

cula ;  Theodora  with  her 
three  Sons,  MM. ;  Alphon- 
sus  Liguori,  B.  Founder. 

3  e  Finding  of  the  Relics  of  St. 

Stephen,  first  Martyr. 

4  f  Dominic,  Founder. 

5  g  Dedication  of  St.  Mary  ad 

Nives;  Afra,  M.;  Oswald, 
King. 

6  a  Transfiguration;    Xystus, 

P. ;  Felicissimus  and  Aga- 
pitus,  MM. 

7  b  Cajetan,  Founder;   Dona- 

tus,  B.  M. 

8  c  Cyriacus,  LargusandSma- 

ragdus,  MM. 

9  d  Romanus,  M. 

10  e  Laurentius,  Levite,  M. 

11  f  Tiburtius    and    Susanna, 

MM. 

12  g  Clara,  V.  Foundress;    Hi- 

laria,  M. 

13  a  Hippolytus  and  Cassianus, 

MM. 

14  b  Eusebius,  C;    Athanasia, 

W. 

15  c  Assumption  of  blessed 

Virgin  Mary. 

16  d  Hyacinth,  C. 

17  e  Liberatus,  Abb. 

18  f  Agapitus,  M.;    Helena, 

Empress. 

19  g  Julius,  M.;  Louis,  B.  C. 

20  a  Bernard,  Abb. 


XII  ALMANAC. 

21  b  Jane  Frances  Fremiot  of  j 

Chantal,  W. 

22  c  Timothy,  Hippolitus  and 

Symphorianus,  MM. 

23  d  Sidonius,  Philip  Benit,  C. 
.  24  e  Bartholomew,  Ap. 

25  f  Louis,  King. 

26  g  Zephyrious,  P.  M. 

27  a  Gebhard,  B. ;   Joseph  Ca- 

lasant,  C. 

28  b  Augustine,  B.  C.  D.;  Her- 

mes, M. 

29  c  Decollation    of   St.   John 

Bapt.;  Sabina,  M. 

30  d  Rose  of  Lima,  V.;    Felix 

and  Andactus,  MM.;  He- 
lena, W. 

31  e  Isabella,  V.;      Raymond 

Nonnatus,  C. 


SEPTEMBER. 

1  f  Giles,  Her.  Abb.;      The 

twelve  brethren,  MM. 

2  g  Stephen,  King  of  Hungary. 

3  a  Joachim,-  Father  of  B.  V. 

Mary. 

(Otherwise  on  the  Sunday 
after  the  Assumption  of  the 
B.  V.) 

Rosalia,  V. 

Lawrence  Justinian,  B.  C. 
Magnus,  Abb. 
Regina,  V.  M. 
Nativity  of  B.  V.  M.; 
Adrian,  M. 

(Sunday  afterwards  Feast  of 
Holy  Name  of  B.  V.  M.) 
Gorgonius,  M. 
Nicholas  of  Tolentin,  C. 
Protus  and  Hyacinth,  MM. 
Sacerdos,  B. 
Amatus,  Abb. 
Exaltation  of  the  holy 
Cross. 

Nicomedes,  M. 
Cornelius  P.  and  Cyprian, 
B.,  MM. 
17  a.  Holy  Stigmas  of  St.  Fran- 
cis; Lambert,  B.  M. 


4  b 

5  c 

6  d 

7  e 

8  f 

9g 

10  a 

11  b 

12  c 

13  d 

14  e 

15  f 

16  g 

18  b 


19  c 

20  d 

21  e 

22  f 

23  g 

24  a 


25 
20 
27 


28  e 

29  f 


Joseph  a  Cupertino,    C; 

Thomas  of  Villa  nova,  B. 

C. 

Januarius,  B.  M. 

Eustochis,  &c.  MM. 

Matthew,  A  p.  Evangelist. 

Mauritius,  &c.  MM. 

Linus,  P.  M. ;    Thecla,  V. 

M. 

Mary  deMercedc;  Gerar- 

dus,  B.  M. 

Cleophas,  M.  Disc.  Ch. 

Cyprian  and  Justin  a,  MM. 

Cosmas  and  Damian, 

Brethren  and  MM. 

Wenceslaus,  Duke,  M. 

Michael,  Archangel. 


30  g  Jerome,  Pr.  D. 


OCTOBER. 

1  a  Remigius,  B.  C. 

2  b  Leodegarius,  B.  M.;  Otto, 

B. 

3  c  Candidus,  B. 

4  d  Francis  Seraph,  Founder. 

5  e  Placidus,    Abb.;     Flavia, 

V.  M. 

6  f  Bruno,  Founder. 

7  g  Mark,    P.    C. ;      Sergius, 

Bacchus,  &c.  MM. 

8  a  Bridget,  W. 

9  b  Dionysius,B.;Rusticus,Pr. 

and  Eleutherius,  Deacon, 
MM. 

10  c  Francis  Borgia,  C. ;  Louis 

Bertrand,  C. ;  Gereon,  &c. 
MM. 

11  d  Placida,  V. 

12  e  Domnina,  M. 

13  f  Edward,  C;    Sympertus, 

B.  C. 

14  g  Callistus,  P.  M. ;  Burchar- 

dus,  B. 

15  a  Theresia,  V. 

16  b  Gaul,  Abb. 

17  c  Hedwtees,  Duchess,  W. 

18  d  Luke,  Evangelist. 

19  e  Peter  of  Alcantara, 


John 


19  a 


21  c 

22  d 

23  e 

24  f 


25  g 

26  a 

27  b 

28  c 

29  d 

30  c 


20  f  Wendelin,    Abb. ; 

Cant.,  C. 

21  g  Hilarion,  Abb.; Ursula, &c.    20  b 

VV.  MM. 

22  a  Cordula,  V.  M. 

23  b  Severin,B.;  Peter  Paschal, 

B.  M. 

24  c  Raphael,  Archangel. 

25  d  Chrysanthus    and   Daria, 

MM. ;  Gavinus,~Protus,  and 
Januarius,  MM. 

26  e  Evaristus,  P.  M. 

27  f  Florentinus,  M. 

28  g  Simon  and  Judas,    App. ; 

Anastasia,  V.  M. 

29  a  Narcissus,  B. ;     Eusebia, 

V.  M. 

30  b  Marcellus,  Centur.  M. 

31  c  Wolfgang,  B. 


NOVEMBER. 

1  d  All  Saints. 

2  e  All  Souls. 

3  f  Malachias,  B. 

4  g  Charles  Borr.,    Arch-B. ; 

Vitalis  and  Agricola,  MM. 

5  a  Emmericius. 

6  b  Leonard,  Her.  Pr. 

7  c  Willibrordus,  B. 

8  d  Four  Crowned  Brethren, 

MM.;  Godfrey,  B. 

9  e  Theodorus,  Soldier,  M. 

10  f  Andrew  A  veil.,  C;    Try- 

phon  and  Respicius,  MM.; 
Nympha,  V. 

11  g  Martinus,  B.  C;   Mennas, 

M. 

12  a  Martinus,  P.  M. 

13  b  Didacus,  C;      Stanislaus 

Costka,  C. 

14  c  Veneranda,  V.  M. 

15  d  Gertrude,   V.;     Leopold, 

Margrave. 

16  e  Othniar,  Abb.;    Edmund, 

Arch-B. 

17  f  Gregory Thaumatur.,  B.C. 

18  g  Odo,  Abb.  of  Clugny;  Ma- 

ximus,  B.  of  Mayence. 


ALMANAC.  XIII 

Elisabeth,  W. ;  Pontianus, 

P.M. 

Felix  de  Valois,  C. 

Presentation  of  B.  V.  M.; 

Albertus,  B.  M. 

Cecilia,  V.  M. 

Clement,  P.  M.;  Felicitas, 

M. 

John  of  the   Cross,    C. ; 

Chrysogony,  M. ;    Colum- 

ban,  Abb. 

Catharine,  V.  M. 

Peter,  Alexander,   B  M.; 

Conrad,  B. 

Virgilius,  B. 

Sosthenes,  Disciple  of  St. 

Paul. 

Saturninus,  B. 

Andrew,  Ap. 

DECEMBER. 

1  f  Eligius,  B. 

2  g  Bibiana,  V.  M. 

3  a  Francis  Xavier,  Ap.  of 
India,  C. ;  Lucius,  B.  C. 

4  b  Barbara,  V.  M. ;  Peter 
Chrysologus,  B.  C. 

5  c  Sabba,  Abb. 

6  d  Nicholas,  B.  C. 

7  e  Ambrose,  B. 

8  f  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion of  B.  V.  M.;  Euche- 
rius,  B. ;  Sophronius,  B. 

9  g  Gorgonia,  Leocadia,  V.  M. 
10  a  Melchiades,  P. 
lib  Damascus,  P. 

12  c  Dionysia,  &c.  MM. 

13  d  Lucia,  V.  M.;  Ottilia,  V. 

14  e  Nicasius,  B. 

15  f  Yalerianus,  B.  M. 

16  g  Eusebius,  B.  M. 

17  a  Adelaide,  W. ;  Florian,  &c. 
MM. ;  Lazarus,  B. 

18  b  Expectation  of  theB.V.M.; 
Gratian,  B. 

19  c  Timothy  and  Maura,  MM. 

20  d  Philogonius,  B. 

21  e  Thomas,  Ap. 


XIV 

22  f  Ischyrion,  M. 


ALMANAC. 


27  d  John,  Ap.  Evangelist. 


23  g  Victoria,  V.  M.;  Semilus,    28  e  Innocents;  Doma,  Agape, 


Beggar. 

24  a  Adam  and  Eve. 

25  b  Nativity  of  our  Lord; 


Theophila,  &c.  VV.  MM. 
29  f  Thomas  of  Canterbury,  B. 
M. 


Anastasia,  M.;    Eugenia,    30  g  Sabinus,  B.  M. 


V.  M. 
2G  c  Stephen,  first  Martyr 


31  a  Sylvester,  B.  C. 


GOFFINE'S 

ECCLESIASTICAL  YEAR, 


PART  lo 

EXPLANATION 

OF  THE 

EPISTLES  AND  GOSPELS 

FOR  THE 

SUNDAYS  AND  FESTIVALS, 

TO  WHICH  ARE  ADDED 

INSTRUCTIONS  ON  CHRISTIAN  FAITH  AND  MORALS. 


SHORT  INSTRUCTION 

ON  THE 

MANNER  OF  USING  THIS  BOOK. 

Before  you,  my  dear  Christian,  commence  to  read  these 
instructions, 
I.  Place  yourself  in  the  presence  of  God,  as  much  as  if  you 

were  really  sitting  with  Mary  Magdalen  at  His  feet, 

listening  to  His  words. 
n.  Humble  yourself,  as  a  weak  sinner,  before  Him,  sincer- 
ely imploring  His  forgiveness. 
ni.  Pray  that  you  may  be  enlightened  and  may  love  Him; 

recommend  }^ourself  to  the  blessed  Virgin  and  to  the 

saints. 

Then,  step  by  step,  read  the  instructions  carefully.  After 
each  point  pause  a  moment  and  reflect  upon  the  truth  which 
you  have  read,  asking  yourself:  1)  What  must  I  believe? 
That  which  I  have  just  read.  Then  make  an  act  of  faith, 
saying:  "0  Lord!  I  will  believe  this  truth,  help  my  faith,  in- 
crease my  faith!"  2)  What  have  I  now  to  do?  I  must  correct 
the  faults  opposed  to  this  truth.  3)  What  have  I  done  hereto- 
fore ?  Unhappily,  0  God,  I  have  acted  in  contradiction  to  this 
truth;  how  differently,  0  Jesus,  from  Thee  and  from  Thy 
saints !  4)  What  shall  I  now  do  ?  Here  make  a  firm  resolu- 
tion to  put  these  truths  into  immediate  practice,  to  contend 
against  and  overcome  the  faults  opposed  to  them,  and  to 
acquire  a  new  virtue. 

Then  finish  the  reading  with  acts  of  faith,  hope,  charity, 
and  contrition.  Do  this  each  time  you  read  in  this  or  in 
any  book  of  devotion,  and  you  will  soon  see,  how  great  a 
benefit  you  will  derive  from  it  for  your  soul. 


EXPLANATIONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

CONCERNING  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  YEAR. 


What  is  understood  by  the  Ecclesiastical  Year  ? 

Y  the  Ecclesiastical  Year  is  understood  the  suc- 
cession of  those  holy  days  and  seasons,  returning 
with  each  returning  year,  which  the  Church 
has  appointed  to  be  celebrated  that  the  faithful 
may  be  reminded  of  the  divine  graces  and  my- 
steries, may  praise  God,  and  occupy  themselves, 

at  such  times,  with  pious  devotional  exercises  in  His  honor,  and 

for  their  own  sanctification  and  edification. 

When  does  the  Ecclesiastical  Year  begin,  and  when  does  it  end? 
It  begins  with  the  first  Sunday  in  Advent  and  ends  with  the 
last  Sunday  after  Pentecost. 

How  is  the  Ecclesiastical  Year  divided? 
Into  Sundays,  weekdays,  festivals,  holidays  and  fastdays. 

What  is  Sunday? 
Sunday  is  the  first  day  of  the  week,  sanctified  in  an  especial 
manner  by  God  Himself,  called  by  the  Apostles  the  "Lord's  Day", 
which  should  be  devoted  exclusively  to  the  service  of  God. 

Why  should  the  Sunday  be  devoted  exclusively  to  God? 

Because  it  is  but  proper  that  man,  who  is  created  for  the  ser- 
vice of  God  only,  should  reserve  at  least  one  out  of  the  seven  days 
of  the  week  for  that  service,  and  for  the  salvation  of  his  own  soul. 
So,  in  the  beginning,  God  ordered  that  on  the  seventh  day  or  Satur- 
day, on  which  He  rested  after  finishing  the  work  of  creation ,  man 
also  should  rest,  {Exodus  ^jl^W.)  abstain  from  all  worldly  employ- 
ment, and  attend  only  to  the  worship  of  God.  This  was  the  Sab- 
bath, or  day  of  rest,  of  the  Jews  which  they  were  required  to  keep 
holy.  {Lev.  xxiii.  24 ) 

But  the  Catholic  Church ,  authorized  by  Christ ,  inspired  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  directed  by  the  Apostles,  has  made  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  or  Sunday,  of  which  the  holy  martyr  Justin,  even, 
speaks  if  167  A.  D.) ,  the  day  of  rest  for  the  Christians,  partly 
to  distinguish  them  from  the  Jews,  and  partly  for  these  reasons : 
On  this  day  God  commenced  the  creation  of  the  world  and  on  this 
very  day  He  completed  its  renovation  by  Christ's  glorious  resur- 
rection; on  this  day,  as  Bellarmine  says,  Christ  was  born,  was 


2  EXPLANATIONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

circumcized,  and  was  baptized;  and  on  this  day  the  Holy  Ghost 
descended  upon  the  Apostles. 

Why  is  this  day  called  Sunday? 

Because  on  this  day,  as  St.  Ambrose  says,  Christ,  the  sun  of 
justice,  having  scattered  the  darkness  of  hell,  shone  forth,  as  the 
rising  sun,  in  the  glory  of  the  resurrection.  (Malach.  iv.  2.) 

How  should  the  Catholic  keep  Sunday  holy,  and  how  does  he 

desecrate  it? 

Sunday  is  kept  holy  by  abstaining  from  all  servile  work, 
performed  for  wages  or  gain,  or  not  commanded  by  necessity;  by 
passing  the  day  in  works  of  piety;  in  hearing  Mass  devoutly, 
listening  to  the  word  of  God  in  church  and  at  home  in  a  quiet, 
God  pleasing  manner.  If  justly  prevented  from  being  present  at 
church  on  Sundays  and  holidays  of  obligation,  we  should  unite, 
in  spirit,  with  the  priest  and  the  faithful  assembled  there,  praying 
fervently ;  during  the  rest  of  the  day  we  should  read  books  of 
devotion  and  endeavor  to  perform  some  work  of  charity.  Sunday 
is  desecrated  by  being  spent  either  in  idleness  or  in  unnecessary 
servile  work,  or  in  that  which  is  still  worse,  debauchery,  gambling, 
dancing  or  in  other  sinful  deeds.  It  would  be  better,  that  is,  less 
bad,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  to  till  the  field  on  such  days,  than  to 
spend  them  in  frivolous,  dangerous,  and  sinful  pleasures.  But  it 
is  not  forbidden,  having  properly  attended  divine  service,  to  par- 
ticipate on  Sundays  and  holidays  in  honorable,  decorous  enter- 
tainment of  the  mind  and  heart. 

What,  as  a  Catholic,  is  thought  of  dancing  on  Sundays  and  holidays 

of  obligation? 

The  amusement  of  dancing  on  these  holy  days  cannot  possibly 
be  pleasing  to  God.  Dancing,  as  its  manner  is  now,  is  generally 
the  grave  of  innocence.  Dances  are  a  festival  of  the  devil,  says 
St.  Ephrem ;  they  are  the  coffin  of  innocence  and  the  grave  of 
modesty;  they  are  nothing  less  than  a  circle  of  which  the  devil  is 
the  centre,  and,  they  are,  therefore,  seldom  or  never  indulged  in 
without  sin,  says  St.  Charles  Borromeo.  How,  then,  can  an  honest 
girl  and  an  honest  young  man  meet  in  a  ball-room  and  conjointly 
celebrate  the  devil's  feast?  How,  then,  can  parents  permit  their 
children,  masters  and  mistresses  their  servants,  to  go  where  their 
innocence  is  in  such  danger?  Fairs  are  just  as  little  pleasing  to 
God.  God  never  ordained  His  days  for  buying  and  selling,  for 
the  gratification  of  avarice  and  the  greed  of  gain.  But  alas !  these 
fairs  are  made  use  of  not  only  for  traffic,  but  often  by  young 
people  for  forbidden  meetings.  On  the  way  to  them  and  back 
innocence  is  often  buried.  St.  Jerome  justly  calls  such  gatherings 
the  deathstruggle  of  innocence  and  purity. 


CONCERNING  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  YEAE.  3 

What  rewards  are  offered  for  keeping  Sunday  sacred,  and  what 
punishment  incurred  by  its  desecration? 
The  Old  Law  {Lev.  xxvi.)  promised  all  fortune,  well-being,  and 
all  blessing  to  those  who  kept  holy  the  Sabbath  day ;  and  all  evils 
and  misfortunes  to  those  who  desecrated  it.  Thus,  to  show  how 
much  He  condemned  its  profanation,  God  caused  a  man  to 
be  stoned  to  death  for  gathering  wood  upon  that  day.  (Num.  xv. 
32.)  The  Catholic  Church  from  her  very  beginning,  and  in  several 
councils  (Coun.  Eh.  A.  D.313,  Paris  829.)  has  enjoined  the  keeping 
holy  of  Sundays  and  holidays,  and  experience  proves  in  our  days 
especially,  that,  as  the  consequence  of  the  constantly  increasing 
profanation  of  Sundays  and  holidays,  that  immorality  and  poverty 
are  growing  greater ;  a  manifest  sign  that  God  never  blesses  those 
who  refuse  to  devote  a  few  days  of  the  year  to  His  honor  and 
service. 

PRAYER  FOR  ALL  SUNDAYS.  0  God,  who  hast  appoint- 
ed this  day,  that  during  it  we  may  serve  Thee  and  partici- 
pate in  Thy  grace,  grant  that  always  on  Sundays  our  faith 
may  be  renewed  and  our  hearts  incited  to  Thy  praise  and 
to  the  adoration  of  Thy  Majesty;  through  Jesus  Christ,  Thy 
Son,  our  Lord.  Amen. 

What  are  festivals? 
Festivals  are  days  set  apart  by  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
observed  with  certain  solemnities,  in  order  to  place  the  mysteries 
and  graces  of  God,  or  the  memory  of  the  Saints,  before  the  eyes 
of  the  faithful,  that  they  may  be  incited  to  gratitude  to  God,  and 
to  the  veneration  and  imitation  of  the  Saints.  Thus  there  are 
festivals  of  God,  of  Christ  and  of  the  Saints. 

Has  the  Church  the,  right  to  institute  festivals  and  fast-days? 
To  deny  her  such  right  would  be  to  place  her  below  the 
Jewish  Synagogue,  which  in  acknowledgment  of  benefits  received, 
established  many  festivals,  such  as  the  Purim  Feast  (Esther  ix. 
26.),  the  festival  in  honor  of  Judith's  victory  over  Holofernes 
(Judith,  xvi,  31.),  the  feast  of  the  Dedication  of  the  Temple  (Maab. 
iv,  52.;  John  x.  22 J,  which  our  Lord  himself  celebrated  with 
them.  Should  not  the  Catholic  Church  therefore  celebrate  with 
equal  solemnity  the  far  greater  blessings  she  has  received  from  God? 
God  Himself  through  Moses  commanded  the  Jews  to  celebrate, 
and  as  it  were,  to  immortalize,  by  the  Pasch,  their  redemption  from 
Egyptian  captivity ;  the  reception  of  the  Ten  Commandments  on 
Mount  Sinai,  by  the  festival  of  Pentecost,  their  forty  years  journey 
through  the  wilderness  and  their  living  in  huts  by  the  feast  of 
the  Tabernacles.  How  unjustly,  then,  would  the  Church  conduct 
herself,  if  she  should  not  commemorate,  as  the  Old  Law  did,  by 
the  institution  of  certain  festivals  in  honor  of  God  and  His  Saints, 


4  EXPLANATIONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

those  graces  of  which  He  has  made  her  partaker,  through  Christ 
and  His  Saints,  since  our  Lord  gave  to  the  Apostles  and  to  the 
bishops,  their  successors,  the  power  to  bind  and  to  loose,  that  is,  to 
make  ordinances,  and,  as  circumstances  may  require,  changes 
{Matt,  xviii.  18.),  for  the  salvation  of  the  people!  Among  these 
ordinances  are  festivals  and  holidays,  instituted  to  assist  the 
faithful  in  procuring  their  salvation.  And  from  this  very  right  of 
the  Church  to  institute  festivals  follows  her  right  to  change  or 
abolish  them,  at  her  option,  whenever  her  object  of  directing 
them  to  the  honor  of  God  is  no  longer  reached,  and  the  faithful 
in  this  case  would  be  as  much  bound  to  obey  her,  as  when  she 
established  them,  for:  Who  hears  not  the  Church,  says 
Christ,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen  and  publican. 
{Matt,  xviii.  17.) 

How  are  holidays  and  festivals  to  be  observed? 
They  are  to  be  observed  like  Sunday.  Besides  which  we 
should  endeavor  to  understand  well  the  mysteries  and  blessings  of 
God,  the  lives  and  labors  of  the  Saints,  on  whose  account  the 
festivals  have  been  established,  which  we  can  do  by  hearing  Mass 
and  catechetical  instruction,  or  at  home  by  reading  books  written 
on  devotional  subjects,  in  order  to  induce  ourselves  to  love  and 
praise  God  and  to  imitate  the  Saints,  for  these  are  the  objects 
the  Church  has  in  view  in  establishing  festivals.  But,  unfortu- 
nately, as  these  objects  of  theChurch  are  responded  to  by  but  few, 
and  as,  on  the  contrary,  partly  on  account  Of  their  number,  partly 
on  account  of  the  increasing  laxity  of  the  faithful,  the  holidays 
are  spent  very  differently  from  the  way  the  Church  intended,  she 
has  done  well  in  abolishing  certain  festivals,  or  transferring  them 
to  Sunday,  that  they  may  be,  at  least,  better  regarded,  and  God 
not  offended  by  their  profanation.  However,  on  these  days,  which 
have  been  changed  or  done  away  with,  there  is  no  prohibition 
to  hear  Mass  devoutly,  but  idleness  and  ill  behavior  are  especially 
sinful  on  these  days. 

What  are  fastdays? 
Fastdays  are  those  days  on  which  the  Church  commands  us 
to  mortify  the  body  and  offer  God  a  sacrifice  of  mortification  by 
abstaining  from  fleshmeat,  or  by  taking  but  one  full  meal  in  the 
day.  Those  days  on  which  besides  the  abstinence  from  meat, 
but  one  full  meal  is  alio  wed,  are  called  Fast  days  of  obligation; 
those  days  on  which  it  is  only  required  to  abstain  from  meat,  are 
called  days  of  abstinence. 

Can  the  Church  institute  fastdays? 
She  can,  because  the  Church  of  Christ,  as  mother  of  the  faith- 
ful, has  the  power  to  make  all  useful  and  necessary  regulations 
for  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  In  doing  so  she  only  follows  the 
example  of  our  Lord,  her  head,  for  He  fasted,  and  of  the  Apostles 


CONCERNING  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  YEAR.  5 

who,  even  in  their  day,  ordered  Christians  to  abstain  from  blood 
and  things  strangled  (Acts  xv.  28.),  in  order  not  to  prevent  the 
conversion  of  the  Jews,  who,  on  account  of  the  Old  Law,  abhorred 
the  blood  and  meat  of  strangled  animals,  but  removed  the  pro- 
hibition when  there  was  no  longer  danger  of  hindering  the  Jews. 
"Fasting  is  no  new  invention",  writes  the  father  of  the  Church 
Basil  the  Great  (f  379  A.  D.J,  "as  many  imagine,  it  is  a  precious 
treasure,  which  our  forefathers  preserved  long  before  our  days, 
and  have  handed  down  to  us". 

Why  has  the  Church  instituted  fastdays  and  what  is  their  use? 

The  Catholic  Church,  from  the  very  beginning,  has  looked 
upon  external  fasting,  only  as  an  accompaniment  and  outward 
sign  of  penance.  Her  object  in  instituting  fastdays,  therefore, 
was  and  is,  that  by  fasting  the  faithful  may  mortify  their  flesh 
and  their  evil  desires,  seek  to  pacify  God,  make  satisfaction  for 
their  sins,  practice  obedience  to  the  Church  their  mother,  and 
by  performing  these  virtues  become  more  zealous  and  fervent  in 
prayer,  and  in  the  service  of  God.  Because  fasting  aids  in  all  this, 
as  is  proved  by  innumerable  texts  of  Scripture,  as  well  as  by 
experience.  The  fathers  are  full  of  praise  of  the  usefulness  of 
fasting,  and  our  Lord  predicted  that  the  Church,  His  spouse, 
would  fast  when  He,  her  bridegroom,  should  be  taken  from  her. 
(Matt.  ix.  15.) 

What  are  we  to  think   of  those  heretics  and  of  those  Catholics 
who  contemn  the  Church's  command  to  fast? 

Those  Catholics  who  contemn  the  Church's  command  to  fast, 
and  who  therefore  transgress  it  fearlessly,  contemn  their  mother, 
the  Church,  and  Christ  her  founder  and  her  head,  who  fasted: 
give  scandal  to  others,  obedient  children  of  the  Church,  and  do 
themselves  great  harm,  because  they  make  themselves  slaves  of  the 
flesh,  subject  their  souls  to  the  evil  desires  of  the  body  and  so  fall 
into  many  sins.  They  show  that  they  have  departed  from  the  spirit 
of  the  early  Christians  who  fasted  with  great  strictness,  and  that 
they  are  too  cowardly  to  overcome  themselves,  and  offer  God  the 
sacrifice  of  obedience  to  His  Church.  The  heretics  have  the  Bible 
a  gainst  them  if  they  assert  that  the  Church's  command  to  fast  is 
useless  and  unnecessary:  (/fcte.xiii.2,  3.)  that  Bible  on  which  they 
so  often  call,  as  well  as  all  Christian  antiquity,  experience  arid 
reason.  One  of  the  fathers  of  the  Church  Basil  writes:  "Honor 
ever  the  ancient  practice  of  fasting,  for  it  is  as  old  as  the  first 
human  creation.  We  must  fast  if  wre  would  return  to  paradise 
from  which  gluttony  expelled  us".  Every  rational  reflecting 
person  must  acknowledge,  as  experience  teaches,  that  bodily 
health,  and  unimpaired  soul-power  are  best  preserved  and 
Loproved  by  temperance  and  abstinence,  especially  from  flesh- 
meat.    By  continual  fasting  it  was  that  many  of  the  old  fathers 


6  EXPLANATIONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS 

of  the  desert  preserved  vigorous  health,  lasting  beyond  the  usual 
limit  of  man's  age,  even  lived  more  than  a  century  in  the  hot  coun- 
tries where  the  time  of  life  is  generally  shorter  than  in  our  climate. 
St.  Paul,  the  first  hermit,  lived  one  hundred  and  thirteen  years ; 
St.  Anthony  one  hundred  and  five;  St.  Arsenius  one  hundred  and 
twenty;  St.  John,  the  silent,  one  hundred  and  four;  St.  Theodosius 
abbot,  one  hundred  and  five.  The  Catholic  Church  here  proves 
herself  a  good  mother  to  us,  for  in  this  command  she  regards  not 
only  the  spiritual  but  the  corporal  welfare  of  her  children.  The 
words  of  our  Lord:  "Not  that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth 
defileth  a  man,  but  that  which  cometh  out  of  the 
mouth  this  defileth  a  man",  was  meant  for  the  Pharisees 
who  judged  certain  kinds  of  food  prohibited  by  law,  or  that  had 
been  touched  by  unclean  hands,  to  be  unclean.  Had  He  intended 
it  to  be  understood  in  the  way  the  contemners  of  fasting  assert, 
He  would  have  declared  intoxication  by  drinking,  even  the  taking 
of  poison,  to  be  permitted;  certainly  food  being  the  gift  of  God 
and  therefore  good,  does  not  make  man  a  sinner,  but  disobedience 
to  the  command  and  inordinate  greediness  and  gluttony  make 
him  such. 

Which  are  the  most  important  fast  days? 

First,  the  Great  or  Forty  Days  fast  (Lent),  which  will  be  spoken 
of  in  its  proper  place;  secondly,  the  Ember-fasts;  thirdly,  the 
Vigils ;  fourthly,  Fridays  and  Saturdays  throughout  the  year,  as 
also  the  Sundays  in  Lent,  which,  however,  are  only  days  of  ab- 
stinence. 

By  special  dispensation  the  command  to  abstain  from  meat  on 
the  Sundays  of  Lent,  to  fast  and  abstain  on  all  Saturdays,  and  to 
fast  on  all  Fridays  throughout  the  year  has  been  removed.  All 
Fridays  throughout  the  year  are  days  of  abstinence,  all  Fridays  in 
Adrent,  and  all  Fridays  and  Saturdays  in  Lent  are  days  of  fasting 
and  abstinence.  The  Saturdays  in  Advent  are  days  of  abstinence 
but  not  fas/days  of  obligation. 

What  are  the  Ember-days  and  why  are  they  instituted? 
The  Ember-da,}  s  are  the  first  Wednesday,  Friday  and  Satur- 
day at  the  commencement  of  each  of  the  four  seasons  of  the  year, 
set  apart  as  fastdays  by  the  Catholic  Church.  According  to  the 
testimony  of  Pope  Leo  their  origin  was  in  the  times  of  the  Apostles, 
who  were  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  dedicate  each  season  of 
the  year  to  God  by  a  few  days  of  penance,  and,  as  it  were,  to  pay 
three  days  interest  every  three  months,  on  the  graces  received 
from  God.  The  Church  has  also  commanded  us  to  fast  at  the 
beginning  of  each  of  the  four  seasons  of  the  year,  because  it  is  at 
this  time  that  she  ordains  the  priests  and  other  servants  of  the 
Church,  which  even  the  Apostles  did  with  much  prayer  and  fasting. 
Thus  she  desires  that  during  the  Ember-days  the  Christians  should 
fervently  ask  of  God  by  prayer,  fasting  and  other  good  works, 


CONCERNING  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  YEAR.  7 

that  He  would  give  her  worthy  pastors  and  servants,  on  whom 
depend  the  welfare  of  the  whole  Christian  flock  •  she  desires  that 
in  the  spring  Ember- days  whe  should  ask  for  God's  blessing  for 
the  fertility  of  the  earth ;  in  summer  for  the  preservation  of  the 
fruits  of  the  field,  in  the  fall  when  the  harvest  is  ripe,  and  in  the 
winter  when  it  is  brought  in,  that  we  should  offer  to  (rod  by 
fasting  and  prayer  a  sacrifice  of  thanks  petitioning  Him  to  assist  us, 
that  we  may  not  use  His  gifts  for  our  soul's  detriment,  but  that 
we  may  give  praise  and  thanks  to  Him,  the  fountain  of  all  good, 
and  assist  our  neighbor  according  to  our  means. 

What  are   Vigil-fasts? 

They  are  the  eves  of  certain  festivals,  which  the  Church  has 
ordered  to  be  observed  as  fastdays.  •  Even  the  early  Christians 
prepared  themselves  by  fasting,  praying  and  watching,  as  signified 
by  the  latin  word  "Vigil",  for  the  coming  festival.  Thus  to  this 
day  in  the  Vigil-Mass  the  priest  does  not  say  "Ite  Missa  est" 
(Go  ye,  Mass  is  over),  but  "Benedicamus Domino"  (Let  vs  praise  the 
Lord),  because  in  olden  times  when  Mass  was  celebrated  at  night, 
the  Christians  were  invited  to  continue  praising  God  in  Church 
until  the  dawn  of  the  festival ;  but  this  nightwatch  the  Church 
has  now  abolished,  partly  on  account  of  the  decaying  zeal  of  the 
Christians,  and  partly  on  account  of  the  abuse  of  it  to  be  feared, 
but  has  retained  the  fast,  by  which  to  honor  God  and  his  Saints, 
to  obtain  their  intercession  mortifying  the  flesh  according  to  their 
example.  "By  fasting  on  the  eves  of  festivals",  says  St.  Bernard, 
"we  learn  that  we  can  enter  heaven  only  through  many  sufferings". 

Why  does  the  Church  forbid  the  use  of  fleshmeat  on  Fridays  and 

Saturdays  ? 
"The  Church",  as  Pope  Innocence  says,  "forbids  the  use  of 
fleshmeat  on  Fridays  because  our  Lord  died  on  that  day,  and  on 
Saturday  because  on  it  He  rested  in  the  sepulchre,  and  also  that 
we  may  be  better  prepared  by  this  abstinence  for  Sunday".  In 
some  dioceses  the  use  of  meat  is  allowed  on  Saturdays,  and  so 
marked  in  the  calender  and  every  year  announced  to  the  people, 
and  for  this  dispensation  the  faithful  should  fast  all  the  more 
conscientiously  on  Fridays. 

Who  is  bound  to  fast  and  who  not  ? 

All  Christians  over  seven  years  of  age,  unless  for  some  reason 
excused,  are  required  under  pain  of  mortal  sin,  to  abstain  from 
meat  on  all  days  of  fasting  and  abstinence;  all  those  who  are  over 
twenty  one  years  of  age  are  bound  to  take  but  one  full  meal  a 
day.  A  severe  illness  or  a  dispensation  obtained  by  valid  reasons, 
and  not  by  fraud  or  extorted  by  vain  pretences,  excuse  from  the 
necessity  of  abstinence  on  Fridays :  those  are  dispensed  from  the 
necessity  of  fasting  on  one  meal  on  fastdays,  who  cannot  fulfill  the 


8  EXPLANATIONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS  &c. 

command  without  great  inconvenience  such  as:  those  recovering 
from  sickness,  pregnant  and  nursing  women,  old  and  infirm  people, 
those  who  are  engaged  in  hard  labor,  undertaking  severe  journeys 
and  the  poor  who  have  no  full  meals :  also  those  who  are  preven- 
ted by  the  fast  from  some  better  work  incumbent  upon  their 
office  or  dictated  by  Christian  charity.  These  persons  mentioned 
are  excused  from  fasting  in  so  far  that  they  are  permitted  to  eat 
whenever  they  need  food,  but  must  still  abstain  from  the  use  of 
meat  unless  also  dispensed  from  the  command  of  abstinence.  They 
should  however  be  sincerely  grieved  to  be  unable  to  unite  with 
the  whole  Church  in  such  meritorious  work,  and  should  endeavor 
to  make  amends  by  prayer,  alms-deeds,  and  other  good  works. 

Who  sin  against  fasting  ? 

First,  those  who  deliberately  and  without  sufficient  cause  do 
not  abstain  from  the  use  of  meat;  secondly,  those  who  without  any 
of  the  excuses  mentioned  take  more  than  one  full  meal  in  the  day; 
thirdly,  those  who  eat  between  the  time  of  meals,  although  to 
drink,  or  a  simple  taste  of  food  does  not  break  the  fast;  fourthly, 
those  who  indulge  in  long  extravagant,  and  temptingly  prepared 
dinners,  abundant  drinking  and  excessive  amusement  which  are 
all  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  penance  and  mortification.  And  lastly, 
when  on  a  fastday  neshmeat  and  fish  are  used  at  the  same  meal. 

/*  it  not  allowable  to  eat  any  thing  in  the  evening  on  fastday  si 

The  early  Christians  were  so  rigorous  in  their  penance  that 
they  contented  themselves  with  one  temperate  meal  on  fastdays, 
and  that  was  generally  by  bread  and  water  and  taken  only  in  the 
evening;  but  as,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  penitential  zeal  declined, 
the  Church  like  an  indulgent  mother  permitted,  besides  the  full 
meal  at  noon,  a  small  quantity  of  food  to  be  taken  in  the  evening, 
that  is  about  as  much  as  would  make  the  fourth  part  of  a  regular 
meal,  or  not  to  appear  scrupulous,  as  much  as  would  not  cause  too 
great  aggravation,  or  exhaust  the  strength  necessary  for  the  next 
day's  labor;  but  "to  wish  to  feel  no  aggravation  in  fasting,  is  to 
wish  not  to  fast  at  all". 

With  what  intentions  should  we  fast? 

First,  with  the  intention  of  doing  penance  and  punishing  the 
body  for  the  sins  which  we  have  committed  by  yielding  to  its  evil 
desires;  secondly,  to  satisfy  God  and  to  unite  ourselves  with  our 
Lord  in  his  forty  days  fast:  thirdly,  to  obtain  the  strength  to  lead 
a  chaste,  pure  life ;  fourthly,  to  give  to  the  poor  that  which  is 
saved  by  fasting. 

NOTE   Whatever  is  necessary  'o  be  understood  further  in  regard  to  this 
subject,  will  be  found  in  the  instructions  on  the  forty  days  fast. 


INSTRUCTIONS  IN  REGARD  TO  THE  ADVENT 

AND  THE  TIME  OF  ADVENT. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  Advent,  and  what  do  we 

T  understand  by  it? 

He  word  Advent  signifies  Coming,  and  by  it  is  understood 
the  visible  coming  of  the  Son  of  God,   at  two  different 
times,  to  this  world. 

When  was  (he  first  coming  of  Christ? 
It  was  when  the  Son  of  God,  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in 
the  womb  of  the  most  pure  Virgin  Mary,  was  born,  according  to 
the  flesh,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  and  sanctified  the  world  by  His 
coming  for  which  the  patriarchs  and  prophets  had  so  longed. 
(Gen.  xlix,  10.,  Isai.  lxiv.  1  ,  Luke  x,  24.) 

Since  Christ  had  not  yet  come  how  were  the  just  of  the  Old 

Law  saved? 
Immediately  after  their  sin  God  revealed  to  our  first  parents 
{Gen.  iii.  15.)  that  His  only  begotten  Son  would  become  man  and 
redeem  the  world.  In  the  hope  of  this  Redeemer  and  through 
His  future  merits  all  in  the  old  covenant  who  participated  in  His 
merits  by  innocence  or  by  penance,  and  who  died  in  the  grace  of 
God,  were  saved,  although  they  were  excluded  from  heaven  until 
the  ascension  of  Christ. 

When  will  the  second  coming  of  Christ  take  place? 
At  the  end  of  the  world  when  Christ  will  come  with  great 
power  and  majesty  to  judge  both  the  living  and  the  dead. 

What  is  Advent,  and  why  has  the  Church  instituted  it? 
Advent  is  that  solemn  time,  immediately  preceding  Christmas, 
instituted  by  the  Church  in  order  that  we  should  in  the  first  place 
meditate  on  the  Incarnation  of  Christ,  the  love,  patience  and  hu- 
mility which  He  has  shown  us,  and  to  prove  our  gratitude  to  Him 
that  He  came  from  the  bosom  of  His  heavenly  Father  into  this 
valley  of  tears,  to  redeem  us;  secondly,  that  we  may  prepare 
ourselves  by  sincere  repentance,  by  fasting,  prayer,  alms-deeds, 
and  other  works  pleasing  to  God,  for  the  coming  of  Christ  and 
His  birth  in  our  hearts,  and  thus  participate  in  the  graces  which 
He  has  obtained  for  us ;  finally,  that  He  may  be  merciful  to  us 
when  He  shall  come  again  as  judge  of  the  world.  "Watch  ye 
and  pray,  for  ye  know  not  at  what  hour  the  Son  of 
Man  may  come".    {Matt.  xxiv.  42.  44.) 

How  was  Advent  formerly  observed? 
Very  differently  from  now.  It  then  commenced  with  the  feast 
of  St.  Martin,  and  was  observed  by  the  faithful  like  the  Forty  Days 


10  INSTRUCTIONS  IN  REGARD  TO  THE  ADVENT  &c. 

Fast  with  strict  fasting  and  pious  devotional  exercises;  as  even 
now  the  most  religious  communities  fast,  and  the  Church  has  for- 
bidden all  noisy  amusements,  weddings,  dancing  and  concerts 
among  Christians  during  Advent.  Pope  Sylverius  ordered  that 
those  who  seldom  receive  Holy  Communion  should  at  least  do  so 
on  every  Sunday  in  Advent. 

Hoic  should  this  solemn  time  be  spent  by  pious  Christians  ? 

They  should  recall,  during  these  four  weeks,  the  four  thousand 
years  in  which  the  just  under  the  Old  Law  expected  and  desired 
the  promised  Redeemer,  think  of  those  days  of  darkness  in  which 
nearly  all  the  nations  were  blinded  by  Satan  and  drawn  into  the 
most  horrible  crimes,  then  to  consider  their  own  sins  and  evil 
deeds  and  purify  their  souls  from  them  by  a  worthy  reception  of 
the  Sacraments,  so  that  our  Lord  may  come  with  His  grace  to  dwell 
in  their  hearts  and  be  merciful  to  them  in  life  and  in  death. 
Further  to  awaken  in  the  faithful  the  feelings  of  repentance  so 
necessary  for  the  reception  of  the  Saviour  in  their  hearts,  the 
Church  orders  that  besides  the  observance  of  certain  fastdays,  the 
altar  shall  be  draped  in  violet,  that  Mass  shall  be  celebrated  in 
violet  vestments,  that  the  organ  shall  be  silent  and  no  Gloria 
sung.  Unjust  to  themselves,  disobedient  to  the  Church,  and 
ungrateful,  indeed,  to  God  are  those  Christians  and  Catholics 
who  spend  this  solemn  time  of  grace  presented  to  them,  without 
any  special  devotions,  without  performing  any  good  works,  with 
no  longing  for  the  coming  of  Christ  into  their  hearts,  without 
receiving  the  sacraments,  perhaps  in  foolish,  even  sometimes  in 
sinful  amusements. 

What  are  Nor  ate,  High- Masses,  and  why  are  they  celebrated? 

They  are  the  solemn  Highmasses  celebrated  in  some  coun- 
tries in  commemoration  of  the  tidings  brought  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  by  the  Archangel  Gabriel,  announcing  to  her  that  she  was 
to  become  the  Mother  of  God,  and  derive  their  name  from  the 
words  of  the  Intro  it  in  the  Votive-Mass  in  honor  of  our  beloved 
Lady  "Rorate  coeli  desuper'";  and  are  also  sometimes  called 
the  Angel's  High-Mass.  They  arc  celebrated  very  early  in  the 
morning  because  the  Blessed  Virgin  preceded  our  Lord,  as  the 
aurora  the  rising  sun. 

PRAYER  IN  ADVENT.  0  God,  who  by  Thy  gracious 
advent  hast  brought  joy  into  this  world,  grant  us,  we  beseech 
Thee,  Thy  grace  to  prepare  ourselves  by  sincere  penance  for 
its  celebration  and  for  the  Last  Judgment.    Amen. 


11 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY 

IN  ADVENT. 


He  first  Sunday  in  Advent  is  the  first  day  of 
the  Ecclesiastical  Year,  and  the  beginning  of 
the  holy  season  of  Advent.  The  Church  com- 
mences, on  this  day,  to  contemplate  the  great 
longing  with  which  the  just  of  the  Old  Law 
desired  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer ;  on  these 
days  and  during  the  entire  season  of  Advent 
she  unites  her  prayers  with  their  sighs  in  order  to  awaken  in  her 
children  also  the  desire  for  the  grace  of  the  Redeemer;  above 
all  to  move  them  to  do  true  penance  for  their  sins,  because  these 
are  the  greatest  obstacles  in  the  path  of  that  gracious  Advent ; 
therefore  she  sings  at  the  Intro  it  of  the  day's  Mass:  "To  Thee, 

0  Lord,  have  I  lifted  up  my  soul.    In  Thee,  0  my  God, 

1  put  my  trust;  let  me  not  be  ashamed.  Neither  let 
my  enemies  laugh  at  me:  for  none  of  them  that  wait 
on  Thee  shall  be  confounded.  Show,  0  Lord,  Thy  ways 
to  me  and  teach  meThy  paths".  {Psalm xxiv.  1— 4.)  Glory 
be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost;  as  it 
was  in  the  beginning,  is  now  and  ever  shall  be.    Amen. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Show  forth  Thy  power, 
0  Lord,  and  come  that  we  may  merit  to  be  delivered  by  Thy 
protection  from  the  imminent  danger  of  our  sins,  and  be 
saved  by  Thee,  our  Liberator.  Who  livest  and  reignest  with 
God  the  Father  together  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  God  for  ever 
and  ever.    Amen. 

EPISTLE.  (Bomansxiii.il  — 14.)  Brethren!  you  know 
the  time,  that  it  is  now  the  hour  for  us  to  rise  from  sleep. 
For  now  our  salvation  is  nearer  than  when  we  believed.  The 
night  is  passed  and  the  day  is  at  hand.  Let  us  therefore  cast 
off  the  works  of  darkness  and  put  on  the  armor  of  light. 
Let  us  walk  honestly,  as  in  the  day,  not  in  eating  and 
drunkenness,  not  in  chambering  and  impurities,  not  in  con- 
tention and  envy:  but  put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

What  does  St.  Paul  teach  us  in  this  epistle  ? 
After  fully  explaining  the  duties  of  a  Christian  life  to  the  Ro- 
mans who  were  converted  especially  by  St.  Peter,  he  exhorts  them 
to  hesitate  no  longer  to  fulfill  them,  and  seeks  to  move  their 
hearts  in  this  time  of  grace,  presented  to  them  by  the  Christian 
regulation. 


12  FIRST  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

What  is  meant  here  by  sleep? 
The  stupidity  and  blindness  of  the  soul  that,  forgetting  her 
God,  is  sunk  in  a  luckwarm,  effeminate,  slothful  and  lustful  life, 
which  when  it  is  gone,  leaves  behind  nothing  more  than  a  dream 
had  in  sleep. 

Why  does  St.  Paul  say,  "salvation  is  nearer"? 
He  wishes  to  impress  upon  the  Romans  that  they  now  have 
far  greater  hope  of  salvation  than  when  they  first  became  Chri- 
stians, and  that  they  should  secure  it  by  a  pious  life,  because  death, 
and  the  moment  on  wrhich  depended  their  salvation,  or  eternal 
reward,  was  drawing  near.  "What  is  our  life",  says  St.  Chryso- 
stom,  "other  than  a  course,  a  dangerous  course  to  death,  through 
death  to  immortality"? 

What  is  the  signification  of  day  and  nig  lit? 
The  night  signifies  the  time  before  Christ,  full  of  darkness,  of 
infidelity  and  of  injustice;  the  day  represents  the  present  time, 
the  time  of  grace  and  of  the  gospel  light  in  the  Church,  in  which 
Christ  enlightens  the  whole  world  with  the  light  of  the  true  faith. 

What  are  "the  works  of  darkness?" 
All  sins,  and  especially  those  which  are  committed  in  the 
dark,  and  shun  the  eye  of  God  and  man. 

What  is  the  "armor  of  light?" 
That  faith,  virtue  and  grace,  the  spiritual  armor,  with  which 
we  battle  against  our  three  enemies,  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil,  and  in  which  we  should  walk  honestly  before  all  men.  A 
Christian  who  in  baptism  has  renounced  the  devil  and  all  his 
pomps,  dares  not  live  in  vice  and  impurities,  but  must  put  on 
Christ  Jesus,  that  is,  must  adorn  his  soul  with  the  imitation  of 
Christ's  virtues,  as  with  a  beautiful  garment.  This  text  (verse  13) 
moved  St.  Augustine  to  fly  from  all  works  of  uncleanliness  in 
which  he  has  been  involved,  and  to  lead  a  pure  life  which  he  had 
before  thought  is  difficult  to  do. 

ASPIRATION.  Grant,  0  Lord,  that  we  may  rise  by 
penance  from  the  sleep  of  our  sins,  may  walk  in  the  light  of 
Thy  grace  by  the  performance  of  good  works ,  may  put  on  Thee, 
and  adorn  our  souls  with  the  imitation  of  Thy  virtues.  Amen. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  xxi.  25—83.)  And  there  shall  be 
signs  in  the  sun  and  in  the  moon,  and  in  the  stars:  and 
upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations,  by  reason  of  the  confusion 
of  the  roaring  of  the  sea,  and  of  the  waves.  Men  withering 
away  for  fear,  and  expectation  of  what  shall  come  upon  the 
whole  world.    For  the  powers  of  heavens  shall  be-  moved: 


FIRST  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 


13 


and  then  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming  in  a  cloud 
with  great  power  and  majesty.  But  when  these  things  begin 
to  come  to  pass,  look  up  and  lift  up  your  heads:  because 
your  redemption  is  at  hand.  And  He  spoke  to  them  a  simili- 
tude. See  the  fig-tree  and  all  the  trees:  when  they  now 
shoot  forth  their  fruit,  you  know  that  summer  is  nigh.  So 
you  also,  when  you  shall  see  these  things  come  to  pass, 
know  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand.  Amen,  I  say  to 
you,  this  generation  shall  not  pass  away,  till  all  things  be 
fulfilled.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words 
shall  not  pass  away. 


14  FIRST  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

Why  does  the  Church  command  the  Gospel  of  the  Last  Judgment 
to  he  read  to  day? 

To  move  us  to  penance,  and  force  us  to  prepare  our  souls  for 
the  coming  of  Christ  by  placing  the  terrible  coming  in  the  Last 
Judgment  before  our  minds.  For  nothing  can,  and  nothing  should 
more  deter  us  from  sin  and  urge  us  on  to  virtue  than  the 
thought  that  in  this  judgment  all  good  and  all  evil  will  be  made 
public,  and  be  either  rewarded  or  punished  in  the  presence  of  the 
whole  world. 

What  signs  will  precede  the  Last  Judgment? 

The  sun  will  be  obscured,  the  stars  will  lose  their  light  and 
disappear  in  the  firmament  (Isai.  xiii.  10.),  and  in  their  place  fiery 
objects  will  be  seen  in  the  heavens  and  will  fall  upon  the  earth; 
lightning  and  flames  will  surround  the  earth  and  wither  up  every 
thing ;  the  powers  of  heaven  will  be  shaken,  the  elements  be  dis- 
solved and  brought  to  confusion ;  the  waters  of  the  earth  will  rise 
up  and  break  in  upon  the  land,  and  their  roaring  joined  with  the 
howling  of  the  winds,  and  the  beating  of  the  storms,  will  fill  man 
with  terror  and  dread.  Such  evils  and  distress  will  come  upon 
the  world  that  men  will  wither  away  from  fear  not  knowing 
whither  to  turn.  Even  the  choirs  of  angels  and  the  heavenly  do- 
minations will  be  terrified,  until  at  last  the  sign  of  the  Son  of 
Man,  the  sign  of  the  cross,  will  appear  in  the  heavens,  the  terror 
of  the  sinners  who  have  scorned  it,  the  consolation  of  the  just  who 
have  loved  it.    {Matt.  xxiv.  30.) 

Why  will  all  this  come  to  pass? 

Because  the  people  have  loved  the  creatures  of  God  inordi- 
nately, more  than  the  Creator,  and  used  them  only  to  His  dishonor, 
He  will  destroy  them  in  this  terrible  manner,  arming  all  creatures 
for  the  vengeance  of  His  enemies  (  Wisdom  v.  8.),  and  showing  by 
the  manner  of  their  destruction  the  evils  which  will  fall  upon  all 
sinners.  The  darkness  of  the  sun  will  indicate  the  darkness  of 
hell,  the  bloodred  moon  the  anger  and  wrath  of  God ;  the  disap- 
pearance and  falling  of  the  stars  the  fall  of  sinners  into  the  abysses 
of  hell  and  their  disappearance  from  earth ;  and  the  madness  of 
the  elements  the  rage  of  the  beast  of  hell  (Ludw.  d.  P.).  Sinners 
will  then  vainly  and  too  late  repent  that  they  have  attached  their 
hearts  to  things  which  will  end  so  horribly  and  that  only  increase 
their  torments. 

Why  through  all  this  does  Christ  command:  "Lift  up  your  heads 
for  your  redemption  is  at  hand"? 

These  words  are  spoken  to  the  just  who  as  long  as  they  live 
on  earth  are  like  prisoners  and  exiles,  but  at  the  Last  Judgment 
will  be  taken  body  and  soul  into  their  long  desired  fatherland,  the 
kingdom  of  heaven:  into  the  freedom  of  the  children  of  God. 


FIRST  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT.  15 

These  will  have  reason  to  raise  their  heads,  now  bowed  in  mourn- 
ing and  to  rejoice. 

How  will  the  Last  Judgment  commence? 

By  the  command  of  God  the  angels  will  sound  the  trumpets 
summoning  men  from  all  the  four  parts  of  the  earth  to  come  to 
judgment  (Thess.  iv.  15.).  Then  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  of  the 
just  and  of  the  unjust,  will  unite  with  their  souls,  be  brought  to 
the  valley  of  Jehosophat,  and  there  placed,  the  just  on  the  right, 
the  unjust  on  the  left  {Matt.  xxv.  33.).  Then  will  appear  the 
angels  and  also  the  devils,  then  Christ  Himself  will  be  seen  coming 
in  a  cloud  in  such  power  and  majesty,  that  the  sinners  will  be 
filled  with  terror,  will  not  dare  to  look  at  Him,  and  will  cry  to  the 
mountains  to  fall  upon  them  and  to  the  hills  to  cover  them  up. 
{Luke  xxiii.  30.) 

How  will  the  judgment  be  held? 

The  books  of  conscience  closed  with  this  life,  upon  which  all 
men  are  to  be  judged,  will  be  opened;  all  good  and  evil  thoughts, 
words,  deeds  and  motives,  even  the  most  secret  known  only  to  God, 
will  then  be  as  plainly  revealed  to  the  whole  world  as  if  they  were 
written  on  each  ones  forehead;  and  by  these  each  one  will  be 
judged,  eternally  rewarded  or  eternally  punished. 

0  God !  If  we  must  then  give  an  account  of  every  idle  word 
{Matt.  xii.  36),  how  can  we  stand  in  the  face  of  so  many  sinful 
words  and  actions ! 

Why  will  God  hold  an  universal  public  judgment? 

Although  immediately  after  death  a  special,  private  judgment 
of  each  soul  takes  place,  God  has  ordained  a  public  and  universal 
judgment  for  the  following  reasons :  First,  that  it  may  be  shown 
clearly  to  all  how  just  has  been  His  private  judgment,  and  also  that 
the  body  which  has  been  the  instrument  of  sin  or  of  virtue,  may 
share  in  the  soul's  punishment  or  reward;  secondly,  that  the 
justice  they  could  by  no  means  obtain  in  this  life,  may  be  given 
before  the  whole  world  to  the  oppressed  poor,  and  to  persecuted 
innocence ;  and  that  the  wicked  who  have  abused  the  righteous, 
and  yet  have  been  considered  honest  and  good,  may  be  shamed 
before  all.  Thirdly,  that  the  graces  and  means  of  salvation 
bestowed  upon  each  may  be  made  known;  fourthly,  that  the 
blessed  providence  of  God  which  often  permitted  the  righteous  to 
suffer  evil  while  the  wicked  prospered,  may  be  vindicated,  and  it 
be  shown,  on  that  day,  that  His  acts  are  acts  of  the  greatest 
wisdom.  Fifthly,  that  the  wicked  may  learn  the  goodness  of  God, 
not  for  their  comfort  or  benefit,  but  their  greatest  sorrow,  that 
they  may  see  how  He  rewards  even  the  slightest  work  performed 
for  His  love  and  honor.  Finally,  that  Christ  may  be  exalted  before 
the  wicked  on  earth,  as  before  the  good  in  heaven,  and  that  His 
word's  truth  may  be  solemnly  made  manifest. 


16 


SECOND  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 


ASPIRATION.  Just  art  Thou,  0  God,  and  just  are  Thy 
judgments.  Ah,  penetrate  my  soul  with  holy  fear  of  them, 
that  I  may  be  kept  always  in  awe  of  them,  and  saved  from 
evil  conduct.  Would  that  I  could  say  with  the  penitent 
St.  Jerome:  "Whether  I  eat  or  drink,  and  whatever  I  do,  I 
seem  to  hear  the  awful  sound  of  the  trumpet  in  my  ears: 
Arise  ye  dead,  and  come  to  judgment". 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY 

IN  ADVENT. 

N  this  day  the  Church  not  only  makes  mention 
in  the  office  of  the  priest,  but  also  in  the 
.Mass,  of  the  two  different  advents  of  Christ, 
that  by  His  gracious  first  advent  we  may  be 
gladdened,  and  by  His  terrible  last  advent  at 
the. Judgment  Day,  we  maybe  impressed  with 
salutary  fear.  With  this  intention  she  sings 
at  the  Ititroit:  "People  of  Sion,  behold,  the  Lord  stall 
come  to  save  the  nations,  and  the  Lord  shall  make 
the  voice  of  His  glory  heard  in  the  joy  of  your  heart. 
{lsai.  xxx.  30.)  Give  ear,  0  Thou,  that  rulest  Israel, 
Thou,  that  leadest  Joseph  like  a  sheep.  (Ps.  lxxix.  2.) 
Glory  be  to  the  Father  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Stir  up  our  hearts,  0  Lord, 
to  prepare  the  way  of  Thy  only  begotten  Son,  that  by  His 
advent  we  may  be  made  worthy  to  serve  Thee  with  purified 
mind  and  spirit;  who  livest  aud  reignest  with  God  the 
Father,  in  union  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  God  for  ever  and 
ever.  Amen. 

EPISTLE.  (Romans  xv.  4—13.)  Brethren!  For  what 
things  soever  were  written,  were  written  for  our  learning: 
that  through  patience  and  the  comfort  of  the  scriptures,  we 
might  have  hope.  Now  the  God  of  patience  and  of  comfort 
grant  you  to  be  of  one  mind  one  towards  another,  according 
to  Jesus  Christ:  that  with  one  mind  and  with  one  mouth,  you 
may  glorify  God,  and  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Wherefore  receive  one  another;  as  Christ  also  hath  received 
you  unto  the  honor  of  God.  For  I  say  that  Jesus  Christ  was 
minister  of  the  circumcision  for  the  truth  of  God,  to  confirm 
the  promise  made  unto  the  fathers.  But  that  the  gentiles  are 


SECOND  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT.  17 

to  glorify  God  for  his  mercy,  as  it  is  written:  Therefore 
will  I  confess  to  Thee,  0  Lord,  among  the  gentiles, 
and  will  sing  to  Thy  name.  And  again  he  saith:  Re- 
joice, ye  gentiles,  with  His  people.  And  again:  Praise 
the  Lord,  all  ye  gentiles,  and  magnify  Him,  all  ye 
people.  And  again  Isaias  saith:  There  shall  be  a  root 
of  Jesse;  and  He  that  riseth  up  to  rule  the  gentiles,  in 
Him  the  gentiles  shall  hope.  Now  the  God  of  hope  fill 
you  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believing:  that  you  may 
abound  in  hope  and  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

What  does  St.  Paul  teach  in  this  Epistle? 

The  Jews  and  Gentiles  converted  to  the  Christian  faith  were 
disputing  among  themselves  at  Rome,  in  regard  to  abstinence 
and  the  use  of  certain  kinds  of  food,  reproaching  each  other  se- 
verely ;  the  Jews  boasting  over  the  Gentiles  that  the  Saviour,  accord- 
ing to  promise,  was  born  of  their  nation,  thus  claiming  him  from 
the  Gentiles,  who,  in  their  turn,  reproached  the  Jews  for  the 
hateful  ingratitude  with  which  they  had  crucified  Him.  To  restore 
harmony  St.  Paul  shows  that  each  had  reason,  the  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles alike,  to  praise  God,  to  whose  grace  and  goodness  they  owed 
all,  that  each  had  in  Him  a  Redeemer  in  whom  they  could  hope 
for  salvation,  and  warns  them  not  to  deprive  themselves  of  that 
hope  by  contentions  among  themselves.  By  these  words  the 
Apostle  teaches,  also,  that  we,  too,  have  great  reason  to  praise  God 
and  thank  Him,  for  calling  us  whose  forefathers  were  heathens  to 
the  Christian  faith,  and  to  guard  against  losing  our  salvation  by 
pride,  envy,,  impurity  &c. 

Why  should  we  read  the  scriptures? 

That  we  may  know  what  we  are  to  believe  and  to  do  in  order  to 
be  saved,  as  all  scripture  inspired  of  God,  is  profitable  to  teach, 
to  reprove,  to  correct,  to  instruct  in  justice  {Tim.  iii.  16.);  that  we 
may  learn  from  that  which  Christ  has  done  for  us,  and  the  Saints 
for  Christ,  to  be  patient  in  our  sufferings,  and  to  be  consoled  and 
encouraged  in  hope  by  their  example.  To  derive  this  benefit  from 
the  scriptures  they  must  be  read  by  the  light  of  that  spirit  through 
whose  assistance  they  came  into  existence,  who  lives  and  remains 
forever  with  the  Church:  that  is,  the  light  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
must  be  sought,  that  their  meaning  may  be  read  according  to  the 
sense  of  the  Church  and  not  be  explained  by  the  reader's  own 
judgment. 

He  who  reads  the  Holy  Scriptures  merely  to  satisfy  his  curio- 
sity, his  enquiring  spirit,  and  his  quarrelsome  temper,  following 
his  own  private  judgment  in  interpreting  and  explaining  the 
many  obscure  passages,  subject  to  so  many  different  renderings, 
without  considering  that  only  the  Holy  Ghost,  through  whose  in- 


18  SECOND  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

spiration  the  Bible  exists,  is  and  can  be  its  only  true  and  veritable 
expounder,  that  this  Holy  Ghost  is  working  in  the  true  Church 
only,  and  that  this  Church  alone  through  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom 
Christ  has  promised,  shall  remain  with  her  for.  all  time,  can  inter- 
pret them,  he  who  without  reflecting  upon  this  reads  the  Holy 
Scriptures  by  the  light  of  his  own  private  judgment  simply,  must, 
as  experience  shows,  of  necessity  diverge  from  the  right  path, 
become  entangled  in  manifold  doubts,  and  at  last,  lose  the 
faith  entirely.  For  this  reason  the  head  of  the  Catholic  Church 
has  most  properly  limited  the  reading  of  the  Bible,  not,  as  has  been 
falsely  asserted,  unconditionally  forbidden  it,  and  allows  the 
reading  of  those  editions  only  which  are  accompanied  by  notes 
and  explanations  in  accordance  with  tradition  and  the  exposition 
of  the  holy  fathers,  that  the  unity  of  faith  may  not  be  disturbed, 
and  that  among  Catholics  there  may  not  be  the  terrible  bewilder- 
ment of  the  human  *  intellect  which  has  taken  place  among  the 
different  heretical  sects,  who  have  even  declared  murder,  bigamy 
and  impurity  to  be  permissable  on  the  authority  of  the  Bible.  — 
We  are  to  consider,  also,  that  God  never  commanded  the  Bible  to 
be  written  or  read,  and  that  not  the  readers  but  the  followers  of 
the  word  of  God,  by  which  is  meant  those  who  hear  the  words  of 
God  in  sermons,  and  keep  it,  will  be  saved.  *) 

Why  is  God  called  a  God  of  patience,  of  consolation,  and  of  hope  ? 
He  is  called  a  God  of  patience  because  He  looks  long  on  our 
sinful  life,  and  awaits  our  repentance ;  of  consolation  because  He 
gives  us  grace  to  be  patient  in  crosses  and  afflictions,  and  so  con- 
soles us  inwardly  that  we  become  not  faint-hearted ;  of  hope  be- 
cause He  gives  us  the  virtue  of  hope,  and  because  He  desires  to 
be  Himself  the  reward  we  are  to  expect  after  this  life. 

ASPIRATION.  0  God  of  patience,  of  consolation  and  of 
hope,  fill  our  hearts  with  peace  and  joy,  and  grant  that  we 
may  become  perfect  in  all  good,  and  by  faith,  hope  and 
charity  attain  the  promised  salvation. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xi.  2—10.)  Now  when  John  has  heard 
in  prison  the  works  of  Christ :  sending  two  of  his  disciples  he 
said  to  Him:  Art  thou  He  that  art  to  come,  or  look  we  for 
another?  And  Jesus  making  answer  said  to  them:  Go  and 
relate  to  John  what  you  have  heard  and  seen.  The  blind 
see,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear, 
the  dead  rise  again,  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to 

*)  Further  instruction  in  regard  to  the  doctrine  of  faith  on  this  subject 
will  be  found  in  the  "Instruction  for  Easter-Tuesday". 


SECOND  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 


19 


them.  And  blessed  is  he  that  shall  not  be  scandalized  in  me. 
And  when  they  went  their  way,  Jesus  began  to  say  to  the 
multitude  concerning  John:  What  went  you  out  into  the 
desert  to  see?  A  reed  shaken  with  the  wind?  But  what  went 
you  out  to  see?  A  man  clothed  in  soft  garments?  Behold 
they  that  are  clothed  in  soft  garments  are  in  the  houses  of 
kings.  But  what  went  you  out  to  see?  A  prophet?  Yea,  I 
tell  you,  and  more  than  a  prophet.  For  this  is  he  of  whom 
it  is  written:  BehoK  I  send  my  angel  before  thy  face, 
who  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee. 


o* 


20  SECOND  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

Why  was  John  in  prison? 

He  was  in  prison  and  later  lost  his  life,  because  he  had  rebuked 
king  Herod  for  his  adulterous  marriage  with  his  brother's  wife 
{Matt.  xiv.  10.).  Truth,  as  the  proverb  says,  is  certainly  a  very 
beautiful  mother,  but  she  usually  bears  a  very  ugly  daughter: 
Hatred.  St.  John  experienced  that  speaking  the  truth  very  often 
arouses  hatred  and  enmity  against  the  speaker.—  Let  us  learn 
from  him  to  speak  the  truth  always  when  duty  requires  it,  even 
at  the  cost  of  the  greatest  misfortunes,  for  if  with  St.  John  we 
patiently  bear  persecution,  with  St.  John  we  shall  become  martyrs 
of  truth. 

Why  did  St.  John  send  his  disciples  to  Christ? 

That  they  should  learn  from  Christ,  who  was  already  shining 
by  His  doctrines  and  His  miracles,  He  was  really  the  promised 
Messiah,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  whom  they  should  folio  w. 

Why  does  Christ  say  to  the  disciples  of  St.  John:  "Go  and  say 
to  John,  the  blind  see,  the  lame  walk  etc."? 
That  they  shoufd  by  His  miracles  judge  Him  to  be  the  Messiah, 
because  the  prophets  had  predicted  that  He  would  work  such 
miracles  {Isai  xxxv.  5,  6).  "Christ",  says  St.  Cyril,  "proved  that 
He  was  the  Messiah  by  the  grandeur  as  well  as  by  the  number  of 
His  miracles." 

Why  does  Christ  add:  "And  blessed  is  he  who  is  not  scan- 
dalized in  me"? 
Christ  used  these  words  in  reference  to  those  who  would  be 
scandalized  by  His  poverty,  humility  and  ignominious  death  on 
the  cross,  and  who  would,  for  these  reasons,  doubt  and  despise 
Him,  and  cast  Him  away;  though  "man",  as  St.  Gregory  says, 
"owes  all  the  more  love  to  the  Lord,  his  God,  the  more  humilia- 
tions He  has  born  for  him. " 

What  was  our  Lord's  object  in  the  questions  He  asked  concerning 

St.  John? 
His  object  was  to  remove  from  St.  John,  all  suspicion  of  failing 
in  faith  in  Him ;  to  praise,  as  an  example  for  all  preachers,  con- 
fessors, and  superiors,  that  they  might  never  be  deterred  by  human 
respect,  or  fear  of  man,  or  other  temporal  consideration,  from 
courageously  fulfilling  their  duties,  the  perseverance  with  which 
St.  John  although  imprisoned  and  threatened  with  death,  con- 
tinued to  fill  his  office  of  preacher;  and  to  commend  the  rigorous 
penance  shown  by  his  coarse  garments  and  simple  food,  that  we 
might  learn  from  his  example  penance  and  mortify  our  bodies. 

Why  does  Christ  say  that  John  is  "more  than  a  prophet"? 
Because  St.  John  was  foretold  by  the  prophet  Malachy  as  was 
no  other  prophet ;  because  of  all  the  prophets  he  was  the  only  one 
who  with  his  own  eyes  saw  Christ  and  could  point  His  hand  to  Him, 


SECOND  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT.  21 

and  was  the  one  to  baptize  Him:  and  because  like  an  angel,  a 
messenger  of  God,  he  announced  the  coming  of  the  Saviour  and 
prepared  the  way  for  the  Lord. 

How  did  St.  John  prepare  the  way  for  the  Saviour? 
By  his  sermons  on  penance,  and  by  his  own  penitential  life, 
he  endeavored  to  move  the  hearts  of  the  Jews,  that  by  amending 
their  lives,  they  might  prepare  to  receive  the  grace  of  the  Messiah. 
For  God  will  not  come  with  His  grace  into  our  hearts  if  we  do  not 
prepare  His  way  by  true  repentance. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Lord  Jesus,  by  the  'praise  Thou  didst 
accord  to  Thy  forerunner  St.  John,  for  his  firmness  and 
austerities,  grant  us  Thy  grace  to  have  those  confided  to  our 
care  instructed  in  Christian  doctrine,  and  inflame  our  hearts 
with  such  readiness  to  imitate  his  steadfastness  and  penance, 
that  we  may  never  do  that  to  please  man  which  may  be  dis- 
pleasing to  Thee. 

CONSOLATION  IN  SUFFERING. 

"The  God  of  patience  and  of  comfort,  the  God  of  hope  fill  you 
with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believiny."    {Rom.  xv.  5,  13.) 

THe  fervent  and  strong  believe  that  each  and  every  thing  that 
happens  to  us,  comes  to  us  for  our  own  good  from  God,  and  that 
every  evil,  of  whatever  description  that  befalls  us,  is  by  the  will  or 
by  the  permission  of  God.  "Good  things  and  evil,  life  and 
death,  poverty  and  riches,  are  from  God".  (Eccl.  xi.  14.) 
«If  we  have  received  good  things  at  the  hand  of  God", 
(Jolt.  ii.  10.)  said  the  pious  Job  in  his  affliction,  "why  should 
we  not  receive  evil?" 

We  should  have  the  full  persuasion  that  without  the  permission 
of  God  not  a  single  hair  of  our  head  shall  perish  (Luke  xxi.  18.), 
much  less  can  other  evil  be  done  to  us  by  man  or  devil  i  Job.  i.  i ;  a 
steadfast  confidence  that  if  we  ask  Him,  God  can  and  will  assist  us 
in  our  sufferings,  if  it  is  good  for  our  salvation  that  He  should  do 
so.  "Can  a  woman  forget  her  infant,  so  as  not  to  have 
pity  on  the  son  of  her  womb?  And  if  she  should  forget, 
yet  will  I  not  forget  thee.  Behold  I  have  engraven 
thee  in  my  hands"  Isai.  xlix.  15.  16.;;  the  hope  of  abundant 
reward  in  the  future  life  which  we  shall  merit  by  patience  in  our 
sufferings,  "For  our  present  tribulation  which  is  momen- 
tary ^and  light,  worketh  for  us  above  measure  ex- 
ceedingly an  eternal  weight  of  glory"  (ii.  Romans  iv.  17. »; 
the  thought  that  all  complaints  and  murmurs  against  the  dispens- 
ation of  God  are  useless,  and  lead  only  to  shame  and  harm, 
"Who  hath  resisted  Him,  and  hath  had  peace"?  \Joh. 
ix.  4.)  the  vivid  remembrance  of  our  sins  for  which  we  have  long 


2)2 


THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 


deserved  eternal  punishment  in  hell,— hence  the  well  known  saying 
of  St.  Augustine:  "Here  cut,  0  Lord,  here  scald  and  here  burn, 
but  spare  me  in  eternity";  the  consideration  that  no  other  way 
leads  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  than  the  way  of  the  cross,  which 
Christ  Himself.  His  sorrowing  mother,  and  all  the  saints  had  to 
tread.  "Ought  not  Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things 
and  so  to  enter  into  His  glory?" (^w/^xxiv.  26.  i ;  "through 
many  tribulations  we  must  enter  the  kingdom  of  God" 
(Acts.  xiv.  21.);  finally,  the  certainty  that  sorrows  and  adversities 
are  signs  of  God's  love,  and  of  being  chosen:  "Whom  the  L  ord 
loveth  He  chastiseth,  and  he  scourgeth  every  son 
whom  he  receiveth" 

PRAYER  IN  SORROW.  Oh  almighty,  kind  and  merciful 
God!  who  hast  said:  "Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble, 
I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me"  (Ps. 
xlix.  15.),  behold  I  rely  upon  Thy  word  and  take  refuge  with 
Thee  in  my  trouble.  Give  honor  to  Thy  name,  therefore,  and 
reserve  me,  if  it  be  pleasing  to  Thee  and  well  for  me,  that 
all  may  know  Thou  art  our  only  help.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY 

IN  ADVENT. 


N  this  Sunday  again,  the  Church  calls  on  us  to 
rejoice  in  the  Advent  of  the  Redeemer,  and  at 
the  Introit  sings:  "Rejoice  in  the  Lord 
always;  again  I  say  rejoice!  Let  your 
modesty  be  known  to  all  men:  the  Lord 
is  nigh.  Be  not  solicitous  about  any 
o  thing,  but  in  every  thing  by  prayer 
and  supplication,  with  thanksgivings,  let  your  peti- 
tions be  made  known  to  God  (Piiil.  iv.  4—6).  Lord,  Thou 
hast  blessed  Thy  land,  Thou  hast  turned  away  the 
captivity  of  Jacob.  {Pi.  lxxxiv.  1.)  Glory  be  to  the  Father  &c. 
PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Bend  Thine  ear,  0  Lord, 
we  beseech  Thee,  to  our  prayers,  and  enlighten  the  darkness 
of  our  minds  by  the  grace  of  Thy  visitation.  Who  livest  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Phil.  iv.  4— 7.)  Brethren,  rejoice  in  the  Lord 
always;  again,  I  say,  rejoice.  Let  your  modesty  be  known  to 
all  men:  the  Lord  is  nigh.  Be  nothing  solicitous:  but  in  every 
thing  by  prayer  and.  supplication,  with  thanksgivings  let 
your  petitions  be  made  known  to  God.  And  the  peace  of 
God,  which  surpasseth  all  understanding,  keep  your  hearts 
and  minds  in  Christ  Jesus. 


THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT.  23 

What  is  meant  by  „rejoicing  in  the  Lord?" 
By  "rejoicing  in  the  Lord"  is  meant  rejoicing  in  the  grace 
of  the  true  faith  we  have  received;  in  the  hope  of  obtaining,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  eternal  happiness;  in  the  protection  of  the  most  High 
under  which  we  stand :  and  in  the  persecution  for  justice's  sake  in 
which  Christ  Himself  exhorts  us  to  rejoice,  and  in  which  the  Apostle 
Paul  so  gloried,  (ii.  Cor.  vii.  4.) 

What  else  does  St.  Paul  teach  in  this  epistle? 

He  exhorts  us  to  set  to  all  a  good  example  by  a  modest  and 
edifying  life,  to  which  we  should  be  directed  by  the  remembrance 
of  God's  presence  and  His  coming  to  judgment  (Chrysostom.?i?>.in 
Joann.) ;  warns  us  against  solicitude  about  temporal  affairs,  advis- 
ing us  to  cast  our  care  on  God,  who  when  we  entreat  Him  in  our 
needs  with  confidence  and  humility,  grateful  for  graces  received, 
will  never  abandon  us. 

In  what  does  the  „peace  of  God"  consist? 

It  consists  in  a  good  conscience  (Ambrose),  in  which  St.  Paul 
gloried  and  rejoiced  beyond  measure,  (ii.  Cor.  i.  12.)  This  peace 
or  quietness  of  the  soul  consoled  all  the  martyrs  and  many  other 
who  have  suffered  for  justice's  sake.  Thus  St.  Tibertius  said  to 
the  tyrant:  "We  count  all  pain  but  little,  for  our  conscience  is  at 
peace".  There  cannot  be  imagined  a  greater  joy  than  that  which 
proceeds  from  the  peace  of  a  good  conscience.  It  must  be  expe- 
rienced to  be  understood. 

ASPIRATION.  The  peace  of  God  that  surpasseth  all 
understanding  preserve  our  hearts  in  Christ  Jesus.  Amen. 

COMFORT  AND  RELIEF  IN  SORROW. 
„Is  any  one  troubled,  let  him  pray."  (James,  v.  13.) 

THere  is  no  greater  or  more  powerful  comfort  in  sorrow  than 
in  humble  and  trusting  prayer,  to  complain  to  God  of  our  wants 
and  cares,  as  did  the  sorrowful  Anna,  mother  of  the  prophet  Sa- 
muel (i.  Kings.  10),  and  the  pure  Susanna  when  she  was  falsely 
accused  of  adultery  and  sentenced  to  death  {Dan.  xiii.  35.).  So  the 
pious  king  Ezechias  complained  in  prayer  of  the  severe  oppression 
with  which  he  was  threatened  by  Sennacherib  (iv.  Kings,  xix.  14.). 
So  also  king  Josophat  made  his  trouble  known  to  God  only, 
saying:  "Because  we  know  not  what  to  do,  we  can  only 
turn  our  eyes  to  Thee"  (ii.  Paralip.  xx.  13).  And  they  all 
received  aid  and  comfort  from  God.  Are  you  sad  and  in  trouble? 
Lift  up  your  soul  with  David  and  say:  "To  Thee  I  have  lifted 
up  my  eyes,  who  dwellest  in  heaven!  Behold  as  the 
eyes  of  servants  are  on  the  hands  of  their  masters, 
as  the  eyes  of  the  handmaid  are  on  the  hands  of  her 
mistress,  so  are  our  eyes  unto  the  Lord  our  God,  until 


24 


THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 


He  shall  have  mercy  on  us.  Have  mercy  on  us,  0  Lord, 
have  mercy  on  us".  (Ps.  cxxii.)  "Give  joy  to  the  soul 
of  Thy  servant,  for  to  Thee,  0  Lord,  I  have  lifted  up 
my  soul".   {Ps.  lxxxv.  4.) 


GOSPEL.  {John,  i.  19—28.)  And  this  is  the  testimony 
of  John,  when  the  Jews  sent  from  Jerusalem  priests  and  levi- 
tes  to  him,  to  ask  him:  Who  art  thou?  And  He  confessed 
and  did  not  deny:  and  he  confessed:  I  am  not  the  Christ.  And 
they  asked  him:  What  then?  Art  thou  Elias?  And  he  said: 
I  am  not.  Art  thou  the  prophet?  And  he  answered:  No.  They 
said  therefore  unto  him:  Who  art  thou,  that  we  may  give 
an  answer  to  them  that  sent  us?  What  sayest  thou  of  thy- 


THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT.  25 

self?  He  said:  I  am  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the 
wilderness.  Make  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  as 
said  the  prophet  Isaias.  And  they  that  were  sent,  were  of  the 
Pharisees.  And  they  asked  him,  and  said  to  him:  Why  then 
doest  thou  baptize,  if  thou  be  not  Christ,  nor  Elias,  nor  the 
prophet*?  John  answered  them,  saying:  I  baptize  with  water; 
but  there  hath  stood  one  in  the  midst  of  you  whom  you  know 
not.  The  same  is  he  that  shall  come  after  me,  who  is  pre- 
ferred before  me,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoe  I  am  not  worthy 
to  loose.  These  things  were  done  in  Bethania  beyond  the 
Jordan,  where  John  was  baptizing. 

Why  did  the  Jews  send  messenyers  to  St.  John  to  ask  him  who 

he  was? 

Partly  because  of  their  curiosity,  when  they  saw  St.  John 
leading  such  a  pure,  angelic  and  penitential  life;  partly,  as  St. 
Chrysostom  says,  out  of  envy,  because  St.  John  preached  with 
such  spiritual  force,  so  baptized  and  exhorted  the  people  to 
penance,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  came  to  him  in  great 
numbers;  partly  and  principally  they  were  impelled  by  the  pro- 
vidence of  God  to  demand  publicly  of  St.  John,  if  he  was  the 
Messiah,  and  so  be  directed  to  the  real  Messiah,  to  Christ,  that 
they  might  be  compelled  to  acknowledge  Him  as  such,  or  have 
no  excuse  for  rejecting  Him. 

Why  did  the  Jews  ask  St.  John,  if  he  were  not  Elias  or  the  prophet? 
The  Jews  falsely  believed,  that  the  Redeemer  was  to  come  into 
this  world  but  once,  and  then  with  great  glory,  and  that  Elias  or 
one  of  the  old  prophets  would  come  before  Him,  and  prepare  His 
way,  as  Malachy  (iv.  6.)  had  prophesied  of  St.  John;  so  when 
St."John  said  of  himself  that  he  was  not  the  Messiah,  they  asked  him, 
if  then  he  were  not  Elias  or  one  of  the  prophets.  But  Elias,  who 
was  taken  alive  from  this  world  in  a  fiery  chariot,  will  not 
reappear  until  just  before  the  second  coming  of  Christ. 

Why  did  John  say,  he  was  not  Elias  or  the  prophet? 

Because  he  was  not  Elias,  and,  in  reality,  not  a  prophet  in 
the  Jew's  sense  of  the  word,  but  more  than  a  prophet,  because  he 
announced  that  Christ  had  come,  and  pointed  Him  out. 

Why  does  St.  John  call  himself  "the  voice  of  one  cryiny  in 
the  wilderness" ? 
Because  in  his  humility,  he  desired  to  acknowledge  that  he 
was  only  an  instrument,  through  whom  the  Redeemer  announced 
to  the  abandoned  and  hopeless  Jews,  the  consolation  of  the  Mes- 
siah, exhorting  them  to  bear  fruits  worthy  of  penance. 


26  THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

How  do  we  bear-  fruits  of  penance  ? 
We  bear  fruits  of  penance,  when,  after  our  conversion,  we 
serve  God  and  justice  with  the  same  zeal  with  which  we  pre- 
viously served  the  devil  and  vanity ;  when  we  love  God  as  fer- 
vently as  we  once  loved  the  flesh,  —  that  is,  the  desires  of  the 
flesh,  —  and  the  pleasures  of  the  world;  when  we  give  our  members 
to  justice  as  we  once  gave  them  to  malice  and  impurity  {Rom.  vi. 
19.),  when  the  mouth  that  formerly  uttered  improprieties,  when 
the  ears  that  listened  to  detraction  or  evil  speech,  when  the  eyes 
that  looked  curiously  upon  improper  objects,  now  rejoice  in  the 
utterance  of  words  pleasing  to  God,  to  hear  and  to  see  things  dear 
to  Him;  when  the  stomach  that  was  given  to  the  luxury  of  eating 
and  drinking,  now  abstains;  when  the  hands  give  back  what  they 
have  stolen;  in  a  word,  when  we  put  off  the  old* man,  who  was 
corrupted,  and  put  on  the  new  man,  who  is  created  in  justice  and 
holiness  of  truth.  (Eph.  iv.  22.  24.) 

What  was  the  baptism  administered  by  John,  and  what  were  its 

effects  ? 

The  baptism  administered  by  John  was  only  a  baptism  of 
penance  for  forgiveness  of  sins  (Luke  iii.  3.),  and  therefore  did 
not,  like  the  baptism  afterwards  instituted  by  Christ,  effect  the  re- 
mission of  sin ;  it  merely  was  taken  in  connection  with  the  St.  John's 
sermons,  to  move  to  penance,  and  as  an  acknowledgment  of  sin. 

What  else  can  be  learned  from  this  gospel? 

We  learn  from  it  to  be  always  sincere  especially  at  the  tri- 
bunal of  penance,  and  to  practice  the  necessary  virtue  of  humility, 
by  which  St.  John  confessed  the  truth  openly  and  without  reserve, 
in  reply  of  the  questions  of  the  Jews,  considering  himself,  as 
shown  by  the  words:  "the  latchet  of  whose  shoe  I  am  not 
worthy  to  loose,  as  the  lowest  of  Christ's  servants,  giving  us 
thereby  an  example  of  humility  and  sincerity,  which  should  induce 
us  always  to  speak  the  truth,  and  not  only  not  to  seek  honor  but 
to  give  to  God  all  the  honor  shown  us  by  men. 

Have  you  not  far  more  reason  than  John,  who  was  such  a 
great  saint,  to  esteem  yourself  but  little,  and  to  humble  yourself 
before  God  and  man?  My  son,  says  Tobias  (iv.  14  ),  never  suffer 
pride  to  reign  in  thy  mind  or  in  thy  words ;  for  from  it  all  per- 
dition took  its  beginning. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Lord,  banish  from  my  heart  all  envy, 
all  jealousy  and  pride.  Grant  me  instead  to  know  myself  and 
Thee,  that  by  the  knowledge  of  my  nothingness,  my  misery 
and  of  my  vices,  I  may  always  remain  unworthy  in  my  own 
eyes,  and  that  by  the  contemplation  of  Thine  infinite  per- 
fections, I  may  seek  to  prize  Thee  above  all,  to  love  and  to 


EMBER  WEDNESDAY  IN  ADVENT.  27 

glorify  Thee,  to  look  upon  my  neighbor  as  far  more  perfect 
than  myself,  and  love  him  therefore  from  my  heart.  Amen. 

EMBER  WEDNESDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

LESSON.  (Isai.  vii.  10 — 15.  And  the  Lord  spoke  again 
to  Achaz,  saying:  Ask  thee  a  sign  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  either 
unto  the  depth  of  hell,  or  unto  the  height  above.  And  Achaz 
said:  I  will  not  ask  and  I  will  not  tempt  the  Lord.  And  he 
said:  Hear  ye  therefore,  0  house  of  David:  Is  it  a  small  thing 
for  ye  to  be  grievous  to  men,  that  you  are  grievous  to  my  God 
also1?  Therefore  the  Lord  himself  shall  give  you  a  sign.  Behold 
a  virgin  shall  conceive,  and  bear  a  s  jn,  and  his  name  shall  be 
called  Emmanuel.  He  shall  eat  butter  and  honey  that  he 
may  know  to  refuse  the  evil  and  to  choose  the  good.*) 

EXPLANATION  OF  THE  LESSON.  In  this  lesson  is  con- 
tained the  important  prophecy  of  the  Saviour's  birth  from  a  virgin. 
War  was  declared  by  the  kings  of  Israel  and  Syria  against  Achaz, 
king  of  Juda,  who  at  their  approach  was  overpowered  with  fear, 
and  thought  of  seeking  aid  from  the  Assyrians  instead  of  looking 
to  almighty  God;  and  on  account  of  this  lack  of  confidence  in  the 
assistance  of  God,  the  prophet  Isaiah  was  sent  to  announce  to 
him  the  destruction  of  both  the  opposing  kings,  and  his  own  pre- 
servation, desiring  Achaz  to  prove  the  truth  of  his  words  by  de- 
manding a  sign  from  God;  but  he,  being  given  to  idolatry,  did 
not  wish  to  ask  a  sign  from  heaven,  for  he  had  more  faith  in  the 
assistance  of  the  demons  and  of  the  Assyrians.  Then,  because  he 
had  offended  God  by  his  refusal,  the  prophet  rebuked  him,  saying: 
The  Lord  himself  will  give  you  (that  is,  your  posterity), 
a  sign,  for  a  virgin  will  conceive  and  bear  a  son  and 
he  shall  be  called  Emmanuel,  that  is  —  God  with  us.  By 
these  words  Isaiah  desired  to  impress  upon  the  king,  that  as 
surely  as  he  should  be  preserved  from  his  enemies,  so  surely  this 
Emmanuel,  the  Son  of  the  Virgin,  the  Redeemer  of  the  world, 
would  appear  to  redeem  the  world  from  Satan's  power.  —  Let  us 
learn  from  this  lesson  always  to  trust  in  God,  who  can  deliver  us 
from  all  danger,  and  let  us  also  be  grateful  to  Him  who  seven 
hundred  and  forty  three  years  before  the  time,  permitted  .the 
consoling  coming  of  His  Son,  our  Saviour,  to  be  announced. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Emmanuel,  strong,  holy  God!  Our 
Saviour  and  our  Redeemer!  be  with  us  always  in  life  and  in 
death;  for  if  Thou  art  with  us  who  can  be  against  us? 

*)  This  lesson  is  read  also  on  the  Feast  ol  the  Annunciation  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  and  in  the  Rorate  Masses,  as  is  the  gospel  {Luke  i.  26—28) 
belonging  to  this  day,  which  will  be  found  in  the  second  part  of  this  book 
in  the  instruction  on  the  Annunciation. 


28  EMBER  FRIDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee, 
Almighty  God,  that  the  approaching  celebration  of  our  re- 
demption may  bring  us  the  necessary  graces  for  the  present 
life,  and  prepare  us  for  the  rewards  of  eternal  happiness, 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  &c. 

EMBER  FRIDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

LESSON.  {Isai.  xi.  1  —  5.)  And  there  shall  come  forth  a 
rod  out  of  the  root  of  Jesse,  and  a  flower  shall  rise  up  out  of 
his  root.  And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  rest  upon  him,  the 
spirit  of  wisdom  and  of  understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel 
and  of  fortitude,  the  spirit  of  knowledge  and  of  godliness. 
And  he  shall  be  filled  with  the  spirit  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 
He  shall  not  judge  according  to  the  sight  of  the  eyes,  nor 
reprove  according  to  the  hearing  of  the  ears.  But  he  shall 
judge  the  poor  with  justice,  and  shall  reprove  with  equity 
for  the  meek  of  the  earth:  and  he  shall  strike  the  earth  with 
the  rod  of  his  mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of  his  lips  he  shall 
slay  the  wicked.  And  justice  shall  be  the  girdle  of  his  loins, 
and  faith  the  girdle  of  his  reins. 

EXPLANATION.  In  this  lesson  the  Lord  announced  to  the 
Jews,  through  the  prophet,  the  consoling  promise  that  when  they 
were  sufficiently  punished  and  had  come  to  the  consciousness  of 
their  own  misery,  the  Saviour  would  come  and  bring  all  things  to 
order.  The  rod,  spoken  of  by  the  prophet,  is  the  Blessed  Virgin 
who  would  proceed  from  the  root  of  Jesse,  that  is,  from  the  stem 
of  David,  and  give  birth  to  the  flower:  the  Saviour,  in  whom  the 
Holy  Ghost,  with  His  sevenfold  gifts  would  descend:  as  a  reader 
of  the  heart  He  would  judge  man  not  according  to  his  outward 
seeming,  but  his  inward  intentions:  would  not  natter  the  sinner, 
but  with  severe  words  punish  his  sinful  life,  and  because  He  is 
just  and  faithful  would  reward  every  man  without  respect  of 
persons. 

Let  us  be  always  reminded  in  all  our  omissions  and  commis- 
sions, that  our  Lord  sees  into  our  hearts,  and  judges  not  only 
according  to  our  works,  but  especially  according  to" our  intentions, 
and  let  us  strive  to  have  ever  a  pure  motive  in  all  our  acts. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Fragrant  Flower  of  the  Virgin,  Jesus 
our  Saviour,  come  and  draw  us  to  Thee,  that  we  may  walk  in 
the  perfume  of  Thy  anointments,  and  obtain  a  merciful 
judgment  from  Thee. 

The  gospel  of  this  day  will  be  found  in  the  second  part  of 
this  book  in  the  instruction  on  the  Visitation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 


EMBER  SATURDAY  IN  ADVENT.  29 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Arouse,  we  beseech  Thee, 
0  Lord,  Thy  power,  that  we  who  confidently  trust  Thy  love, 
may  be  delivered  from  all  adversities,  who  livest  and 
reignest  &c 

EMBER  SATURDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

EPISTLE,  (ii.  Thess.ii.  1— 8.)  And  we  beseech  you,  breth- 
ren, by  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  our  gath- 
ering together  unto  him,  that  you  be  not  easily  moved 
from  your  mind,  nor  be  frighted  neither  by  spirit,  nor  by 
word,  nor  by  epistle,  as  sent  from  us,  as  if  the  day  of  the 
Lord  were  at  hand.  Let  no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means; 
for  unless  there  come  a  revolt  first,  and  the  man  of  sin  be 
revealed,  the  son  of  perdition,  who  opposeth,  and  is  lifted  up 
above  all  that  is  called  God,  or  that  is  worshipped,  so  that 
he  sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  shewing  himself  as  if  he  were 
God.  Remember  you  not  that  when  I  was  yet  with  you,  I 
told  you  these  things?  And  now  you  know  what  withholdeth, 
that  he  may  be  revealed  in  his  time.  For  the  mystery  of 
iniquity  already  worketh:  only  that  he  who  now  holdeth,  do 
hold,  until  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way.  And  then  that  wicked 
one  shall  be  revealed  whom  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  kill  with  the 
spirit  of  His  mouth:  and  shall  destroy  with  the  brightness  of 
His  coming. 

EXPLANATION.  At  the  time  when  St.  Paul  wrote  this 
epistle  the  false  report  was  circulated  that  the  Last  Day  was  at 
hand,  and  Christ  was  coming  to  judgment.  The  Apostle  warns  the 
faithful  against  trusting  this,  telling  them  they  should  not  permit 
themselves  to  be  misled,  for  first  the  greater  part  of  mankind 
would  fall  away  from  God,  and  Antichrist,  the  son  of  perdition, 
appear,  and  this  not  until  the  gospel  was  everywhere  preached. 
The  great  falling  off  would  be  gradual,  caused  by  the  heresies 
which  would  arise  from  time  to  time,  and  completed  by  Antichrist, 
whom  our  Lord,  at  last,  on  the  Judgment  Day  would  kill  with  the 
breath  of  his  mouth. 

Let  us  learn  from  this  epistle  not  to  be  curious  concerning  the 
Last  Day  and  the  coming  of  Christ,  but  to  prepare  rather,  for  the 
coining  of  Jesus  into  our  hearts,  that  He  may  be  merciful  to  us 
in  death,  and  at  the  judgment. 

ASPIRATION.  Ah  Jesus!  when  wilt  Thou  come  and 
take  my  heart  wholly  into  Thy  possession,  that  I  may  be 
forever  and  ever  Thine? 


30 


FOURTH  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 


The  gospel  of  this  day  icill  be  found  in  the  instruction  on  the 
Fourth  Sunday  of  Advent. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  seeest  us  af- 
flicted through  our  own  wickedness;  mercifully  grant,  that 
by  Thy  coming  we  may  be  comforted.  Who  livest. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY 

IN  ADVENT. 


"Dr 
the 


N  this  Sunday  the  Church  manifests  strongly 
her  burning  desire  for  the  coming  of  the  Re- 
deemer, and,  in  the  Introit,  places  the  sighs 
of  the  just  of  the  Old  Law  upon  the  lips  of  the 
faithful,  again  exhorting  them  through  the 
gospel  of  the  day,  to  real  penance  as  the  best 
preparation  for  the  worthy  reception  of  the 
Saviour,  therefore  she  sings  at  the  Introit: 
op  down  dew,    ye   heavens,   from   above,    and   let 
clouds  rain  the  just;  let  the  earth  be  opened  and 
forth  a  Saviour!"  (Jsai.  xlv.  8.)  "The  heavens  show 


bud 

forth  the  glory  of  God,   and  the  firmament  declareth 

the  works  of  his  hands".  (Ps.  xviii.  1.) 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Arouse,  we  beseech  Thee, 
0  Lord,  Thy  power  and  come!  hasten  with  Thy  powerful 
aid;  that  our  redemption  which  is  more  and  more  removed 
from  us  by  our  sins,  may  be  accelerated  by  the  power  of 
Thy  grace  through  the  excess  of  Thy  mercies.  Who  livest 
and  reignest  &c. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Corinth,  iv.  1  —  5.)  Let  a  man  so  account 
of  us  as  of  the  ministers  of  Christ  and  the  dispensers  of  the 
mysteries  of  God.  Here  now  it  is  required  among  the  dispens- 
ers that  a  man  be  found  faithful.  But  to  me  it  is  a  very 
small  thing  to  be  judged  by  you,  or  by  man's  day:  but  neither 
do  I  judge  my  own  self.  For  I  am  not  conscious  to  myself  of 
anything,  yet  am  I  not  hereby  justified:  but  he  that  judgeth 
me  is  the  Lord.  Therefore  judge  not  before  the  time,  until 
the  Lord  come,  who  both  will  bring  to  light  the  hidden  things 
of  darkness,  and  will  make  manifest  the  councils  of  the 
hearts :  and  then  shall  every  man  have  praise  from  God. 


FOURTH  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT.  31 

Why  is  this  epistle  read  to-day? 
The  Church  desires  by  this  epistle  to  impress  those  who  re- 
ceived Holy  Orders  on  Ember  Saturday  with  the  dignity  of  their 
office,  and  exhorts  them  to  fill  it  with  becoming  fidelity  and 
sanctity,  excelling  the  laity  by  piety  and  virtue  as  well  as  by  offi- 
cial dignity.  She  wishes  again  to  remind  the  faithful  of  the 
terrible  coming  of  Christ  to  judgment,  urging  them  by  purifying 
their  conscience  through  a  contrite  confession  to  receive  Christ 
at  this  holy  Christmas  time,  as  their  Saviour,  that  they  may  not 
behold  Him,  in  future,  as  their  severe  judge. 

How  should  the  priest  be  regarded? 

As  the  servant,  house-keeper,  and  vicar  of  Christ;  as  dispenser 
of  the  holy  mysteries ;  as  ambassador  of  the  Most  High.  (i.  Cor. 
iv.  1.,  vi.  Cor.  v.  20.)  For  this  reason  God  earnestly  commands 
honor  to  the  priest  {Eccl.  vii.  31.),  and  Christ  says  of  the  Apostles 
and  their  successors  (Luke  x.  16.):  Who  despiseth  you, 
despiseth  me;  and  St.  Paul  writes  (i.  Tim.  v.  iv.):  Let  ffhe 
priests  who  rule  well  be  esteemed  worthy  of  double 
honor;  especially  they  who  labor  in  the  word  and 
doctrine. 
Can  the  priest  dispense  the  sacraments  according  to  his  own  will? 

No,  he  must  have  power  from  the  Church,  and  must  exercise 
his  office  faithfully,  in  accordance  with  the  orders  of  the  Church, 
and  act  only  as  willed  by  Christ  whose  house-keeper  he  is.  The 
priest  dare  not  give  that  which  is  holy  to  dogs  {Matt.  vii.  7.), 
that  is,  he  is  not  permitted  to  give  absolution  and  administer  the 
sacraments  to  impenitent,  and,  therefore,  unworthy  persons,  under 
penalty  of  being  damned  with  them. 
Why  does  St.  Paul  consider  the  judgment  of  men  as  a  small  thing? 

Because  it  is  usually  false,  deceived,  foolish,  and  is  conse- 
quently not  worth  seeking  or  caring  for,  for  man  often  counts  as 
evil  that  which  is  in  itself  good  and  pleasing  to  God,  and,  on  the 
contrary,  esteems  as  good  that  which  is  evil  and  damnable,  and 
displeases  God.  So,  St.  Paul  says:  If  I  yet  pleased  men,  I 
should  not  be  the  servant  of  Christ.  (Gal.  i.  10.)  Oh,  how 
foolish,  and  what  poor  Christians,  therefore,  are  they,  who  not  to 
be  unpleasant  to  man,  so  willingly  adopt  all  silly  customs,  and 
fashions  in  dress,  manners  and  appearance,  making  themselves 
contemptible  to  God,  the  angels  and  saints,  whom  to  please  is  the 
only  true  honor  and  happiness !  Recall  the  beautiful  words  of  the 
Seraphic  St.  Francis:  "Our  worth  is  as  we  are  worth  to  God,  no 
more";  and  learn  from  it,  to  fulfill  your  duties  faithfully  and  be 
indifferent  to  the  world's  judgment  and  its  praise. 

Why  does  St.  Paul  not  wish  to  judge  himself? 
Because  no  one,  without  a  special  revelation  from  heaven,  can 
know  if  he  is  just  in  the  sight  of  God  or  not,  even  though  his 


32  FOURTH  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 

conscience  may  accuse  him  of  nothing,  for  no  one  knows  whether 
he  merits  the  wrath  or  the  love  of  God.  (Eccl.  ix.  1.)  Thus  St.  Paul 
goes  on  to  say,  that  though  he  was  not  conscious  of  any  wrong, 
he  did  not  judge  himself  to  be  justified,  God  only  could  decide 
upon  that.  Man  should,  certainly,  examine  himself  as  much  as  is 
in  his  power,  to  find  if  he  has  anything  within  him  displeasing  to 
God ;  but  he  should  not,  finding  nothing,  judge  himself  more  just 
than  others,  but  should  consider  that  his  mind's  eyes  may  be 
dimmed,  and  fail  to  see  that  which  God  sees,  and  will  reveal  to 
others  at  the  Judgment  Day.  So  the  Pharisees  saw  no  fault  in 
themselves,  and  counted  themselves  saintly  perfect,  yet  our  Lord 
cursed  them. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Lord,  enter  not  into  judgment  with  Thy 
servant,  for  in  Thy  sight  no  man  living  can  he  justified.  (Ps. 
cxlii.  2.) 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  iii.  1—6.)  Now  in  the  fifteenth  year 
of  the  reign  of  Tiberius  Cesar,  Pontius  Pilate  being  governor 
of  Judea,  and  Herod  being  tetrach  of  Galilee,  and  Philip,  his 
brother,  tetrarch  of  Iturea  and  the  country  of  Trachonitis, 
and  Lysanias  tetrarch  of  Abilina,  under  the  high  priests 
Annas  and  Caiphas:  the  word  of  the  Lord  was  made  unto 
John,  the  son  of  Zachary,  in  the  desert.  And  he  came  into 
all  the  country  about  the  Jordan,  preaching  the  baptism  of 
penance  for  the  remission  of  sins:  as  it  was  written  in  the 
book  of  the  sayings  of  Isaias  the  prophet:  A  voice  of  one 
crying  in  the  wilderness:  Prepare  ye  the  way  of 
the  Lord,  make  straight  his  paths.  Every  valley 
shall  be  filled,  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall 
be  brought  low:  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made 
straight,  and  the  rough  ways  plain.  And  all  flesh 
shall  see  the  salvation  of  God. 

Why  is  the  time  in  which  St.  John  commenced  to  preach  so 
minutely  described  ? 

The  Evangelist,  contrary  to  his  usual  custom,  describes  the 
time  so  minutely,  and  enumerates  so  exactly  and  in  their  precise 
order  the  religious  and  civil  princes  in  office,  that,  in  the  first 
place,  it  could  not  be  denied  that  this  was  truly  the  time  and  the 
year  in  which  appeared  in  this  world  the  promised  Messiah, 
whom  John  baptized,  and  the  Heavenly  Father  declared  to  be 
His  beloved  Son,  and  because  it  shows  the  fulfillment  of  the  pro- 


FOURTH  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT. 


33 


phccy  of  the  Patriarch  Jacob  (Gen.  xlix.  10.)  that  when  the  sceptre 
would  be  taken  away  from  Juda,  that  is,  when  the  Jews  would 
have  no  longer  a  king  from  their  own  tribes,  the  Saviour  would 
come. 

What  is  mearil  by :  The  word  of  the  Lor d  was  made  to  John? 
It  means  that  by  an  angel  sent  from  God,  or  by  a  divine,  in- 
ward inspiration,  John  was  exhorted  to  preach  penance,  and  to 
announce  to  the  world  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  for  which  work 
he  had  prepared  himself  by  a  penitential,  secluded  life  in  inter- 
course with  God.  \Ve  may  learn  from  it  that  we  should  not  intrude 
ourselves  into  office,  least  of  all  into  a  spiritual  office,  but  await 
the  call  from  God  to  it,  preparing  ourselves  by  sincere  testing  of 
ourselves  in  solitude  and  quiet,  by  fervent  prayer  for  the  necessary 
light,  by  seeking  the  advice  of  our  spiritual  guide,  and  by  a  holy  life. 


34     INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE. 

What  is  meant  by:  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make 
straight  his  paths? 
It  means  to  make  our  hearts  worthy  for  the  reception,  so  re- 
plete with  grace,  of  Christ,  by  penance,  amendment  of  the  pre- 
sent, and  the  preparation  for  a  pious  life.  To  do  this,  every  valley 
should  be  filled,  that  is,  all  faint-heartedness,  sloth  and  cowardice, 
all  wordly,  carnal  sentiments  should  be  thrown  out  of  the  heart, 
and  their  place  filled  up  with  a  firm  confidence  in  God,  or  ardent 
desire  of  eternal  goodness,  and  the  exercise  of  heavenly  virtues, 
reaching  towards  God,  the  highest  good ;  the  mountains  and  hills 
should  be  brought  low,  that  is,  pride,  stubborness  and  am- 
bition should  be  humbled,  and  the  obstinate  will  be  broken.  The 
crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  that  is,  ill  gotten  goods 
should  be  restituted,  hypocrisy  and  malice,  and  double  dealing  be 
pushed  aside,  and  all  motives  be  turned  to  God  and  His  holy  will. 
And  the  rough  ways  shall  be  made  plain,  which  means, 
anger,  revenge,  and  impatience  must  leave  the  heart,  if  the  Lamb 
of  God  is  to  dwell  there. 

And  also  it  may  signify  that  the  Saviour  put  to  shame  the  pride 
of  the  world,  and  its  false  wisdom,  by  building  His  Church  upon 
the  Apostles,  who,  by  reason  of  their  poverty  and  simplicity,  may 
be  considered  the  low  valleys,  while  the  way  to  heaven,  formerly, 
because  of  the  lack  of  grace,  so  rough  and  hard  to  tread,  is  now 
by  His  grace  made  smooth  and  easy. 

ASPIRATION.  Would  that  my  heart,  my  Jesus!  was  well 
prepared  and  smooth  for  Thee!  Effect  Thyself,  my  Saviour, 
that  which  of  myself  I  cannot  do.  Make  me  an  humble  valley, 
fill  me  with  Thy  grace;  turn  my  crooked  and  perverted  will 
to  Thy  pleasure;  change  my  rough  and  angry  disposition, 
throw  away  and  soften  in  me  whatever  is  in  Thy  way,  that 
Thou  mayst  come  to  me  unimpeded,  and  Thou  alone  possess 
and  rule  me  forever.  Amen. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT 
OF  PENANCE. 

John  preached  the  baptism  of  penance  for  the  remission  of  sins. 

(Luke  iii.  3 .) 
What  is  penance,  and  how  many  kinds  of  penance  are  there? 

PEnance.  says  the  Roman  Catechism  {Cat.  Horn.  d.  Pivnit.  54.), 
consists  in  this,  that  we  turn  with  our  whole  soul  to  God, 
hate  and  detest  the  crimes  we  have  committed,  firmly  resolving  to 
amend  our  life,  its  evil  habits,  and  corrupt  ways,  not  without  hope 
that  through  the  mercy  of  God,  we  may  obtain  pardon.  This  is  in- 
terior penance  and  the  virtue  of  penance.  The  sincere  acknowledg- 
ment of  our  sins  to  a  priest  and  the  absolution  he  accords,  is  exterior 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE.      35 

penance  and  the  holy  Sacrament  of  Penance,  which  Christ  insti- 
tuted {John  xx.  20,  22,  23.),  through  which  the  sins  of  the  contrite 
penitent,  committed  after  baptism,  are  remitted. 

Which  of  these  is  necessary  for  the  forgiveness  of  sin? 
Both  are  necessary,  for  unless  the  conversion  of  the  heart  to 
God,  a  true  consciousness  and  sorrow  for  sin,  the  firm  purpose  of 
amendment  and  confidence  in  God's  mercy,  precede  it,  confessing 
all  our  sins  to  a  priest  cannot  obtain  forgiveness  for  any  great  or 
mortal  sin,  committed  after  baptism.  At  the  same  time,  a  really 
contrite  turning  to  God,  will  not,  without  confession  to  a  priest, 
obtain  forgiveness,  except  in  the  case  of  a  person  being  prevented, 
but  ardently  desiring  to  make  a  confession,  and  actually  doing  so, 
afterwards,  when  possible. 

Can  any  one  who  has  committed  mortal  sin  be  saved  without 

penance ? 

No,  for  penance  is  as  necessary  to  such  a  one  as  baptism  if  he 
wishes  not  to  perish:  Unless  you  do  penance,  says  Christ, 
you  shall  all  likewise  perish.    (Luke  xiii.  3.  5.) 

7*  this  penance  performed  all  at  once? 

This  penance  is  necessary  every  day  of  our  lives :  that  is,  we 
must  strive  from  day  to  day  to  be  heartily  sorry  for  our  sins,  to 
despice  them,  to  eradicate  the  roots  of  sin,  that  is,  our  passions 
and  evil  inclinations,  and  by  penance  and  go  d  works  become 
more  pleasing  to  God. 

How  happens  it  that  so  many  die  impenitent? 
Because  they  do  not  accept  and  use  the  many  graces  (rod 
offers  them,  but  nut  off  their  repentance.  If  such  sinners,  like  the 
godless  king  Antiochus  (ii.  Mach.  ix.),  intend  to  repent  on  their 
deathbed  for  fear  of  punishment,  they  usually  find,  God,  most 
justly,  will  no  longer  permit  them  sincerely  to  repent,  for  who 
will  not  when  he  can,  cannot  when  he  will.  "Who  will  not  listen 
at  the  time  of  grace " ,  says  St.  Gregory,  "will  not  be  listened  to 
in  the  time  of  anxiety."  And  it  is  to  be  feared  that  he  who  post- 
pones penance  for  his  old  age,  will  find  justice  where  he  looked 
for  mercy. 

Can  all  sinners  do  penance? 
With  the  grace  of  God  all  can,  even  the  greatest  sinners;  for 
God  calls  them  as  a  real  father  when  He  says:  As  I  live . . .  I 
desire  not  the  death  of  the  wicked,  but  that  the  wicked 
turn  from  his  way  and  live.  Turn  ye,  turn  ye  from 
your  evil  ways:  and  why  will  ye  die,  0  house  of  Israel? 
And  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  shall  not  hurt  him, 
in  what  day  soever  he  shall  turn  "[from  his  wicked- 
ness. (E&ech.  xxxiii.  11.  12.) 


9  * 


30  INSTRUCTION  ON  TIIE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE. 

Do  all  who  go  lo  confession  perform  true  penance? 
Unfortunately,  not  all  who  confess;  for  with  confession 
all  is  not  accomplished.  If  there  is  no  deep  detestation  of  sin,  its 
malice,  shame,  and  evil ;  no  interior  heartsorrow  for  the  offence  to 
God;  if  the  evil  inclinations  and  had  habits  are  not  eradicated; 
the  ill  gotten  goods  restored,  and  the  calumny  repaired ;  the  occa- 
sions of  sin  avoided ;  and  if  a  sincere  amendment  of  life,  or,  at 
least,  its  earnest  purpose  does  not  follow  and  is  not  attempted, 
then,  indeed  there  cannot  be  the  least  shadow  of  true  repentance 
there,  not  even  though  such  persons  confessed  weekly.  And  alas! 
how  many  such  do  we  not  now  see?  And  why?  Because  many 
think,  repentance  consists  simply  in  confession,  and  not  in  the 
amendment  of  their  life.  Only  those  obtain  pardon  in  confession 
who  are  truly  penitent,  and  perform  all  that  is  enjoined  on  them 
in  confession.  It  is  well,  therefore,  to  read  and  carefully  act 
according  to  the  following  instructions. 

I.  ON  THE  EXAMINATION  OF  CONSCIENCE. 

The  foundation  of  all  true  repentance,  both  of  the  interior  and 
exterior  (see  the  preceding  pa^es),  is  the  vivid  knowledge  of 
our  sins.  Precisely  for  want  of  this  knowledge,  we  see  many 
blinded  by  selflove,  who  are  unconscious  of  the  greatest  and  most 
grievous  sins,  in  which  they  are  buried,  indeed,  do  not  even  regard 
them  as  sins,  therefore!  not  only  do  not  do  penance  for  them,  but 
do  not  even  confess  them,  and  so  are  eternally  lost.  To  prevent 
this  great  evil,  the  Council  of  Trent  {Hess.  14.  c.  5.)  ordered  a 
careful  examination  of  conscience  before  confession,  and  afterwards 
to  confess  the  sins  which  were  discovered  by  that  examination. 

Why  should  we  examine  our  conscience? 
Because,  as  St.  Ignatius  says,  no  one  can  become  fully  aware 
of  his  own  faults,  unless  God  reveals  them  by  a  special  light;  we 
should,  therefore,  first  of  all,  and  even  every  day,  ask  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  enlighten  us,  and  should  then  reflect  upon  our  thoughts, 
desires,  words,  actions,  and  omissions  of  the  good  we  are  com- 
manded to  perform,  since  our  last  valid  confession,  and  whether 
we  have  sinned  in  these  respects.  To  know  this,  we  should  let 
our  conscience,  that  is,  the  inner  voice  which  tells  us,  whutis  good 
and  what  is  evil,  speak  freely,  without  flattering  ourselves,  or  pass- 
ing it  by  negligently;  as  St.  Charles  Borromeo  says,  we  should 
place  before  our  eyes  the  Ten  Commandments  of  God  (and  of  the 
Church\  and  carefully  compare  our  life  and  our  morals  with  them ; 
it  is  well  also  to  go  through  the  list  of  the  seven  deadly  sins,  to 
think  over  the  place  where  we  live,  and  the  persons  with  whom 
we  live;  the  duties  of  our  state  of  life,  the  vices  to  which  we  are 
most  inclined,  the  consequences  that  were,  or  might  have  been 
produced  upon  ourselves  or  others.  At  the  same  time,  we  slwuld 
imagine  ourselves  standing  before  the  judgment-seat  of  God,  and 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE.      37 

whatever  would  cause  us  fear  there,  whatever  we  could  not  there 
answer  for,  we  should  look  upon  as  sins,  be  sorry  for,  and  confess. 
Is  it  a  sin  not  to  c.rainine  ourselces  long  anil  carefu/tt/  enough  ? 

Certainly  it  is  a  sin  for  those  who  live  unfaithfully  and  in 
mortal  sin,  and  who  seldom  confess,  to  examine  their  consciences 
carelessly,  because  they  expose  themselves  frivolously  to  the 
danger  of  leaving  out  great  sins,  consequently  make  an  invalid 
confession,  committing  a  new  and  grievous  sin. 

Those  who  daily  ask  God:  for  enlightenment,  and  examine 
their  conscience  at  least  every  evening  before  going  to  bed,  will 
easily  and  properly  examine  their  conscience  before  going  to  con- 
fession. "Behold,  you  have  a  book  in  which  you  write  your 
daily  expenses,"  says  St.  (hrysostom.,  "make  a  book  of  your  con- 
science, also,  and  write  there  your  daily  sins.  Before  you  go  to 
bed,  before  sleep  comes,  take  your  book,  your  conscience,  and 
recall  your  sins,  whether  of  thought,  word,  or  deed.  Say  then  to 
your  soul:  Again,  0  soul,  a  day  is  spent,  what  have  we  done  of 
evil  or  of  good?  If  you  have  accomplished  some  good,  be  grateful 
to  God  ;  if  evil,  resolve  to  avoid  it  for  the  future.  Shed  tears  in 
remembrance  of  your  sins;  ask  forgiveness  of  God,  and  then  let 
your  body  sleep." 

II.  ON  CONTRITION. 

"0  man",  cries  St.  Augustine,  "why  dost  thou  weep  over  the 
body  whence  the  soul,  and  not  over  the  soul  whence  God  has 
departed?"  The  idolatrous  Michas  {Judges  xviii.  23.  24.)  com- 
plained bitterly,  because  his  idols  were  taken  from  him ,  Esau 
grieved  greatly  over  the  loss  of  his  birthright  and  his  father's 
blessing  {Gen.  xxvii.  34.),  and  why  should  we  not  be  tilled  with 
sorrow!,  because  by  our  sins  we  have  lost  God,  God's  grace,  and 
heaven  ? 
What  is  contrition,  and  how  many  kinds  of  contrition  are  there? 

"Contrition",  says  the  Council  of  Trent l Sess.  14.  c.  4.),  "is  a 
pain  of  the  soul,  a  detestation  of  sins  committed,  and  the  resolve 
to  sin  no  more.  If  this  grief  and  detestation  comes  from  a  tem- 
poral injury,  shame,  or  punishment,  it  is  a  natural  sorrow7;  but  if 
we  are  sorry  for  our  sins,  and  detest  them,  because  by  them  we 
have  offended  God,  and  have  transgressed  and  dishonored  His 
holy  will,  it  is  a  supernatural  sorrow;  and  is  imperfect  if  we  are 
sorry  for  having  offended  God,  because  He  punishes  sin  by  tem- 
poral and  eternal  punishment,  and  by  exclusion  fiom  heaven,  and 
perfect  if  we  are  sorry. for  our  sins  and  detest  them,  because  they 
have  offended  God,  the  supreme  Lord,  the  best  and  loveliest  Good, 
the  dearest  Father. 

Js  the  natural  sorrow  sufficient  for  a  good  confession  ? 

It  is  not,  because  it  proceeds  not  fiom  the  love  of  God,  whom 
alone  we  offend  by  our  sins,  but  from  the  love  or  fear  of  thewrorld. 


38     INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE. 

Simply  a  sorrow  of  the  world  for  our  sins  because  of  their  temporal 
evils,  worketh  death  (ii.  Cor.  vii.  10.);  that  is,  it  causes  him  who 
confesses  his  sins  with  only  a  natural  sorrow  for  them,  to  commit 
a  new  mortal  sin,  because  a  necessary  part  of  the  Sacrament  of 
Penance  is  wanting. 

What  other  attributes  are  necessary  for  a  true  contrition? 

Contrition  should,  also,  be  heartfelt,  that  is,  the  sinner  must 
hate  and  detest  his  sins,  be  angry  with  himself  for  them,  and  be 
desirous  of  making  all  right  again;  it  should  be  universal,  that 
is,  it  must  cover  all  the  mortal  sins  he  knows  himself  to  have 
committed,  without  a  single  exception;  it  must  be  sovereign, 
that  is,  he  must  hate  and  detest  nothing  more  than  a  grievous  sin, 
and  this  because  it  so  greatly  offends  God. 

What  kind  of  sorrow  obtains  forgiveness  of  sin? 

That  sorrow  which  proceeds  from  a  perfect  love  of  God,  and 
which  causes  the  sinner  to  abominate  his  sins  for  God's  sake,  and 
not  for  fear  of  temporal  or  eternal  punishment.  This  perfect  con- 
trition would  even  suffice  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  if,  as  for  in- 
stance, in  the  case  of  danger  of  death,  there  should  be  the  greatest 
desire,  but  no  opportunity  to  confess  to  a  priest. 

But  the  Holy  Catholic  Church  has  declared  {Cone.  Trid.  s.  14. 
c.  4.)  the  imperfect  contrition  which  proceeds  from  the  knowledge 
of  the  shamefulness  of  sin,  or  from  the  fear  of  eternal  punishment 
in  hell,  to  be  sufficient  for  a  valid  reception  of  the  holy  Sacrament 
of  Penance. 

Who  are  those  who  have  reason  to  fear  they  have  aroused  only 
a  natural  sorrow* for  their  sins,  or  no  sorrow  at  all? 

Those  who  care  little  about  knowing  what  true  sorrow  is; 
those  who  often  commit  grievous  sins,  and  do  not  amend  their  life; 
for  if  these  had  aroused  a  true  sorrow  for  sin  in  their  hearts,  their 
purpose  of  amendment,  and  their  use  of  the  necessary  means  for 
carrying  it  out,  would  be  firmer,  and,  by  the  grace  of  God  in  this 
Sacrament,  they  would  be  made  strong  to  avoid  sin,  at  least  for  a 
time ;  because  they  do  not  do  this,  one  can  justly  doubt  whether 
they  had  a  true  sorrow,  whether  they  have  validly  received  the 
Sacrament  of  Penance  and  its  sanctifying  grace;  and  those  are  to 
tear  who  are  not  sorry  for  their  sins,  and  avoid  them,  until  they 
have  been  brought  to  shame,  mockery,  or  calamity  by  them. 

How  can  the  sinner  attain  true  sorrow? 

The  sinner  can  attain  true  sorrow  by  ihe  grace  of  God  and  his 
own  cooperation  with  it.  That  both  are  necessary,  is  shown  by  the 
prophet  Jeremias  (Jer.  xxxi.  18.)  who  prays:  Convert  me,  0 
Lord,  and  I  shall  be  converted;  for  Thou  art  the  Lord, 
myGod.  For  afterThou  didst  convert  me,  I  did  penance, 
and  after  Thou  didst  shew  unto  me.  I  struck  my  thigh 
(with  sorrow).    To  which  God  replies:  If  thou  wilt  be  con- 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE.      39 

verted,  I  will  convert  thee  (Jer.  xv.  19.).  The  grace  of  God 
is,  therefore,  the  first  and  greatest  necessity  for  the  sorrow  which 
converts  the  heart.  It  must  begin  and  complete  the  work  of  con- 
version, but  it  will  do  this  only  when  the  sinner  earnestly  and 
faithfully  cooperates  with  it.  This  cooperation  is  shown  in  the 
following  manner  {Cone.  Trid.  sess.  vi.  c.  (>.):  After  the  sinner, 
whom  God,  in  whatever  way,  has  admonished  that  he  should  be 
converted,  has  ardently  implored  God  for  the  grace  of  a  true  con- 
version, has  perhaps  invoked  the  intercession  of  the  Mother  of 
the  Saviour,  his  guardian  angel,  and  the  holy  penitents,  such  as 
David,  Peter,  Magdalen,  he  meditates  upon  the  truth  that  God  is 
a  just  judge,  who  hates  sin,  and  will  punish  it  in  the  next  world, 
in  the  eternal  torments  of  hell ;  having  placed  this  certainty  vi- 
vidly before  his  eyes,  he  reflects  whether,  by  his  sins,  he  has  not 
himself  deserved  this  punishment,  and  if  by  the  enlightenment  of 
God  he  finds  he  has,  he  will  also  see  the  danger  in  which  he  now 
is,  that  is,  that  if  God  should  allow  him  to  die  impenitent,  he 
would  have  to  suffer  forever  in  hell ;  this  fear  of  eternal  punish- 
ment forces  the  sinner  to  hope  in  God's  mercy,  through  the 
merits  of  Christ  who  has  atoned  for  our  sins;  he  recollects  that 
God  has  sworn  that  He  wishes  not  the  death  of  the  sinner,  and 
that  our  Redeemer  said,  that  He  came  to  call  the  sinner  to  repen- 
tance, and  that  there  is  more  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  who 
does  penance,  than  over  ninety  nine  just,  by  which  his  heart  is 
moved,  and  excited  to  confidence  in  God;  he  considers  the  patience 
with  which  God  has  so  long  waited  for  him,  and  the  goodness 
which,  during  his  sinful  life,  has  heaped  favors  and  graces  upon 
him;  he  thinks  of  his  creation  by  the  supreme  Heavenly  Father, 
of  his  redemption  by  the  most  precious  blood  of  the  Son  of  God, 
of  his  sanctification  in  baptism  when  he  became  a  child  of  God, 
and  his  heart  the  dwelling  place  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  he  recalls 
how  often  and  how  paternally  God  has  warned  him  by  good  books, 
by  persons,  by  his  own  conscience,  how  ungratefully  he  had  for- 
gotten all  these  graces  and  favors,  despised  and  trampled  on  them 
by  his  sins;  he  will  then  hate  his  sins,  and  because  of  love  for  God 
who  in  spite  of  them  has  not  cast  him  off,  he  will  be  sorry  for 
them.  But  he  will  not  rest  here,  he  will  go  on  to  contemplate  the 
beauty  and  perfection  of  God:  "Who  art  Thou,  0  my  God",  he 
cries,  "who  art  Thou  who  hast  loved  me  with  such  an  unspeakable 
love,  and  lovest  me  still,  ungrateful,  abominable  sinner,  though  I 
am !  What  is  all  the  beauty  of  this  world,  of  the  angels  and  of  the 
blessed  spirits  compared  to  Thine !  Thou  fountain  of  all  beauty,  of 
allgoodness,  of  all  that  is  amiable.  Thou  supreme  majesty,  Thou 
infinite  abyss  of  love  and  mercy!  I  for  one  vain  glorious  thought, 
a  short,  momentary  pleasure,  a  small,  mean  gain,  could  forget, 
offend  and  despise  Thee!  Could  sell,  could  forfeit  heaven,  and 
eternal  joy  with  Thee !  0,  could  I  make  good  those  crimes !  Could 
I  but  wash  them  out  with  my  tears,  even  with  my  blood ! "  Through 


4()  1 NS TKUCTION  ONTniE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE. 

such  meditations  tlie  sinner,  by  the  grace  of  God,  will  be  easily 
moved  to  sorrow.  But  without  such  meditations,  or  toreador 
say  by  heart  the  formulas  of  sorrow  or  contrition  in  a  praycrbook 
is  to  pray,  but  not  to  make  acts  of  contrition.  This  would  by  no 
means  suffice,  because  sorrow  consists  not  in  words,  but  in  the 
pain  and  disgust  of  a  contrite  heart. 

Should  we  make  an  act  of  contrition  before  confession  only? 
\Ye  should  make  an  act  of  contrition  before  confession,  and 
not  only  then,  but  every  evening  after  the  examination  of  con- 
science, we  should  make  one  together  with  a  firm  purpose  of 
amendment,  also  immediately  after  any  fault  committed,  over  all 
when  in  danger  of  death ;  for  we  know  not  whence  and  when  God 
will  call  us  to  judgment,  or  whether  we  shall  then  have  the  grace 
to  receive  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  with  proper  preparation. 

III.  ON  THE  PURPOSE  OF  AMENDMENT. 

The  purpose  of  amending  our  life  is  as  necessary  as  contrition 
for  the  remission  of  sin;  for  how  could  he  obtain  forgiveness  from 
God,  who  has  no  intention  of  ceasing  to  offend  Him  ?  However,  he 
who  is  truly  contrite,  has  also  a  firm  purpose  of  amendment,  for 
the  will  to  sin  cannot  exist  with  the  hatred  of  sin. 

What  is  necessary  for  a  firm  purpose,  and  how  can  it  be  known 
if  the  light  purpose  is  had  in  going  to  confession? 

A  firm  purpose  of  amendment  requires:  The  avoidance  of  sin, 
and  especially  those  in  whose  society  sin  is  most  usually  committ- 
ed; the  flying  from  all  occasions  that  might  bring  the  danger  of 
sinning,  all  persons,  places,  societies  in  which  we  usually  sin;  and 
in  bravely  fighting  ourselves,  our  evil  inclinations  and  bad  habits ; 
making  use  of  all  means  prescribed  by  the  confessor,  or  made 
known  to  us  by  God  Himself;  repairing  the  injustice  and  injury 
we  have  done;  giving  back  the  injured  name  of  our  neighbor, 
removing  the  scandal  and  enmity  we  have  caused,  &c.  Of  him  who 
carefully  observes  these  things,  we  can  say  that  he  has  a  right 
purpose. 

Who,  then,  hare  no  true  purpose  of  amendment  ? 

Those  who  do  not  leave  the  frivolous  persons  with  whom  they 
have  associated  and  committed  sin;  those  who  do  not  diligently  re- 
move the  occasions  of  cursing,  swearing  carelessly,  getting  drunk, 
and  committing  secret  sins,  &c;  those  who  borrow  or  make  debts 
which  they  know  they  cannot  pay,  or  do  not  even  care  to  pay; 
those  who  squander  away  the  property  of  women  and  children, 
letting  them  suffer  want;  those  who  sit  day  and  night  in  barrooms, 
or  saloons  in  the  midst  of  fighting,  gambling,  vile,  filthy  conver- 
sation, and  detraction,  taking  away  the  good  name  of  others, 
murmuring  against  spiritual  and  temporal  superiors,  etc.;  throwing 
away  precious  time,  bringing,  even  compelling  others  to  do  the 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  IN )EY  SACRAMENT  ( )F  1'ENANCE.  41 

same.  The  saloon-keepers,  who  for  money's  sake  allure  such 
wretched  people,  keep  them  there,  and  what  is  still  worse,  help  to 
intoxicate  them,  participate  in  their  sins.  All  these,  not  having 
a  linn  purpose  of  amendment,  are  unfit  for  absolution. 

'Uft 

IV.  ON  CONFESSION. 

Confession  is  a  contrite  acknowledgment  of  our  sins  in  order 
to  obtain  forgiveness  for  them,  to  a  priest  ordained,  in  the  name 
of  the  Church,  by  a  bishop,  and  is,  on  this  account,  an  important 
and  necessary  part  of  the  holy  Sacrament  of  Penance. 

Even  in  the  Old  Law,  a  certain  kind  of  confession  before  a 
priest  was  prescribed,  and  connected  with  a  sacrifice,  called  the 
sacrifice  of  Atonement;  but  the  forgiveness  of  sins  was  effected 
only  through  faith  in  the  coming  Redeemer,  towards  whom  this 
sacrifice  pointed.  (Lev.  v.  5,  6.  Num.  v.  7.;  compare  Matt.  iii.  6.1 
In  the  New  Law,  Christ  gave  to  the  apostles  and  their  suc- 
cessors, power  to  forgive  sins,  and  to  retain  them  (John  xx. 
21  —  23.),  and  in  doing  so  made  them  judges.  Without  confession 
on  the  part  of  the  sinner,  they  cannot  act  as  judges,  and  do  justice 
in  regard  to  giving  punishment  and  remedies  (Cone.  Trid.  sess. 
14.  c.  6.).  And  as  the  sinner  is  but  seldom  able  to  make  an  act  of 
perfect  contrition,  which  obtains  the  forgiveness  of  sin  without 
confession,  it  was  necessary  that  the  most  merciful  Lord,  as  the 
Roman  Catechism  says  (de  pcen.  5.  36.),  through  the  means  of 
confession  to  the  priest,  should  care  in  an  easier  manner  for  the 
common  salvation  of  man.  Confession  is,  besides,  the  best  means 
of  bringing  man  to  a  knowledge  of  his  sins  and  of  their  malice. 
Therefore  even  Adam  was  expressly  obliged  to  acknowledge  his 
sins,  and  in  the  same  way  Cain  was  asked  by  God  concerning  his 
brother's  murder,  although  God,  the  Omniscient,  knew  the  sins  of 
both.  Finally,  the  desire  to  ease  the  troubled  conscience,  seems 
born  in  man.  Thus  David  says  of  his  crime:  Because  I  was 
silent,  my  bones  grew  old,  whilst  I  cried  out  all  the 
day  long  (Ps.  xxxi.  3.);  and  in  the  book  of  Proverbs  it  is  said: 
Heh  t  at  hideth  his  sins,  shall  not  prosper;  but  he  that 
shall  confess  and  forsake  them,  shall  obtain  mercy. 
(Pror.  xxviii.  30.)  Constant  experience  in  life  verifies  these  words, 
and  the  heretics  could  not  entirely  abolish  private  confession, 
though  they  rejected  the  Sacrament  of  Penance. 

Is  confession  a  human  laic,  or  human  invention? 
No,  confession  is  instituted  by  Christ  Himself;  for  after  His 
resurrection  He  appeared  to  His  apostles  and  disciples,  and  said 
to  them:  Peace  be  with  you!  As  the  Father  hath  sent 
me,  I  also  send  you;  that  is,  the  same  power  to  remove  sin 
from  man,  and  to  sanctify  him,  which  the  Father  hath  given  me, 
I  give  to  you.  When  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed  on 
them,andhesaid  tothem:Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost. 


42     INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE. 

Whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them; 
and  whose  sins  you  shall  retain,  they  are  retained. 
(John  xx.  21—24.;  compare  Malt,  xviii.  18.)  In  these  words  Christ 
evidently  gave  to  the  apostles  and  to  the  priests,  their  successors, 
the  power  to  forgive  sins,  or  to  retain  them.  But  this  they  can  do 
only,  when  the  sins  are  made  known  to  them,  are  confessed  to 
them ;  and,  therefore,  Christ  when  instituting  the  forgiveness  of 
sins,  instituted  and  connected  with  it  the  acknowledgment,  that 
is,  confession  of  sins.  This  regulation  of  Christ  was  complied  with 
by  the  first  Christians  in  humbleness  of  heart,  as  is  proved  in  the 
Acts  of  ihe  apostles,  where  we  read:  And  many  (referring  to  the 
Christians  at  Ephesus),  and  many  of  those  who  believed, 
came  confessing  and  declaring  their  deeds.  {Acts.  xix. 
18.)  And  the  apostle  James  exhorts  his  own:  Confess  there- 
fore your  sins  one  to  another,  and  pray  one  for 
another  that  you  may  be  saved.  {St.  James  v.  16)  And  as 
the  work  founded  by  Christ,  must  stand  as  long  as  the  world,  and 
as  the  apostles  and  disciples  of  our  Lord  died,  their  successors 
necessarily  continued  the  work,  and  received  the  same  power  from 
Christ.  This  is  verified  by  the  whole  history  of  His  Church.  In  the 
very  beginning  of  Christianity,  the  faithful  confessed  to  the  priest, 
with  sorrow,  all  their  transgressions,  even  the  smallest  and  most 
secret,  after  which  they  received  absolution  for  their  sins.  "  Let 
us  be  sincerely  sorry  as  long  as  we  live,"  says  St.  Clement  of 
Rome,  a  disciple  of  St.  Paul  (A>.  1.  ad  Cor.},  "for  all  evil  which 
we  have  committed  in  the  flesh,  for  having  once  left  the  world, 
there  will  no  longer  be  any  confession  and  penance  for  us."  Ter- 
tullian  (217  after  Christ)  writes  of  those  who  hid  their  sins  being 
ashamed  to  confess  them :  "  Can  we  also  hide  from  the  knowledge 
of  God  that  which  we  conceal  from  a  fellow  creature?"  {Lib.  de 
^tf>w.r).36.)Origen(-]-254t,  after  speaking  of  baptism,  says:  '"There 
is  still  a  severer  and  more  tedious  way  of  obtaining  remission  of 
sin :  when  the  sinner  moistens  his  pillow  with  tears,  and  is  not 
ashamed  to  confess  his  sins  to  the  priest  of  the  Lord."  {Horn.  3. 
in  pep.)  St.  Cyprian  (f  258)  writes  of  those  Christians  who  during 
the  persecutions  of  his  time,  had  not  sinned  by  plainly  denying 
the  faith:  "Yet  because  they  had  but  thought  of  doing  so,  they 
make  a  sorrowful  and  simple  confession  to  God's  priests."  (Lib.  de 
laps.)  Basil  (-j-  A.  1).  379)  writes:  "Necessarily  the  sins  must  be 
made  plain  to  those  to  whom  the  power  of  the  mysteries  is  con- 
fided, that  is,  the  priests."  ( In  reg  brer.  288.)  Many  more  testi- 
monials could  be  brought  from  the  earliest  centuries  of  Christia- 
nity, which  make  it  clear,  that  Christ  Himself  instituted  confession, 
and  that  the  faithful  always  availed  themselves  of  it  as  a  means  of 
remission  from  sin.  How  would  it  otherwise  have  been  possible 
for  a  human  being,  though  he  were  the  mightiest  prince,  to  have 
imposed,  without  the  special  command  of  Christ,  the  Son  of  God, 
such  a  hard  command  as  confession  upon  all  Catholic  Christianity, 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE.     43 

or  even  to  have  invented  it  without  the  faithful  at  once  revolting 
against  it;  and  how  possible,  besides,  that  in  the  oriental  Churches 
which  separated  from  the  true  Church  in  the  earliest  ages, 
private  confession  to  a  priest  is  yet  valid  as  a  divine  institution, 
if  it  is  but  a  human  invention?  The  Catholic  institution  of  confes- 
sion, with  which,  in  the  earliest  centuries,  there  was  even  con- 
nected a  public  confession,  before  the  whole  congregation,  for 
notorious  sinners,  is  as  old  as  the  Church  itself,  as  Pope  Leo  the 
Great  (7  4G1)  proves  (/«/>.  136):  "The  secret,  auricular  confession 
was  introduced  into  the  Church  as  early  as  the  times  of  the 
apostles,  or  their  immediate  successors/'  It  was  instituted  by 
Christ,  the  God-Man,  and  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  enabling 
the  apostles  and  the  priests,  their  successors,  to  remit  in  the  con- 
fessional the  sins  committed  after  baptism,  if  the  sinner  heartily 
regrets  them,  sincerely  confesses,  and  renders  satisfaction  for 
them,  or  to  retain  them  if  he  is  unworthy  of  absolution.  From 
this  it  is  seen  that  the  enemies  of  the  Catholic  Church,  oppose,  in 
rejecting  confession,  the  plain  expression  of  the  holy  Scriptures, 
and  of  entire  Christian  antiquity,  and  that  it  is  a  detestable  ca- 
lumny to  assert  that  confession  is  simply  a  human  invention.  The 
divine  institution  of  confession  always  was  and  is  a  fountain  of 
sweetest  consolation  for  sinful  man,  and  thousands  have  experi- 
enced that  which  is  said  by  the  Council  of  Trent  (Sess.  14.  c.  3.  de 
part):  "The  effect  of  this  Sacrament  is  reconciliation  with  God, 
followed  often  times,  in  pious  men  and  those  who  devoutly  receive 
this  Sacrament,  by  peace  and  happiness  of  conscience,  with  deep 
consolation  of  the  mind." 

What  should  aid  in  making  confession  easier? 

The  repeated  consideration  of  the  manifold  benefits  arising 
from  it;  that  by  it  forgiveness  of  all,  even  of  the  most  grievous 
sins,  is  received,  and  the  eternal  guilt  and  punishment  entirely 
remitted ;  the  certainty  of  having  again  been  made  a  child  of  God ; 
the  sweet  consolation  and  desired  peace  of  conscience;  the  neces- 
sary remedies  which  a  pious  and  prudent  confessor  will  prescribe 
for  the  cure  of  the  soul's  diseases;  finally  the  prayer  and  exhor- 
tation of  the  priest  which  will  also  add  to  the  complete  conversion 
of  the  sinner. 

What  should  be  done  to  participate  in  these  bejiefils? 

Besides  that  which  has  already  been  said  of  the  examination 
of  conscience,  and  especially  of  sorrow  for  sin,  there  must  be  in 
confession  a  sincere  heart  opening;  that  is,  a  correct  and  exact 
confession  not  only  of  all  grievous,  mortal  sins,  their  kind,  circum- 
stances and  number,  without  excuses,  or  veiling  or  lessening  of 
them,  but  also  a  faithful  revelation  of  all  other  spiritual  affairs, 
fears,  doubts,  and  other  soul  wounds  in  general ;  for  a  wound  which 
is  not  shown  to  the  physician,  cannot  be  healed;  those  confessors 
who  are  only  "mute  dogs"  {IsaLiyi,  10.),  and  give  absolution 


44     INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 

without  hesitation,  should  not  be  consciously  sought  after,  but, 
when  possible,  we  should  trust  ourselves  to  learned,  pious,  and 
zealous  priests,  keep  to  them  as  in  physical  sickness  to  an  expe- 
rienced physician,  and  accept  their  words  as  if  Christ  Himself 
had  spoken. 

How  should  the  false  shame  which  prevents  confession  be  overcome  ? 
It  should  be  remembered  that  not  a  human  being,  but  Christ 
Himself  sits  in  the  confessional,  and  that  whoever  lies  to  the  con- 
fessor, seeks  to  deceive  God  Himself,  who  abominates  a  lie,  and 
at  the  Last  Day  will  publicly  put  such  a  liar  to  shame.  The  con- 
fessor takes  the  place  of  Christ,  and  after  His  example  must  be 
merciful  to  the  sinner  if,  a  sinful  man  himself,  lie  hopes  to  receive 
mercy  and  grace  from  God.  At  the  same  time,  no  confessor  is 
allowed  to  make  public  the  slightest  tiling  heard  in  confession, 
even  if  it  should  cost  him  his  life.  It  may  be  considered  further 
that  he  who  conceals  a  sin  in  confession,  and  thus  obtains  absolu- 
tion by  false  pretences,  receives  no  remission,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
commits  a  new  sin.  "When  man  uncovers  his  sins,  God  covers 
them;  when  man  conceals  his  sins,  God  reveals  them,"  says 
St.  Augustine.  Man  can  be  lied  to  and  deceived,  but  not  God,  the 
Omniscient;  and  who  is  ashamed  to  show  his  wounds  to  the  phy- 
sician ?  Why  should  it  be  a  cause  of  shame  to  throw  out  the  poison 
of  sin  by  a  sincere  confession?  To  sin  is  shameful  only,  to 
confess  sin  is  not  shameful.  But  if  by  all  these  reflections  we  are 
still  unable  to  so  overcome  ourselves  as  to  confess  our  sins  to  this 
or  that  confessor,  we  can  look  for  one  in  whom  we  have  confi- 
dence, or  to  whom  we  are  strangers. 

V.  ON  SATISFACTION  OR  PENANCE  AFTER  CONFESSION. 

Satisfaction  or  penance  after  confession  consists,  in  so  far  as  it 
belongs  to  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  in  the  diligent  performance 
of  all  the  works  of  penance  imposed  upon  us  by  the  confessor. 
With  this,  however,  a  true  penitent  will  not  be  satisfied;  for  as  in 
our  times,  on  account  of  the  weakness  and  small  zeal  of  Christians, 
a  light  penance  is  imposed  that  they  may  not  be  deterred  from 
the  reception  of  the  holy  Sacraments,  a  true  penitent  will  volun- 
tarily impose  penance. upon  himself,  and,  if  he  does  not  wish  to 
fall  back,  lie  must  once  for  all  perform  penance,  and  bring  forth 
fruits  worthy  of  it.  [fAike  xiii.  3.)  God  cannot  be  induced  to  give 
the  grace  of  perseverance,  otherwise  than  by  the  penance  by  which 
we  punish  ourselves  for  the  offences  committed  against  Him.  The 
luxurious  flesh  will  not  cease  to  sin,  if  it  is  not  continually  punished. 
Because  they  omit  the  voluntary  penance  it  happens  that  so  few 
sinners  after  confession  persevere  in  virtue  and  keep  their  pro- 
mises and  good  resolutions.  Those  who  love  their  souls,  should  be 
careful,  besides  the  exact  performance  of  the  penance  given  in 
Confession,  to  render,-  by  fasting,  prayer,  almsdeeds,  avoidance  of 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE.     45 

the  world,  diffidence  in  themselves,  and  especially  by  patient  en- 
durance of  the  afflictions  and  sufferings  God  imposes  "as  penance, 
to  His  Majesty  as  complete  satisfaction  as  possible  for  their  sins, 
or  endanger  their  salvation,  or  risk  being  forced,  in  the  next 
world  to  perform  severe  and  ever  lasting  penance. 

Is  the  unbeliever  right  in  asserting  that,  because  Christ  on  the 
cross  has  already  rendered  complete  satisfaction,  man  does  not 
need  to  render  any? 
He  is  entirely  wrong.  Christ  on  the  cross  did  indeed  render 
satisfaction  for  all  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  and  man  is  not 
in  the  condition  to  render  the  indispensable  satisfaction  for  one 
single  sin,  but  it  does  not  follow  from  this  that  man  is  not 
required  to  render  something.  To  render  satisfaction  means  to  do 
something  for  that  which  has  been  committed.  Instead  of  obeying 
God,  the  sinner,  by  his  sins,  disobeys  God.  Satisfaction  for  diso- 
bedience requires  perfect  obedience  from  the  sinner;  but  this,  be- 
cause of  his  weakness  and  corruption,  no  man  is  able  to  render, 
therefore  Christ  rendered  it  for  us  by  His  perfect  obedience  even 
unto  the  death  of  the  cross.  But  because  Christ  has  been  thus 
obedient  for  us,  must  we  not  be  somewhat  obedient,  too?  or 
what  is  the  same,  because  Christ  for  love  of  us  has  atoned  for 
our  sins  by  perfect  obedience  to  His  Heavenly  Father,  are  we  to 
do  no  penance  for  ourselves?  It  is  precisely  by  this  atonement 
made  by  Christ  that  we  receive  the  power  of  rendering  satis- 
faction. But  for  this  we  must,  first  of  all,  ask  the  grace  (nrayer) 
to  restrain  our  earthly  desires  (fasting),  and  by  means  of  active 
love  i, charity)  make  ourselves  susceptible  to  this  grace.  This  it  is 
that  St.  Paul  the  Apostle,  who  calls  himself  the  greatest  of  sinners, 
writes  of  himself :  Who  now  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  for 
you,  and  fill  up  those  things  that  are  wanting  for  the 
sufferings  of  Christ  in  my  flesh  for  his  body,  which 
is  the  Church  {Col.  L  24);  and  to  the  Corinthians  he  writes : 
But  I  chastise  my  body  and  bring  it  into  subjection; 
lest  perhaps  when  I  have  preached  to  others  (meaning: 
of  penance  and  conversion),  I  myself  should  become  cast 
away  (i.  Cor.  ix.  27).  Christ  Himself. did  not  censure  the  Ninivi- 
tes  for  their  fasting  and  their  penance  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  but 
used  them  as  an  example.  {Matt.  xii.  27. \  And  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment we  find  that  even  after  remitting  the  sin,  God  imposed  a 
punishment  for  it.  Thus  He  let  the  child  of  King  David  die,  as 
punishment  for  his  adultery,  even  though  He  had  forgiven  the  sin 
(ii.  Kings  xii.  13,  14.);  thus  Moses  and  Aaron,  because  they  once 
distrusted  God,  were  not  permitted  to  enter  the  Promised  Land. 
{Num.  xx.  24 ;  Dent,  xxxiv.  4.)  According  to  this  doctrine  of  the 
Bible,  the  Catholic  Church  teaches  that  though  truly  on  account 
of  the  infinite  merits  of  Christ  and  in  His  name,  the  eternal  guilt 
and  punishment  of  sin  are  taken  away,  in  confession,  by  the  abso- 


46 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  EVE. 


lution  given  by  the  priest,  there  remains  a  temporal  punishment, 
which  the  sinner  must  expiate  either  in  this  world  or  in  the  next; 
for  this  reason,  in  the  earliest  times  of  the  Church  certain  works 
of  penance  were  imposed,  which  were  then  very  severe,  and  in 
the  course  of  time,  owing  to  the  indolence  of  the  faithful,  were 
very  much  moderated. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  EVE. 


Et  us  therefore  make  him  a  little 
chamber,  and  put  a  little  bed  in  it  for 
him,  and  a  table,  and  a  stool,  and  a 
candlestick,  that  when  he  cometh  to  us, 
he  may  abide  there".  (\vJ{inys,\\.  10.)  Such 
was  the  Sammamite  woman's  regard  for  the 
,  prophet  Eliseus  that  she  would  make  such  pre- 
parations for  his  entertainment !  Will  we  do  as  much  for  Christ 
who  is  ready  to  come  to  us?  Take  pains,  0  Christian,  to  occupy 
this  night  in  pious  thoughts,  and  aspirations,  for  the  love  of  God 
and  for  the  good  of  your  own  soul,  making  yourself  worthy  to 
receive  the  graces  which  He  is  ready  when  he  comes,  to  give  you. 
Think  how  St.  Joseph,  and  Mary,  his  holy  spouse,  who  was  very 
near  her  time,  obedient  to  the  imperial  command,  and  perfectly 
submissive  to  the  will  of  God,  journeyed  with  the  greatest  incon- 
venience to  Bethlehem,  and  when,  because  of  the  multitude  of 
people,  they  found  no  place  to  receive  them,  they  stayed,  as  God 
willed  it,  in  a  most  miserable  stable  at  the  extreme  end  of  the 
town.  What  love  does  not  the  Saviour  deserve  who  for  love  of  us 
so  humbled  Himself! 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  givest  ns  to 
rejoice  yearly  in  the  expectation  of  our  redemption,  grant, 
that  Thy  only  begotten  Son,  whom  we  receive  with  joy  as  our 
Saviour  into  our  hearts,  may  be  seen  by  us  with  confidence, 
when  He  shall  come  into  the  world  as  its  judge.  Through  Thy 
Son  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord,  who  livest  &c. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY. 


I 


What  is  Christmas  Day? 
T  is  the  day  on  which  Christ  Jesus,  our  Redeemer  and  our  Joy, 
.  was  born  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  a  stable  at  Bethlehem. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY.  47 

Why  is  this  festival  culled  "the  Holy  Night?" 
Because  this  night  has  been  especially  blessed  and  sanctified 
by  the  holy,  mysterious  birth  of  the  Redeemer  of  the  world. 

Why  are  there  three  Masses  said  on  this  day? 
In  commemoration  of  the  threefold  birth  of  the  Redeemer:  of 
His  birth  from  all  eternity  in  the  bosom  of  His  Heavenly  Father; 
of  His  birth  in  the  fulness  of  time ;  and  of  His  spiritual  birth  in 
the  hearts  of  the  pious  who,  by  lively  faith  in  Him,  receive  the 
power  to  become  children  of  God.  {John  i.  2.) 

Why  is  the  first  Mass  said  at  midnight? 

Because  Christ,  the  true  light  which  came  into  the  world  to 
enlighten  those  who  stood  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death, 
that  is,  of  unbelief  and  of  sin  {Luke  i.  79.),  was  born  at  night,  and 
because  the  divine  birth  is  incomprehensible  to  us. 

Why  is  the  next  Mass  said  at  daybreak ,  and  the  third  in  broad 

daylight? 
To  signify  that  the  birth  of  Christ,  expelling  the  darkness  of 
ignorance  and  infidelity,   brought  us  the  clear  daylight  of  the 
knowledge  of  God,  and  that  the  spiritual  birth  of  Christ  can  take 
place  at  any  time  in  the  pure  soul. 

When  does  this  spiritual  birth  take  place? 
It  takes  place  when  the  soul,  having  been  cleansed  from  all 
sin,  makes  the  firm,  unalterable  resolution  to  die  to  the  world 
and  all  carnal  desires,  and  arouses  in  itself  the  ardent  desire 
henceforth  to  live  only  for  Christ,  and,  by  His  grace,  to  practise 
all  the  virtues. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  FIRST  MASS. 

The  Introit  of  this  Mass  speaks  of  the  eternal  birth  of 
Christ,  the  Lord.  The  Lord  hath  said  to  me:  "Thou  art 
my  Son,  this  day  (that  is,  from  all  eternity)  I  have  begotten 
thee!"  (Ps.  ii.  7.)  Why  have  the  gentiles  raged,  and  the 
people  devised  vain  things?  {Ps.  ii.  1.)  Glory  be  to  the 
Father  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  hast  illumined 
this  most  blessed  night  with  the  splendor  of  the  true  light, 
grant  that  we  may  enjoy  the  happiness  of  that  light  in 
heaven,  whose  mysterious  apparition  we  have  recognized  on 
earth.  Through  Jesus  Christ,  Thy  Son,  our  Lord,  who  livest&c. 

EPISTLE.  (Titus  ii.  11  —  14.)  Dearly  Beloved !  The  grace 
of  God  our  Saviour  hath  appeared  to  all  men,  instructing  us 
that,  denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  desires,  we  should  live 


48  INSTRUCTION  FOB  CHRISTMAS  DAY. 

soberly,  and  justly,  and  godly  in  this  world,  looking  for  the 
blessed  hope,  and  coming  of  the  glory  of  the  great  God  and 
our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he 
might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  might  cleanse  to 
himself  a  people  acceptable,  a  pursuer  of  good  works. 

/;/  ichat  special  manner  has  the  grace  and  goodness  of  God  been 

manifested  to  us? 
In  the  incarnation  and  birth  of  Christ,  His  Son,  whom,  in  His 
infinite  love,  He  has  made  like  unto  us,  our  brother  and  our  tea- 
cher, by  whom  we  have  become  children  of  God,  and  coheirs  of 
His  kingdom. 

What  does  Christ  by  His  Incarnation  especially  desire  to  teach  us? 
That  we  should  put  aside  all  unrighteousness,  all  infidelity 
and  injustice,  and  strive  to  become  like  Him,  who,  except  in  sin, 
has  become  altogether  like  unto  us.  But  especially  that  we  re- 
press the  desires  of  lust,  wealth,  and  honor,  and  not  rest  until  we 
have  uprooted  them  from  our  heart. 

How  do  ire  lire  soberly,  jaslly,  and  godly? 
We  live  soberly,  when  we  fulfil  all  duties  towards  oursel- 
ves; justly,  when  we  fulfil  all  duties  to  our  neighbor;  and 
godly,  when  we  fulfil  all  duties  to  God:  or,  when  we  seek  only 
our  own  salvation,  the  honor  and  glory  of  God,  and  do  to  our 
neighbors  as  we  would  have  done  to  ourselves. 

ASPIRATION.  Blessed  art  Thou,  0  newborn  Saviour, 
who  hast  descended  from  on  high  to  teach  me  the  ways  of 
justice,  hast  become  man  and  equal  to  me.  In  return  for 
this  goodness  of  Thine,  I  renounce  all  evil,  all  sinful  desires, 
words,  and  deeds.  In  return  for  Thy  loye,  I  will  ever  uproot 
from  my  heart  all  carnal  desires,  and  live  always  soberly, 
justly,  and  godly;  and  do  Thou  by  Thy  grace  strengthen  me 
in  this  resolve. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  ii.  1  — 14.)  And  it  came  to  pass  that  in 
those  days  there  went  out  a  decree  from  Cesar  Augustus,  that 
the  whole  world  should  be  enrolled.  This  enrolling  was 
first  made  by  Cyrinus,  the  governor  of  Syria.  And  all  went 
to  be  enrolled,  every  one  into  his  own  city.  And  Joseph  also 
went  up  from  Galilee  out  of  the  city  of  Nazareth  into  Judea, 
to  the  city  of  David,  which  is  called  Bethlehem,  because  he  was 
of  the  house  and  family  of  David,  to  be  enrolled  with  Mary, 
his  espoused  wife,  who  was  with  child.  And  it  came  to  pass 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY. 


49 


that  when  they  were  there,  her  days  were  accomplished  that 
she  should  be  delivered.  And  she  brought  forth  her  first-born 
son,  and  wrapped  him  up  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  him 
in  a  manger;  because  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn. 
And  there  were  in  the  same  country  shepherds  watching, 
and  keeping  the  nightwatch  over  their  flock.  And  behold  an 
angel  of  the  Lord  stood  by  them,  and  the  brightness  of  God 
shone  round  about  them,  and  they  feared  with  a  great  fear. 
And  the  angel  said  to  them:  Fear  not:  for  behold  I  bring 
you  tidings  of  great  joy,  that  shall  be  to  all  the  people;  for 
this  day  is  born  to  you  a  Saviour,  who  is  Christ  the  Lord,  in 


50  INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY. 

the  city  of  David.  And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  you:  you 
shall  find  the  infant  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes, and  laid  in 
a  manger.  And  suddenly  there  was  with  the  angel  a  multi- 
tude of  the  heavenly  army,  praising  God,  and  saying:  Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest :  and  on  earth  peace  to  men  of  good  will. 

Why,  at  the  time  of  Augustus,  were  all  the  Roman  subjects 

enrolled  ? 

This  was  by  special  order  of  God,  that  Mary  and  Joseph 
should  thus  be  obliged  to  go  to  Bethlehem,  and  it  be  made  known 
to  all  the  world,  that  Jesus  was  really  born  in  Bethlehem,  of  the 
tribe  of  Juda  and  the  house  of  David,  that  the  predictions  of  the 
prophets  were  fulfilled,  and  that  He  was  the  Messiah.  (Mich.  v.  2.) 

Let  us  learn  from  this  how  the  providence  of  God  directs  all 
things  according  to  His  will,  and  consider  the  obedience  which 
Mary  rendered  to  the  command  of  a  heathen  emperor,  or  to  God 
who  caused  the  command. 

Why  is  Christ  called  the  "first  born"  of  Mary? 
Because  she  gave  birth  to  no  child  before  Him ;  and  as  she 
had  none  after  Him,  He  was  the  only  Son  of  Mary  as  He  was  the 
only  begotten  Son  of  the  Heavenly  Father. 

Why  was  Christ  so  poor  born  in  a  stable,  and  laid  in  a  manyer? 
To  teach,  not  by  words,  but  by  example,  that  which  He  after- 
wards so  often  preached,  and  so  forcibly  taught:  the  love  of  po- 
verty, humility,  patience,  and  contempt  of  the  world ;  and  to  put 
to  shame  by  this  manner  of  His  birth  the  foolish  wisdom  of  the 
world  which  aims  only  for  honor,  pleasures,  and  riches. 

Why  was  the  birth  of  Christ  announced  to  poor  shepherds ,  and 
not  to  King  Herod  and  the  chief  priests,  §-c.  ? 

That  it  might  be  known  that  God  loves  to  dwell  with  poor, 
simple,  pious,  faithful  people,  such  as  the  shepherds  were,  and 
reveals  Himself  to  those  who  are  small  in  their  own  eyes;  while 
He  despises  the  proud  and  hands  them  over  to  their  own  spiri- 
tual blindness.  {Matt.  xi.  25.) 

Let  us  learn  from  this  to  acquire  simplicity  and  humility,  and 
despise  pride  and  cunning,  that  God  may  reveal  Himself  to  us  by 
His  interior  inspirations. 

What  is  meant  by   the  angelic   song  of  praise:    "Glory  be  to 

G  o  d  o  n  h  i  g  h  "  ? 

By  this  song  of  praise  which  the  priests  usually  say  in  the 
holy  Mass,  the  angels  meant,  that  the  greatest  praise  and  the 
most  heartfelt  thanks  are  due  to  God,  for  He  had  sent  His  Son 
into  the  world;  and  that  those  who  now  had  the  good  will  to  glo- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY.  51 

rify  God  by  all  their  actions,  would  receive  peace,  that  is,  all 
happiness,  blessings,  and  salvation. 

Rejoice  thou  also  with  the  angels  over  the  birth  of  the  Sa- 
viour; give  thanks  to  Him,  and  honor  to  Him  alone,  so  thou  also 
wilt  be  given  peace:  peace  with  God,  peace  with  thyself,  peace 
with  airmen.  Learn  also  from  the  angels,  who  rejoiced  in  the 
graces  which  man  would  receive  from  the  birtli  of  Christ,  to  re- 
joice and  thank  God  for  the  favors  which  He  gives  thy  neighbor, 
and  by  rejoicing  participate  in  them. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  SECOND  MASS. 

In  the  Introit  of  this  Mass  the  Church  avails  herself  of  the 
Prophet  Isaias:  This  day  a  light  shall  spread  over  us, 
because  the  Lord  is  born  to  us;  He  shall  be  called 
Wonderful,  God,  the  Prince  of  Peace,  the  Father  of 
the  world  to  come,  of  whose  kingdom  there  shall  be 
no  end  (hat. ix. 6.).  The  Lord  hath  reigned;  he  is  cloth- 
ed with  beauty;  the  Lord  is  clothed  with  strength, 
and  hath  girded  himself.  (Ps.  xcii.  1.) 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.    Grant  us,  Almighty  God,' 
that  the  new  light  of  Thy  word,  made  flesh,  may  shine  upon 
us  in  its  fulness,   and  that  the  faith  which   illumines  our 
minds,  may  be  resplendent  in  our  works. 

EPISTLE.  (Titus  iii.  4—7.)  But  when  the  goodness  and 
kindness  of  God  our  Saviour  appeared:  not  by  the  works  of 
justice,  which  we  have  done,  but  according  to  his  mercy,  he 
saved  us,  by  the  laver  of  regeneration,  and  renovation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  whom  he  hath  poured  forth  upon  us  abundantly 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour:  that  being  justified  by  his 
grace,  we  may  be  heirs,  according  to  hope  of  life  everlasting. 

To  whom  do  we  owe  our  salvation? 
Not  to  ourselves  and  any  good  works  wre  may  have  performed, 
but  entirely  to  the  mercy  "of  God  alone,  who  from  all  eternity 
decreed  our  redemption,"  and  sent  His  only  begotten  Son  into 
this  world  to  accomplish  it;  which  redemption  is  bestowred  upon 
us  in  baptism,  where  we  are  washed  from  the  stain  of  sin,  and  by 
the  rich  infusion  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  born  again,  heirs  of 
eternal  life. 

Why,  then,  had  God  no  mercy  on  the  fallen  angels? 

To  this  question  St.  John  of  Damascus  replies:   "We  must 

know  here  that  the  fall  was  to  the  angels,  what  death  is  to  man ; 

for  the  angels  there  wras  no  repentance  after  the  fall,  as  for  man 

there  is  no  repentance  after  death".  (l)e  fid.  orthod.  lib.  2.  c.  4.) 


4* 


52  INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY. 

In  eternity  there  is  no  available  contrition  and  penance,  so  God 
snowed  no  mercy  to  the  fallen  angels.  Let  us  learn  from  this, 
while  there  is  yet  time,  to  make  ourselves  by  contrition  and  pe- 
nance participators  in  the  mercy  of  God. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  ii.  15—20.)    And  it  came  to  pass,  after 

the  angels  departed  from  them  into  heaven,  the  shepherds 

said  one  to  another:  Let  us  go  over  to  Bethlehem,  and  let  us 

see  this  word  that  has  come  to  pass  which  the  Lord  hath 

shewed  to  us.    And  they  came  with  haste:  and  they  found 

Mary  and  Joseph,  and  the  infant  lying  in  the  manger.   And 

seeing,  they  understood  of  the  word  which  had  been  spoken  to 

them  concerning  this  child.   And  all  that  heard  wondered: 

and  at  those  things  that  were  told  them  by  the  shepherds. 

But  Mary  kept  all  these  words,  pondering  them  in  her  heart. 

And  the  shepherds  returned,  glorifying  and  praising  God  for 

all  the  things  they  had  heard  and  seen,  as  it  was  told  unto 

them. 

INSTRUCTION.  I.  The  shepherds  follow  at  once  the  voice 
of  God  which  calls  them  to  the  manger ;  they  exhort  one  another 
to  do  so;  they  seek  the  Redeemer  and  happily  find  Him;  they 
make  Him  known  to  others,  and  tenderly  thank  God  for  the  grace 
given  them. 

Let  us  follow  the  inspirations  of  God  with  ready  obedience ; 
let  us  exhort  one  another  to  virtue  by  our  good  example  and 
edifying  conversation;  let  us  make  good  use  of  the  knowledge 
given  us  by  God,  give  it  to  others,  and  praise  God  for  it. 

II.  Mary  kept  all  these  words,  spoken  about  her  Son, 
and  pondered  them  in  her  heart.  Let  us  learn  from  her 
to  make  food  for  our  souls  by  careful  meditation  of  the  divine 
truths  that  are  made  known  to  us :  so  that  we  may  be  preserved 
and  strengthened  in  spiritual  life. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  THIRD  MASS. 

The  Introit  of  this  Mass  reminds  us  of  the  spiritual  birth  of 
Christ,  by  which  He  is  spiritually  born  in  us:  A  child  is  born 
to  us;  and  a  son  is  given  to  us;  and  the  government 
is  upon  his  shoulder;  and  his  name  shall  be  called 
Wonderful,  Counsellor,  (/sal  ix.  6.)  Sing  ye  to  the  Lord 
a  new  canticle;  because  he  hath  done  wonderful 
things.  (Ps.  xcvii.  1.)  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee, 
Almighty  God,  that  we  who  are  bound  in  the  old  servitude, 


i 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY.  53 

bearing  the  yoke  of  sin,  may  by  the  incarnation  of  Christ  Thy 
Son,  which  we  celebrate  to  day,  be  freed  from  our  bondage, 
through  the  same  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Hebr.  i.  1—12.)  God,  who  at  sundry  times 
and  in  divers  manners  spoke  in  times  past  to  the  fathers  by 
the  prophets, last  of  all,  in  these  days  hath  spoken  to  us  by  his 
Son,  whom  he  hath  appointed  heir  of  all  things,  by  whom  also 
he  made  the  world;  who  being  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and 
the  figure  of  his  substance,  and  upholding  all  things  by  the 
word  of  his  power,  making  purgation  of  sin,  sitteth  on  the 
right  hand  of  Majesty  on  high:  being  made  so  much  better 
than  the  angels  as  he  hath  inherited  a  more  excellent  name 
than  they.  For  to  which  of  the  angels  hath  he  said  at  any 
time,  Thou  art  my  son,  to-day  have  I  begotten  thee? 
And  again,  I  will  be  to  him  a  father,  and  he  shall 
be  to  me  a  son.  And  again  when  he  bringeth  in  the  first 
begotten  into  the  world,  he  saith:  And  let  all  the  angels 
of  God  adore  him.  And  to  the  angels  indeed  he  saith:  He 
that  maketh  his  angels,  spirits,  and  his  ministers 
a  flame  of  fire.  But  to  the  son:  Thy  throne,  0  God,  is 
for  ever  and  ever;  a  sceptre  of  justice  is  the  sceptre 
of  thy  kingdom.  Thou  hast  loved  justice  and  hated 
iniquity;  therefore,  God,  thy  God,  hath  anointed 
thee  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows.  And, 
Thou,  in  the  beginning,  0  Lord,  didst  found  the 
earth,  and  the  works  of  thy  hands  are  the  heavens. 
They  shall  perish,  but  thou  shalt  continue:  and  they 
shall  all  grow  old  as  a  garment.  And  as  a  vesture 
shalt  thou  change  them,  and  they  shall  be  changed: 
but  thou  art  the  selfsame  and  thy  years  shall  not 
fail. 

INSTRUCTION.  The  greatness  of  Christ  Jesus,  the  dignity 
of  His  divinity  and  humanity,  the  love  and  goodness  of  His  Hea- 
venly Father,  who  has  given  Him  to  us  as  our  teacher,  could  not 
be  more  gloriously  described  than  in  this  epistle.  Learn  from  it 
how  much  you  are  obliged,  because  of  this,  to  serve  God,  to  be 
grateful  to  Him,  and  to  follow  after  Christ  who  governs  heaven 
and  earth,  and  whom  the  angels  serve. 

ASPIRATION.      I  thank  Thee,    a  thousand  times,    0 
Heavenly  Father,  that  Thou  hast  deigned  to  speak  to  us 


54 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY. 


through  Thy  only  begotten  Son,  in  whom  Thou  hast  Thine 
only  pleasure.  With  my  whole  heart,  0  Father  of  Mercy,  will 
I  listen  to  Him,  and  be  obedient  to  all  His  instructions. 


GOSPEL.  (Johni,  1  —  14.)  In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God. 
The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God.  All  things  were 
made  by  him:  and  without  him  was  made  nothing  that  was 
made.  In  him  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men:  and 
the  light  shineth  in  darkness,  and  the  darkness  did  not  com- 
prehend it.  There  was  a  man  sent  from  heaven  whose  name 
was  John.  This  man  came  for  a  witness,  to  give  testimony  of 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY.  55 

the  light,  that  all  men  might  believe  through  him.  He  was 
not  the  light,  but  was  to  give  testimony  of  the  light.  That 
was  the  true  light,  which  enlighteneth  every  man  that  cometh 
into  this  world.  He  was  in  the  world, and  the  world  was  made 
by  him,  and  the  world  knew  him  not.  He  came  unto  his  own, 
and  his  own  received  him  not.  But  as  many  as  received  him, 
he  gave  them  power  to  be  made  the  sons  of  God,  to  them  that 
believe  in  his  name.  Who  are  born  not  of  the  blood,  nor  of 
the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God.  And 
the  Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us  (and  we  saw 
his  glory,  the  glory  as  it  were  of  the  only  begotten  of  the 
Father),  full  of  grace  and  truth. 

What  does  St.  John  mean  by  the  expression  the  Word? 
That  the  Son  of  God,  who  was  begotten  and  brought  forth  like 
a  word  of  the  mouth  from  the  Father,  but  in  a  manner  incompre- 
hensible and  inscrutable  to  us,  is  one  with  the  Father  in  the  di- 
vine nature,  but  different  from  Him  in  person;  He  is  also  called  the 
Word  of  the  Father,  because  through  Him  the  Father  has  spoken 
and  made  known  the  divine  will.  (Hebr.  i.  2.;  Matt.  xvii.  5.) 

What  is  meant  by:    In  the   beyinniny  was  the   Word,   and 
the   Word  was  with  God? 

That  the  Son  of  God  already  was,  when  all  things  had  their 
beginning,  not  made  or  created,  but  born  of  the  Father  from  eter- 
nity, with  whom  and  in  whom  He  therefore  existed  from  all  eter- 
nity. St.  John  here  teaches  the  divinity,  the  eternity,  and  the 
equality  of  Christ  with  the  Father. 

What  is  meant  by:  All  thing 9  were  made  by  Him? 
That  the  Son  of  God,  true  God  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  has  made  all  things  from  the  angels  to  the  smallest  worm. 
(Comp.  Coloss.  i.  16.) 

What  is  meant  by:  In  Him  was  the  life? 
It  means :  The  Son  of  God  is  the  origin  and  fountain  of  all  the 
spiritual  life  of  our  soul  upon  earth,  and  of  the  glorious  life  in 
eternity.  To  give  this  true  life  to  us,  he  became  man,  whereby 
we  are  born  again,  newly  created,  as  it  were,  from  the  death  of 
sin  to  the  life  of  grace  and  righteousness. 

Why  is  this  life  the  liyht  of  men? 
Because  this  true  life  of  the  soul  which  Christ  has  obtained 
for  us  and  given  us,  consists  in  the  ever  increasing  knowledge  of 
God  and  his  salvation,  which  knowledge  also  comes  from  Christ, 


56  INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY. 

either  externally  through  holy  words  and  examples,  or  inwardly 
by  divine  inspiration. 

How  did  the  light  shine  in  darkness? 
In  this  manner,  that  the  Son  of  God  has  always  given,  in  dif- 
ferent ways,  the  light  of  true  knowledge  to  all  men,  even  to  the 
wicked,  and  to  infidels,  and  especially  so,  by  His  example  and 
His  doctrines,  since  His  incarnation.  But  the  wicked  closed  their 
eyes  to  the  light  and  perished.  And  now  He  gives  the  necessary 
light  of  knowledge  to  all  men,  especially  by  the  preaching  of  His 
holy  word,  but  the  hardened  sinners  throw  it  from  them,  because 
they  wish  not  to  hear  of  faith,  penance,  and  repentance. 

How  did  St.  John  the  Baptist  give  testimony  of  the  light? 
By  announcing  the  Saviour  to  the  world,  and  when  He 
appeared,  even  pointing  Him  out. 

Who  receive  Christ? 
Those  who  walk  in  the  light  of  His  grace,  cooperate  with  it, 
and  so  become  the  children  of  God. 

How  are  we  to  understand :  The  Word  was  made  flesh? 
This  is  not  to  be  understood  to  mean  that  the  Word,  that  is,  the 
Son  of  God,  was  changed  into  human  nature,  but  to  mean  that  He 
took  upon  Himself  flesh  from  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  became  man, 
having  therefore  two  natures  inseparably  united  in  Himself:  the 
divine  and  the  human.  So  Christ  is  true  God,  and  at  the  same 
time  true  man,  therefore  God- Man.  From  this  it  follows,  that 
Christ  in  His  humanity  is  less  than  His  Father  {John  xiv.  28.),  but 
in  His  divinity  is  equal  to  the  Father  {John  x.  30.),  and  that  there 
were  in  Christ  two  wills,  the  human  and  the  divine.  His  humanity 
filled  Him  with  a  natural  terror  of  His  sufferings,  but  His  divinity 
was  perfectly  united  with  the  will  of  His  Heavenly  Father,  and 
could  pray:  Not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done. 

ASPIRATION.  0  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  who  hast 
given  us,  Thy  lost  people,  this  night  in  the  form  of  a  child 
from  the  immaculate  womb  of  Mary,  Thine  only  begotten  Son 
as  our  mediator  and  joygiver,  we  give  Thee  thanks  with  heart 
and  lips,  and  humbly  beseech  Thee  that  Thou  wilt  never  per- 
mit us  to  forget  such  a  grace,  and  that  we  may  sustain  our- 
selves by  it  in  all  temptations;  that  we  may  be  ever  grateful 
to  Thee  for  it,  and  until  death  praise,  honor,  and  serve  Thee 
in  sanctity.  Amen. 

Whence  comes  the  custom  of  putting  cribs  in  our  Churches  and 
houses  at  this  time? 
This  custom  originated  with  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  who  espe- 
cially loved  and  contemplated  the  poor,  newborn  child  Jesus,  and 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CHRISTMAS  DAY.  57 

further  to  increase  his  love,  was  accustomed  to  represent  to  him- 
self in  this  way  the  stable  and  manger  at  Bethlehem ;  and  as  this 
pious  practice  is  calculated  to  assist  exceedingly  in  the  instruction 
of  the  unlearned,  especially  of  children,  it  was  introduced  into 
many  Churches. 

THE  SOCIETY  OF  THE  HOLY  CHILDHOOD  FOR  THE 
SALVATION  OF  THE  HEATHEN  CHILDREN. 

MAny  thousands  of  the  heathen  children  die  every  year  with- 
out baptism,  and  what  is  most  terrible,  a  great  number 
of  these  unfortunate  children  die  the  most  miserable  death, 
and  thus  perish,  soul  and  body.  In  the  heathen  countries,  espe- 
cially in  China,  a  country  that  contains  more  than  three  hundred 
millions  of  inhabitants,  it  is  the  horrible  custom  for  parents,  wjjen 
they  have  too  many  children,  or  when  sickly,  weak,  or  deformed 
children  are  born  to  them,  exposing  them  on  the  streets,  or  throw- 
ing them  with  a  weight  around  the  neck  into  the  water.  On  the 
streets  the  poor  little  worms  die  of  hunger,  or  are  eaten  up  by 
the  dogs  and  pigs,  in  the  water  their  flesh  becomes  the  food  of 
the  fishes.  Many,  especially  girls,  are  picked  up  by  the  wicked 
heathens,  carried  home,  and  so  trained  that  when  they  grow  up, 
they  may  serve  vice  for  money.  A  multitude  of  others  are 
strangled  immediately  after  birth,  their  bodies  thrown  into  the 
water,  or  into  the  dirt.  No  law  forbids  this  horrible  custom,  no 
law  punishes  it.  Often  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand  of  these 
unfortunate  children  are  killed  in  one  year.  The  missionaries, 
who  preach  the  gospel  to  this  heathenland,  seeking  to  win  them 
to  Christ,  see  with  terror  this  cruelty,  without  being  able  to  pre 
vent  it.  It  especially  grieves  them,  to  see  these  little  ones  die 
without  baptism.  Some  of  these  missionaries  wished  to  take  those 
left  on  the  streets,  to  baptize,  and  to  educate  them ;  to  find  wo- 
men who  would  privately  baptize  them,  and  bring  them  in  from 
the  street.  But  how  provide  for  these  children,  how  educate 
them?  how  support  the  women  who  gathered  up  the  children? 
Money  was  necessary,  but  they  were  poor,  and  had  none.  They 
turned  therefore  to  Christian  Europe,  and  in  touching  letters 
begged  alms  for  these  little  unfortunates.  Moved  by  their  mis- 
fortunes, the  pious  Bishop  Forbin- Janson  of  Nancy  in  France  in- 
stituted the  Society  of  the  Holy  Childhood  of  Jesus,  invit- 
ing all  the  children  of  his  diocese  to  form  themselves  into  a 
society  in  the  name  of  the  child  Jesus,  and  under  the  patronage 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  for  the  benefit  of  the  miserable  heathen 
children,  giving  alms  out  of  love  for  the  child  Jesus.  All  children 
under  twenty  one  years  of  age  were  to  belong  to  it,  forming  clubs 
of  twelve  among  themselves,  in  honor  of  the  twelve  years  of 
Christ's  childhood;  each  child  to  give  one  kreutzer  (about  one 
cent.  Tr.)  to  the  society's  treasury,  one  a  month,  and  to  say  one 


58  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  AFTER  CHRISTMAS. 

"Hail  Mary"  every  day  with  the  invocation:  "Holy  Mary, 
pray  for  us  and  for  the  poor  children  of  the  heathens  . 
By  means  of  the  money  thus  collected,  the  missionaries  who 
saved  the  heathen  children  from  spiritual  and  temporal  death, 
were  to  be  supported.  The  society  has  been  in  existence  since 
1841,  and  has  already  embraced  all  Catholic  countries;  thousands 
of  pious  Christian  children  give  the  alms  from  their  own  hands  to 
do  a  good  work  by  it  for  the  love  of  the  child  Jesus  and  the  sal- 
vation of  the  children  of  the  heathen.  Adults  are  admitted  as 
honorary  members,  and  would  it  not  be  well,  beloved  reader,  if 
you  were  to  join  it,  and  by  prayers  and  alms  aid  in  saving  those 
little  ones?  This  would  be  indeed  a  good  work,  for  which  rich 
reward  would  be  given  in  heaven. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SUNDAY 

AFTER  CHRISTMAS. 

INtroit.  While  all  things  were  in  quiet  silence,  and 
the  night  was  in  the  midst  of  her  course,  thy  al- 
mighty Word  leapt  down  from  heaven,  from  thy  royal 
throne  ( Wis.  xviii.  14.  15.).  The  Lord  hath  reigned;  he  is 
clothed  with  beauty;  the  Lord  is  clothed  with  strength, 
and  hath  girded  himself  {Ps.  xcii.  1.).  Glory  be  to  the 
Father  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Almighty  and  eternal  God, 
govern  all  our  actions  according  to  Thy  pleasure,  that  all  we 
do,  we  may  do  in  the  name  of  Thy  beloved  Son,  and  thus  bear 
rich  fruit  in  good  works.  This  grant  through  the  same  Christ 
our  Lord,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Galat.  iv.  1—7.)  Brethren!  As  long  as  the 
heir  is  a  child,  he  differeth  nothing  from  a  servant,  though  he 
be  Lord  of  all:  but  is  under  tutors  and  governors  until  the 
time  appointed  by  the  father:  so  we  also  when  we  were 
children,  were  serving  under  the  elements  of  this  world.  But 
when  the  fulness  of  the  time  was  come,  God  sent  his  Son, 
made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law;  that  he  might  re- 
deem them  who  were  under  the  law;  that  we  might  receive 
the  adoption  of  sons.  And  because  you  are  sons,  God  hath 
sent  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  your  hearts,  crying:  Abba, 
Father!  Therefore  now  he  is  not  a  servant,  but  a  son.  And 
if  a  son,  an  heir  also  through  God. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  AFTER  CHRISTMAS.  59 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  desired  to  instruct  the  Galatians, 
many  of  whom  still  clung  to  the  Mosaic  law,  that  this  was  no  long- 
er necessary ,  because  Christ  had  freed  them  from  its  hard  bond- 
age, which  contained  merely  the  rudiments,  so  to  speak,  of  the 
one  only  saving  faith,  and  had  made  them  children  and  heirs  of 
God,  at  which  they  should  rejoice  and  congratulate  each  other. 

Ours  is  an  even  much  greater  happiness  than  the  Jews  re- 
ceived, because  we,  through  our  ancestors,  were  converted  by 
apostolic  messengers  of  the  faith  from  heathenism  to  the  true, 
saving  Catholic  faith,  and  by  this  holy  religion  tfere  changed 
from  vassals  of  Satan,  into  children  and  heirs  of  God.  What  a 
great  advantage  is  this !  Must  it  not  be  dearer  to  us  than  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world?  Let  us  thank  the  Lord  for  it,  and  be 
careful  not  to  lose  this  prerogative  of  being  a  child  of  God,  and 
heir  of  heaven,  not  by  sin  to  give  ourselves  anew,  as  voluntary 
slaves  of  Satan. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  ii.  33 — 40.)  At  that  time:  Joseph,  and 
Mary  his  mother,  were  wondering  at  those  things  which 
were  spoken  concerning  him.  And  Simeon  blessed  them,  and 
said  to  Mary  his  mother:  Behold,  this  child  is  set  for  the 
fall ,  and  for  the  resurrection  of  many  in  Israel ,  and  for  a 
sign  which  shall  be  contradicted:  and  thy  own  soul  a  sword 
shall  pierce,  that  out  of  many  hearts  thoughts  may  be  re- 
vealed. And  there  was  one  Anna,  a  prophetess,  the  daughter 
of  Phanuel,  of  the  tribe  of  Asar;  she  was  far  advanced  in 
years,  and  had  lived  with  her  husband  seven  years  from  her 
virginity.  And  she  was  a  widow  until  fourscore  and  four 
years;  who  departed  not  from  the  temple,  by  fastings  and 
prayers  serving  day  and  night.  Now  she  at  the  same  hour 
coming  in,  confessed  to  the  Lord;  and  spoke  of  him  to  all 
that  looked  for  the  redemption  of  Israel.  And  after  they  had 
performed  all  things  according  to  the  law  of  the  Lord,  they 
returned  into  Galilee  to  their  city  Nazareth;  and  the  child 
grew  and  waxed  strong,  full  of  wisdom,  and  the  grace  of 
God  was  in  him. 

Why  did  Mary  and  Joseph  wonder  at  the  things  ichich  were 

spoken  of  the  child  Jesus? 

They  wondered,  not  because  that  which  was  said  of  the  child 

Jesus  by  Simeon,  was  new  to  them,  for  they  already  knew,  why 

He  was  sent  from  God,  but  because  of  the  marvellous  ways  in 


60 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  AFTER  CHRISTMAS. 


which  God  revealed  the  mysteries  of  the  newborn  Saviour  to  Si- 
meon, the  shepherds,  and  to  other  pious  people.  : 
How  is  Christ  set  for  the  fall  of  many? 

Christ  is  set  for  the  fall,  that  is,  for  the  eternal  damnation,  of 
all  those  who  have  heard  His  doctrine,  but  have  not  received  it, 
and  those  who  have  received  it,  but  have  not  lived  in  accordance 
with  it.  Christ  is  not  the  cause  of  their  fall,  but  they  themselves 
are  the  cause,  on  accomit  of  their  hard-heartedness  and  voluntary 
obduracy.  These  would  not  have  committed  this  great  sin,  if 
Christ  had  not  come,  preached,  and  offered  them  the  grace  of 
knowledge  and  of  conversion.  {John  xii.  22.) 

For  whom  is  Christ  the  resurrection? 

For  those  who  receive  faith  in  Him,  and  in  His  doctrines,  and 
live  in  accordance  with  it:  these  if  they  persevere,  will  rise  in  the 
future  into  eternal  life. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  AFTER  CHRISTMAS.  (Jl 

Why  is  Christ  a  sign  that  shall  he  contradicted? 
Because,  by  His  unexampled  birth  from  a  virgin,  by  His  life 
and  death,  and  especially  by  His  heavenly  doctrine,  which  is  en- 
tirely opposed  to  the  carnal  spirit  of  this  world,  Christ  became  an 
object  of  mockery  and  blasphemy.  Even  now,  according  to  the 
saying  of  St.  Bernard,  Christ  is  such  a  sign  of  contradiction  for 
many  Christians  who  by  their  pride  constantly  contradict  His 
humility,  by  their  avarice  His  poverty,  by  their  gluttony  His  fast- 
ing, by  their  impurity  His  purity,  by  their  indolence  His  zeal,  &c. ; 
denying  by  their  actions  that  which  they  profess  with  their  lips, 
thus  publicly  showing  that  they  are  Christians  but  in  name,  of 
whom  it  is  written:  Thou  hast  the  name  of  being  alive, 
but  thou  art  dead.  {Apoc.  iii.  1.) 

What  is  meant  by :  And  thy  own  soul  a  sword  shall  pierce? 
It  means  that  the  greatest  grief  should  cut  like  a  sword 
through  the  inmost  parts  of  the  soul,  which  came  to  pass,  when 
Mary  heard  the  calumnies  and  blasphemies  of  the  Jews  against 
her  Son,  and  when  she  saw  Him  die  on  the  cross  between  two 
thieves.  Meditating  on  this  grief  of  the  most  loving  mother  Mary, 
St.  Bonaventura  exclaims:  u Never  was  there  grief  so  great,  for 
never  was  there  Son  so  loved ! " 

What  else  do  we  learn  from  this  gospel? 
The  widows  should  learn  from  Anna,  who  spent  nearly  all  her 
life  in  the  temple,  to  serve  God  by  prayer  and  fasting;  for  a 
widow  who  prays  not,  but- lives  in  pleasures,  is  dead,  while  she  is 
living,  (i.  Tim.v.6.)  Parents  should  learn  from  it,  to  be  careful,  not 
only  that  their  children  increase  in  growth  and  in  knowledge,  but 
much  more  that  by  a  pious  life  they  advance  in  grace  before  God 
and  man. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Jesus,  Thou  newborn  Saviour,  do  Thou 
move  our  hearts  to  the  fulfilment  of  Thy  precepts  that  Thou 
mayst  never  be  set  for  our  fall;  for  it  would  be  much  better 
for  us,  not  to  have  known  the  ways  of  righteousness,  than 
having  known  them,  to  have  departed  from  them. 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  BLESSINGS. 
And  he  blessed  them.  (Luke  \\.  34.) 

What  is  meant  by  "blessing"  ? 

A  Blessing  on  the  part  of  God,  means  the  giving  to  man  some 
corporal  or  spiritual  grace;  a  blessing  on  the  part  of  an 
angel  or  a  man,  means  the  expression  in  prayer  of  a  wish  or  de- 
sire that  God  would  give  to  some  particular  person  a  corporal  or 
spiritual  grace.    In  the  proper  sense  of  the  word,  only  God  can 


62  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  AFTER  CHRISTMAS. 

give  a  blessing,  because  all  good  of  the  body  and  soul  comes  from 
Him;  angels  and  men  can  only  wish  and  ask  of  God,  that  He 
would  give  His  gifts. 

Have  we  examples  of  this  in  the  Bible? 

Yes,  for  the  angels  blessed  Jacob  {Gen.  xxxii.  26.),  and  Jacob 
blessed  his  grandson  {Gen.xlviii.  15.),  Melchisedech  blessed  Abra- 
ham {Gen.  xxiv.  60.),  and  Rebecca  was  blessed  by  her  brothers. 
{Gen.  xxvii.  27.  xlix.) 

Is  it  well  for  parents  to  bless  their  children? 

Yes,  for  God  sometimes  fulfils  the  blessings  wished  by  the 
parents,  as  in  the  case  of  Jsaac  who  blessed  Jacob,  and  Jacob 
who  blessed  his  own  sons  {Gen.  xlix.).  And,  on  the  contrary,  God 
lets  the  curses  of  parents  upon  their  children  be  fulfilled,  as  hi- 
story shows.  "The  father's  blessing  establisheth  the 
houses  of  the  children;  but  the  mother's  curse  rooteth 
up  the  foundation".  {Eccl.  iii.  11.) 

What  power  has  the  priest's  blessing? 

A  very  great  one,  because  it  is  given  by  the  priest,  the  vicar 
of  Christ  on  earth,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  of  the  Church  found- 
ed by  Him,  in  which  He  has  deposited  the  plenitude  of  His  bless- 
ings. The  Church  expresses  this,  when  the  bishop,  anointing  the 
hands  of  the  newly  ordained,  makes  the  sign  of  the  cross  over 
them :  "  All  that  they  bless,  is  blessed ;  that  they  consecrate,  is 
consecrated  and  sanctified  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ". 
The  blessing  of  the  priest  is  to  be  prized  therefore,  and  a  hin- 
derance  not  set  to  it  by  a  sinful  life.  The  parents  should  let  their 
children  be  blessed  by  them,  when  they  come  to  them,  as  the 
children  were  brought" to  Christ  that  He  might  lay  His  hands  on 
them  and  bless  them.  {Matt.  xix.  13.)  [See  the  instruction  in  re- 
gard to  benedictions,  sixth  Sunday  after  Pentecost] 

What  effects  has  the  blessing  of  God? 

In  spiritual  life  it  gives  great  joy  and  strength  to  do  right, 
and  avoid  evil ;  and  in  physical  life  it  gives  fruitful  prosperity  in 
our  business  and  undertakings.  Therefore,  all  is  in  the  blessing 
of  God,  and  he  who  possesses  it,  is  richer  than  though  he  possess- 
ed the  whole  world.  So  one  should  endeavor  by  a  pious  life  to 
secure  this  blessing,  for  it  rests  only  on  the  head  of  the  just. 
( Prov.  x.  6.) 


63 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  NEW  YEARS  DAY. 

BWhy  is  this  day  so  called? 
E cause  the  secular  year  begins  with  this  day,  as  the  eccle- 
siastical year  begins  with  the  first  Sunday  in  Advent. 

What  should  be  performed  on  this  day  f 
An  offering  of  the  new  year  should  be  made  to  God,  asking 
for  His  grace'  that  it  may  be  commenced  and  spent  in  a  holy 
manner,  for  the  welfare  of  the  soul. 

Why  do  we  wish  each  other  a  "happy  new  year"? 
Because  to  wish  well  to  each  other,  is  an  act  of  Christian 
love ;  but  this  wish  should  come  from  the  heart  and  not  merely 
from  worldly  politeness,  or  we  would  be  like  the  heathens  (Matt. 
v.  47.),  and  receive  no  other  reward  than  they. 

What  festival  of  the  Church  is  celebrated  to-day  ? 
The  festival  of  the  Circumcision  of  our  Lord,  who,  for  love 
of  us,  voluntarily  subjected  Himself  to  the  painful  law  of  the 
Old  Covenant,  that  we  might  be  freed  from  it. 

What  was  the  Circumcision? 

It  was  an  external  sign  of  the  Old  Law,  by  which  the  people 
of  that  day  were  numbered  among  the  chosen  people  of  God, 
as  now  they  become,  by  baptism,  members  of  the  Church  of 
Christ. 

What  is  the  signification  of  Circumcision  in  the  moral  or  spiritual 

sense ? 

Its  signification  is  the  mortification  of  the  senses,  of  evil 
desires,  and  inclinations.  This  is  even  now  practised  by  Chri- 
stians, because  they  promise  it  in  baptism  which  would  be  useless 
without  it;  just  as  little  as  the  Jew  is  a  true  Jew  by  the  Cir- 
cumcision only,  so  little  is  the  baptized  a  true  Christian  without 
a  virtuous  life.  Beg  of  Christ,  therefore,  to-day,  to  give  you 
the  grace  to  work  out  the  spiritual  Circumcision. 

PRAYER. 
I  thank  Thee,  0  Lord  Jesus,  because  to-day  Thou  hast 
willed  to  shed  Thy  blood  for  me  in  the  Circumcision  for  the 
first  time,  and  beg  Thee,  for  the  sake  of  that  shedding  of 
Thy  blood,  to  grant  that,  for  the  love  of  Thee,  I  may  cir- 
cumcise and  mortify  my  eyes,  ears,  mouth,  and  hands,  and 
all  sensual  desires,  that  I  may  not  look,  listen,  speak,  touch, 
desire,  or  do  anything  wrong.  Amen. 

[The  Introit  of  the  Mass  is  the  same  that  is  said  in  the  third 
Mass  on  Christmas.] 


64 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY. 


PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  means  of 
the  fruitful  virginity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  hast  given 
eternal  salvation  to  the  world,  grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that 
we  may  experience  her  powerful  intercession,  through  whom 
we  were  made  worthy  to  receive  the  Author  of  Life,  Jesus 
Christ,  Thy  Son,  our  Lord,  who  livest  and  reignest ,  &c. 

[The  Epistle  is  the  same  that  is  said  in  the  first  Mass  on  Christmas.] 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  ii.  21.)  And  after  eight  days  were  ac- 
complished that  the  child  should  be  circumcised,  his  name 
was  called  Jesus,  which  was  called  by  the  angel,  before  he 
was  conceived  in  the  womb. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY.  65 

Why  did  Jesus  submit  to  be  circumcised? 
That  He  might  show  His  ^reat  love  for  us,  which  caused  Him, 
even  at  the  very  beginning  of  His  life ,  to  shed  His  blood  for  us, 
to  wash  us  by  it  from  all  our  sins;  and  to  teach  us  obedience  to 
the  commandments  of  God  and  His  Church,  by  voluntarily  sub- 
jecting Himself,  although  He  was  not  in  the  least  bound  by  it  to 
the  Jewish  law,  which  ordered  that  every  male-child  should  be 
circumcised  on  the  eighth  day  after  its  birth.  {Lev.  xii.  3.) 

Why  was  He  named  Jesus  ? 

Because  Jesus  means  the  same  as  Redeemer  and  Saviour,  and 
He  had  come  to  redeem  and  save  the  world  [Matt.  i.  21.\  and 
this  is  the  holiest,  most  venerable,  and  most  powerful  name,  by 
which  we  can  be  saved. 

What  power  has  this  name  ? 
The  greatest  power,  for  it  repels  all  attacks  of  the  wicked 
enemy,  as  Jesus  Himself  says  {Mark  xvi.  17.).  And  so  great  is 
the  efficacy  of  this  most  holy  name  that  even  those  who  are  not 
righteous,  can  drive  out  devils  by  using  it  {Matt.  vii.  22.).  It  has 
power  to  cure  physical  pains  and  evils,  as  when  used  by  the  apost- 
les {Acts  ii\.  3-7.),  and  as  Christ  promised,  could  be  done  by 
all  the  faithful  {Mark.  xvi.  17.).  St.  Bernard  calls  the  name  of 
Jesus  a  "Medicine";  and  St.  Chrysostom  says,  "This  name  cures 
all  ills;  it  gives  succor  in  all  the  ailments  of  the  soul,  in  tempta- 
tions, in  faint-heartedness,  in  sorrow,  and  in  all  evil  desires,  &c." 
"Let  him  who  cannot  excite  contrition  in  his  heart  for  the  sins 
he  has  committed,  think  of  the  loving,  meek,  and  suffering  Jesus, 
invoke  His  holy  name  with  fervor  and  confidence,  and  he  will 
feel  his  heart  touched  and  made  better",  says  St.  Laurent  Justi- 
nianus.  It  overcomes  and  dispels  the  temptations  of  the  enemy : 
"When  we  fight  against  Satan  in  the  name  of  Jesus",  says  the 
martyr  St.  Justin,  "Jesus  fights  for  us,  in  us,  and  with  us,  and  the 
enemies  must  fly  as  soon  as  they  hear  the  name  of  Jesus".  It  pre- 
pares and  secures  us  help  and  blessings  in  all  corporal  and  spiri- 
tual necessities,  because  nothing  is  impossible  to  him  who  asks  in 
the  name  of  Jesus,  und  whatever  tends  to  his  salvation,  will  be 
given  him  {John  xiv.  13.).  Therefore  it  is  useful  above  all  things, 
to  invoke  this  holy  name  in  all  dangers  of  body  and  soul,  in 
doubtful  thoughts,  in  great  temptations,  especially  in  temptations 
against  holy  chastity,  and  still  more  so  when  one  has  fallen  into 
sin,  from  which  he  desires  to  be  delivered;  for  this  name  is  like 
oil  (Cant.  i.  2.)  which  cures,  which  nourishes,  and  which  illumines. 

How  must  this  name  he  pronounced  to  experience  its  power? 

With  lively  faith,  with  steadfast,  unshaken  confidence,  with 

deepest  reverence  and  devotion,  for  in  the  name  of  Jesus 

every  knee  should  bow,  of  those  that  are  in  heaven, 

on  earth,  and  under  the  earth.   (Philipp.  ii.  10.)    What 


(J6  INSTRUCTION  FOR  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY.  . 

wickedness,  then,  is  theirs  who  habitually  pronounce  this  name 
carelessly  and  irreverently,  upon  every  occasion!  Such  a  habit  is 
certainly  an  abortion  of  hell ;  for  what  the  damned  and  the  devils 
are  eternally  doing,  he  imitates  who  abuses  this  name. 

Why  does  this  name  so  seldom  manifest  Us  power  in  our  days? 
Because  Christian  faith  is  becoming  ever  weaker,  confidence 
less,  while  complete  submission  to  the  will  of  God  is  wanting.  As 
faith  grows  more  vivid  among  people,  confidence  stronger,  and 
submission  to  God  more  sincere,  so  will  the  power  of  this  most 
sacred  name  manifest  itself  in  more  wonderful  and  consoling 
aspects. 

PRAYER  TO  JESUS  IN  DIFFERENT  DIFFICULTIES. 
0  Jesus!  Thou  Consolation  of  the  afflicted!  Thy  name  is 
indeed  diffused  like  oil;  for  Thou  dost  illumine  those  who  sit 
in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death;  Thou  dost  disperse 
the  blindness  of  the  soul  and  dost  cure  its  ills;  Thou  givest 
food  and  drink  to  those  who  hunger  and  thirst  after  justice. 
Be  also,  0  Jesus!  my  Saviour,  the  physician  of  my  soul,  the 
healer  of  its  wounds.  0  Jesus!  Succor  of  those  who  are  in 
need,  be  my  protector  in  temptations!  0  Jesus!  Father  of 
the  poor,  do  Thou  nourish  me!  0  Jesus!  Joy  of  the  angels, 
do  Thou  comfort  me!  0  Jesus!  my  only  hope  and  refuge, 
be  my  helper  in  the  hour  of  death ,  for  there  is  given  us  no 
other  name  beneath  the  sun  by  which  we  may  be  saved,  but 
Thy  most  blessed  name  Jesus ! 

EXHORTATION.  St.  Paul  says:  "All  whatsoever  you 
do  in  word  or  in  work,  all  things  do  ye  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ".  (Colos.  hi.  17.).  We  should,  there- 
fore, follow  the  example  of  the  saints,  and  continually  say,  or,  at 
least,  think:  "For  love  of  Thee,  0  Jesus,  I  rise;  for  love  of  Thee 
I  lie  down;  for  love  of  Thee  I  eat,  drink,  and  enjoy  myself;  for 
love  of  Thee  I  work,  speak,  or  am  silent".  In  tliis  way  we  will 
accustom  ourselves  to  do  all  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  by  which  we 
will  obtain  that  all  will  pass  easily,  or  at  least  meritoriously. 

PRAYER  FOR  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY. 
0  God,  Heavenly  Father,  Father  of  Mercy,  God  of  all 
Consolation!  we  thank  Thee  that  from  our  birth  to  this  day, 
Thou  hast  so  well  preserved  us,  and  hast  protected  us  in  so 
many  dangers;  we  beseech  Thee,  through  the  merits  of  Thy 
beloved  Son,  and  by  His  sacred  blood  which  He  shed  for  us 
on  this  day  in  His  circumcision,  to  forgive  us  all  the  sins 
which,   during  the  past  year,   we  have  committed  against 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  FOLLOWING  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY.     (J  7 

Thy  commandments,  by  which  we  have  aroused  Thy  indig- 
nation and  wrath  against  ourselves.  Preserve  us  in  the  com-* 
ing  year  and  always  from  all  sins ,  and  from  all  misfortunes 
of  body  and  soul.  Grant  that  from  this  day  to  the  encTof 
our  life,  all  our  senses,  thoughts,  words,  and  works,  which 
we  here  dedicate  to  Thee  for  all  time,  may  be  directed  in 
accordance  with  Thy  will,  and  we  may  finally  die  in  the 
true  Catholic  faith,  and  enjoy  with  Thee  in  Thy  kingdom  a 
joyful  new  year,  that  shall  know  no  end.    Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SUNDAY 

FOLLOWING  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY. 

[The  lntroit,  the  Prayer  of  the  Church,  and  the  Epistle,  are 
the  same  that  are  said  on  the  Sunday  after  Christmas./ 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  ii.  19  —  23.)  But  when  Herod  was 
dead,  behold,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  in  sleep  to  Jo- 
seph in  Egypt,  saying:  Arise,  and  take  the  child  and  his  mo- 
ther, and  go  into  the  Land  of  Israel.  For  they  are  dead  that 
sought  the  life  of  the  child.  Who  arose,  and  took  the  child 
and  his  mother,  and  came  into  the  Land  of  Israel.  But 
hearing  that  Archelaus  reigned  in  Judea  in  the  room  of 
Herod,  his  father,  he  was  afraid. to  go  thither:  and  being 
warned  in  sleep,  retired  into  the  quarters  of  Galilee.  And 
coming,  he  dwelt  in  a  city  called  Nazareth:  that  it  might 
be  fulfilled  which  was  said  by  the  prophets:  that  he  shall 
be  called  a  Nazarite. 

INSTRUCTION.  In  this  we  see  how  wonderfully  God  deals 
with  His  own.  He  indeed  permits  them  to  be  persecuted  and 
oppressed,  but  never  to  be  suppressed,  and  in  longer  or  shorter 
times  He  gives  them  many  consolations.  Jesus  was  forced  to  fly 
into  Egypt  to  escape  the  persecution  of  Herod,  because  God  did 
not  desire  to  save  Him  by  a  visible  miracle,  but  in  the  natural 
manner.  He  lives  in  misery  in  Egypt,  but  for  no  longer  time 
than  God  wills,  who  having  put  His  enemies  to  shame,  and  taken 
them  out  of  His  way,  calls  Him  back  and  leaves  Him  to  pass  His 
youth  in  quietness  and  peace.  The  conduct  of  God  to  His  Son, 
and  the  care  He  has  for  Him,  should  be  a  consolation  for  the  just; 
they  must  be  happy  if  God  deals  with  them  as  with  Him ;  they 


K* 


(J8     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  FOLLOWING  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY. 


will  certainly,  like  Christ,  be  made  to  suffer  no  more  than  God 
permits,  and  their  sufferings  will  be  ever  accompanied  by  conso- 
lations, and  the  misery  last  but  a  short  time.  St.  Joseph  avoided 
the  Land  of  Judea,  because  he  feared  that  Archelaus  would  suc- 
ceed to  Herod's  cruelty,  as  he  had  to  his  government.  A  N  a  z  a- 
rite  means,  a  low  person,  a  despised  person.  Jesus  was  so  call- 
ed, because  He  grew  up  at  Nazareth,  and  spent  the  greater  part 
of  His  life  in  this  city,  which  was  held  in  such  contempt  by  the 
Jews  that  they  could  not  believe,  any  thing  good  could  come  out 
of  Nazareth.  {John  1.  40.) 


69 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE 

EPIPHANY. 


What  is  this  festival? 
His  festival  is  set  apart  for  the  solemn 
commemoration  of  the  coming  of  the  three 
wise  men,  kings,  from  the  East,  guided  by  a 
miraculous  star  which  God  has  caused  to  ap- 
pear to  them,  to  Bethlehem,  where  they 
found  Christ  in  the  stable,  adored,  honored, 
"*  and  offered  gifts  to  Him. 

Why  is  this   day  called  Epiphania  Domini,  or  Apparition  of 

the  Lord? 

Because  the  Church  wishes  to  present  the  three  important 
times  in  the  life  of  Christ,  when  He  made  His  divinity  known  to 
man:  the  coming  of  the  wise  men  from  the  East,  to  whom  He 
revealed  Himself  as  the  Son  of  God  to  the  gentiles;  His  baptism 
in  the  Jordan,  when  He  revealed  Himself  to  the  Jews,  and  His 
first  miracle  at  the  marriage  in  Cana,  by  which  He  revealed  Him- 
self to  His  disciples. 

In  joy  the  Church  sings  to-day  in  the  Introit  of  the  Mass: 
Behold,  the  sovereign  comes,  the  Lord,  and  in  his 
hand  is  the  kingdom,  power,  and  sovereignty.  Give  to 
the  king  thy  judgment,  0  God,  and  to  the  king's  son 
thy  justice.  (A.  lxxi.  1.)   Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  on  this  day 
didst  reveal  Thyself  to  the  gentiles,  led  by  a  star  to  Thee, 
mercifully  grant,  that  we  who  know  Thee  now  by  faith, 
may  be  led  to  behold  Thy  glory  face  to  face.  Through  the 
same  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  &c. 

LESSON.  (Isaias  lx.  1 — 6.)  Arise,  be  enlightened,  0 
Jerusalem,  for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  thy  Lord 
is  risen  upon  thee.  For  behold,  darkness  shall  cover  the 
earth,  and  a  mist  the  people:  but  the  Lord  shall  arise  upon 
thee,  and  his  glory  shall  be  seen  upon  thee.  And  the  genti- 
les shall  walk  in  thy  light,  and  kings  in  the  brightness  of 
thy  rising.  Lift  up  thy  eyes  round  about,  and  see:  all  these 
are  gathered  together,  they  are  come  to  thee,  thy  sons  shall 
come  from  afar,  and  tlry  daughters  shall  rise  up  at  thy  side. 
Then  shalt  thou  see  and  abound,  and  thy  heart  shall  wonder 
and  be  enlarged,   when  the  multitude  of  the  sea  shall  be 


70  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  EPIPHANY. 

converted  to  thee,  the  strength  of  the  gentiles  shall  come  to 
thee.  The  multitude  of  camels  shall  cover  thee,  the  drome- 
daries of  Madian  and  Epha:  all  they  from  Saba  shall  come, 
bringing  gold  and  frankincense,  and  shewing  forth  praise  to 
the  Lord. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Prophet  Isaias  in  this  epistle  predicts 
that  the  light  of  the  Lord,  Avhich  is  Christ,  will  rise  over  Jerusa- 
lem, the  prototype  of  the  Church,  and  that  the  gentiles  who  knew 
nothing  of  the  true  God,  would  come  to  walk  in  that  light  which 
Christ,  by  His  doctrine  and  holy  life,  would  cause  to  shine,  and 
that  numberless  nations,  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  would  as- 
semble as  her  children  to  adore  the  one  true  God.  The  fulfilment 
of  this  prophecy  commenced  with  the  adoration  of  the  magi,  who 
are  to  be  regarded  as  the  first  Christian  converts  from  the  genti- 
les; the  Church,  therefore,  very  properly  celebrates  this  day 
with  great  solemnity.  We  ought  also  to  share  in  the  joy  of  the 
Church,  because  our  ancestors  were  gentiles,  and  like  the  three 
wise  men  were  called  to  the  true  faith.  Let  us  exclaim  with 
Isaias:  Give  praise,  0  ye  heavens,  and  rejoice,  0 
earth:  ye  mountains  give  praise,  with  jubilation:  be- 
cause the  Lord  hath  comforted  his  people,  and  will 
have  mercy  on  his  poor  ones.  (hat.  xlix.  13.) 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  ii.  1  —  12.)  When  Jesus  therefore  was 
born  in  Bethlehem  of  Juda ,  in  the  days  of  King  Herod ,  be- 
hold, there  came  wise  men  from  the  East  to  Jerusalem, 
saying:  Where  is  he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews?  For  we 
have  seen  his  star  in  the  East,  and  have  come  to  adore  him. 
And  King  Herod  hearing  this,  was  troubled,  and  all  Jerusa- 
lem with  him.  And  assembling  together  all  the  chief  priests 
and  the  scribes  of  the  people,  he  inquired  of  them  where 
Christ  should  be  born.  But  they  said  to  him:  In  Bethlehem 
of  Juda.  For  so  it  is  written  by  the  prophet:  And  thou 
Bethlehem  the  Land  of  Juda  art  not  the  least  among 
the  princes  of  Juda;  for  out  of  thee  shall  come 
forth  the  captain  that  shall  rule  my  people  Israel. 
Then  Herod  privately  calling  the  wise  men,  learned  diligently 
of  them  the  time  of  the  star  which  appeared  to  them:  and 
sending  them  into  Bethlehem,  said:  Go  and  diligently  inquire 
after  the  child;  and  when  you  have  found  him,  bring  me 
word  again,  that  I  also  may  come  and  adore  him.  Who  hav- 


INSTRUCTION  FOlt  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  EPIPHANY 


71 


ing  heard  the  king,  went  their  way;  and  behold ,  the  star 
which  they  had  seen  in  the  East,  went  before  thein,  until  it 
came  and  stood  over  where  the  child  was.  And  seeing  the 
star,  they  rejoiced  with  exceeding  great  joy.  And  entering 
into  the  house,  they  saw  the  child  with  Mary  his  mother, 
and  falling  down  they  adored  him:  and  opening  their  trea- 
sures, they  offered  him  gifts:  gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh. 
And  having  received  an  answer  in  sleep  that  they  should 
not  return  to  Herod,  they  went  back  another  way  into  their 
own  country. 


72  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  EPIPHANY. 

What  caused  the  three  kings  to  undertake  so  severe  a  journey  ? 
A  star  which  God  permitted  to  appear  in  their  land,  at  the 
sight  of  which  they  were  inwardly  enlightened,  so  that  they  at 
once  recognized  its  signification.  Let  us"  learn  from  these  kings 
who  so  readily  responded  to  the  inspiration  of  God,  by  immedia- 
tely undertaking  so  difficult  a  journey,  also  to  respond  at  once  to 
the  inspirations  of  God,  and  seek  the  Saviour  without  delay ;  and 
from  their  zeal,  and  the  fearlessness  with  which  they  asked  of 
Herod  where  the  Messiah  would  be  found,  we  should  learn  to 
seek  and  practise,  without  fear  of  men,  whatever  is  necessary  for 
our  salvation. 

Why  did  Herod  fear,  and  all  Jerusalem  with  him? 

Because  Herod,  a  proud,  imperious,  cruel,  and  therefore  su- 
spicious king,  was  afraid,  when  he  heard  of  a  new-born  king,  that 
he  would  be  driven  from  the  throne,  and  brought  to  punishment 
for  his  vices.  A  bad  conscience  is  always  ill  at  ease,  and  never  at 
rest.  There  is  no  peace  for  the  wicked,  saith  the  Lord 
God.  (Isai.  lvii.  21.)  Jerusalem,  that  is,  the  inhabitants  of  Jeru- 
salem, feared  because  many  of  them  were  attached  to  Herod,  and 
others,  especially  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes,  because  they 
feared  they  would  be  punished  for  their  secret  crimes,  when  the 
Messiah  would  come,  of  whom  they  knew  that  He  would  judge 
the  poor  with  justice,  and  with  the  breath  of  his 
mouth  (would)  slay  the  wicked.  (Isai.  xi.  4.) 

Why  did  Herod  call  together  the  chief  priests   and  the  scribes? 

Partly  to  find  from  them  where  the  Messiah  was  to  be  born, 
partly  and  principally  because  God  so  directed  it,  that  Herod  and 
the  chief  priests,  knowing  the  time  and  place  of  the  Messiah's 
birth,  would  have  no  excuse  for  their  infidelity.  In  the  same  way 
God  often  gives  us  the  plainest  understanding  of  the  most  whole- 
some truths,  which  we  follow  as  little  as  the  Jews  who  had  suffi- 
cient knowledge  of  the  Messiah,  indeed,  even  showed  the  way  to 
the  three  kings,  but  made  no  use  of  it  for  themselves,  and  were 
therefore  cast  away. 

Why  did  Herod  say,  he  wished  to  adore  the  child? 

This  he  did  out  of  wicked  hypocrisy  and  cunning.  He  had  no 
other  intention  than  that  of  putting  Jesus  to  death,  and  therefore 
affected  piety  to  find  out  exactly  the  time  and  place  of  His  birth. 
Thus  do  those  soul-murderers  who  desire  the  fall  of  an  innocent 
person;  they  dare  not  show  themselves  as  wolves,  that  is,  they 
dare  not,  at  once,  let  their  evil  intentions  be  suspected,  and 
so  they  put  on  sheep's  clothing,  feign  piety  and  devotion,  until 
they  creep  into  the  heart  from  which,  by  flattery,  and  irony  about 
religion  and  virtue,  and  by  presents,  they  have  expelled  the  sense 
of  shame,  and  the  fear  of  God,  and  then  they  murder  the  soul. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  EPIPHANY.  73 

Why  did  the  kings  adore  Christ  kneeling? 
Because  by  the  light  received  from  God,  they  saw  God  Him- 
self in  the  little  child  in  the  stable  at  Bethlehem,  although  they 
saw  nothing  glorious,  nothing  but  poverty  surrounding  the  child 
Jesus  and  His  virgin  mother.  How  do  these  gentile  kings  shame 
those  lukewarm  Catholics,  who  conduct  themselves  with  such 
irreverence  towards  their  God,  present  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
not  even  bending  their  knees  before  Him ! 

Why  did  the  kings  offer  gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh? 

Because  it  was  the  ancient  Eastern  custom,  never  to  appear 
without  presents  before  a  prince  or  king,  the  three  kings,  as  the 
holy  fathers  universally  teach,  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
desired  by  their  presents  to  honor  Christ  as  God,  king,  and  as 
man.  Of  this  the  venerable  Beda  writes:  "The  first  of  the  kings, 
named  Melchior,  offered  gold  to  Christ  the  Lord  and  king ;  the 
second,  named  Kaspar,  frankincense  to  the  divinity  of  Christ; 
and  the  third,  Balthasar,  myrrh,  by  which  was  expressed  that 
Christ,  the  Son  of  man,  must  die." 

How  can  we  bring  similar  offerings  to  Christ? 
We  offer  gold  to  Him,  when  we  love  Him  from  our  whole 
heart,  and  out  of  love  for  Him,  present  Him  our  will,  which  is 
our  most  precious  treasure,  by  perfect  obedience  and  continual 
selfdenial,  at  the  same  time  assisting  the  poor  with  alms  in  His 
name.  Frankincense  we  burn  for  Him,  when  we  devoutly 
and  ardently  pray  to  Him,  especially  when  we  meditate  upon  His 
omnipotence,  love,  goodness,  justice,  and  mercy.  We  offer  Him 
myrrh,  when  we  avoid  carnal  desires,  mortify  our  evil  inclina- 
tions and  passions,  even  though  it  be  as  bitter  as  the  fruit  of 
myrrh  to  do  so,  and  strive  for  purity  of  body  and  soul. 

Why  did  the  kings  return  by  another  way  to  their  own  country  ? 

This  they  did  by  command  of  God,  who  revealed  to  them  in 
a  dream  the  evil  intentions  of  Herod,  and  thus  they  did  not  act 
as  this  malicious  man  desired.  From  this  we  should  learn  to  obey 
God  rather  than  man,  that  we  must  be  obedient  to  His  directions, 
even  if  we  do  not  understand  them ;  so  the  three  kings  obeyed, 
although  they  could  not  see,  as  they  had  just  adored  His  only 
begotten  Son  as  almighty  God  and  king,  how  God  could  command 
them  to  fly  from  Herod;  and  we,  after  we  are  once  converted, 
must  take  a  very  different  way  from  that  we  walked  before.  "Our 
fatherland  is  paradise,  heaven,"  writes  St.  Gregory.  "  We  have 
departed  from  it  by  pride,  disobedience,  abuse  of  visible  things, 
therefore  it  is  needed  that  we  return  to  it  by  obedience,  contempt 
of  the  world,  by  taming  the  desires  of  the  flesh.  We  return  to 
our  own  country  by  another  road.  By  forbidden  joys  have  we 
left  the  joys  of  paradise,  by  the  pains  of  penance  we  return  to  it." 


74 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 


ASPIRATION.  Give  me,  0  divine  Saviour,  the  faith  of 
those  Eastern  kings.  Enlighten  my  understanding  with  the 
light  which  enlightened  theirs,  and  move  my  heart,  so  that 
I  may  in  future  follow  this  light,  and  sincerely  seek  Thee 
who  hast  first  sought  me.  Grant,  also,  that  I  may  really 
find  Thee,  with  the  wise  men  may  adore  Thee  in  spirit  and 
in  truth ,  and  bring  to  Thee  the  gold  of  love ,  the  frankin- 
cense of  prayer,  and  the  myrrh  of  penance  and  mortification, 
that,  having  here  offered  Thee  the  sacrifice  of  my  faith,  I 
may  adore  Thee  in  glory.   Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY 

AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

N  the  Introit  of  this  Mass  the  Church  ex- 
horts us  in  these  words  to  a  joyous  adoration 
of  Christ:  I  saw  on  an  elevated  throne 
a  man  sitting,  whom  a  multitude  of 
angels  adored,  singing  together:  Be- 
hold Him,  the  name  of  whose  glory 
^  is  eternal  {Dan.  7.)  Sing  joyfully  to 
God,  all  the  earth;  serve  ye  the  Lord  with  gladness. 
(P*.  xcix.  2.)  Glory  be  to  te  Father,  &c.  Thus  in  the  Mass  all 
seeks  to  fill  us  with  joyful  obedience  to  God  and  His  holy  com- 
mandments. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  Lord,  let  the  desires 
of  Thy  suppliant  people  be  pleasing  to  Thee ,  and  by  Thy 
heavenly  goodness  effect  that  they  may  plainly  see  what 
they  should  do,  and  have  strength  to  perform  that  which 
they  see.    Through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  {Romans  xii.  1  —  5.)  Brethren:  I  beseech  you, 
therefore,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  that  you  present  your  bodies 
a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  pleasing  unto  God,  your  reasonable 
service.  And  be  not  conformed  to  this  world,  but  be  reform- 
ed in  the  newness  of  your  mind ,!  that  you  may  prove  what 
is  the  good,  and  the  acceptable,  and  perfect  will  of  God.  For 
I  say,  by  the  grace  that  is  given  me,  to  all  that  are  among 
you,  not  to  be  more  wise  than  it  behooveth  to  be  wise ,  but 
to  be  wise  unto  sobriety,  and  according  as  God  hath  divided 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTFR  EIPHANY.  75 

to  every  one  the  measure  of  faith.  For  as  in  one  body  we 
have  many  members,  but  all  the  members  have  not  the 
same  office,  so  we,  being  many,  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and 
every  one  members  of  one  another. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  entreats,  even  conjures  us  by 
all  the  mercies  which  God  has  shown  us,  to  bring  Him  a  liv- 
ing sacrifice,  that  is,  one  dead  to  the  carnal  desires,  but  alive 
to  all  virtue;  a  holy,  that  is,  pure,  immaculate;  God  pleasing, 
that  is,  a  sacrifice  intended  for  His  glory  only;  not  a  dead  sa- 
crifice as  the  Jews  offered  by  killing  animals,  nor,  as  the  gen- 
tiles by  polluting  their  bodies,  an  unholy  one.  This  living,  holy,  God 
pleasing  sacrifice,  we  should  offer  in  our  body;  but  this  does  not 
exclude  the  sacrifice  of  our  spirit,  because  all  our  actions,  the 
corporal  as  well  as  spiritual,  should  be  directed  to  God,  the  end 
for  which  we  were  created.  We  should  in  body  as  well  as  in  spi- 
rit, offer  God  a  living,  holy  sacrifice,  which  we  do,  when  all  our 
works  are  performed  solely  in  His  honor ,  and  so  are  sanctified ; 
when  we  mortify  our  carnal  desires,  for  example :  our  eating  and 
drinking,  and  all  impure  desires;  subdue  our  five  senses:  the 
sense  of  sight,  of  hearing,  of  speaking,  &c. ;  if  we  overcome  the  spirit 
of  pride,  anger,  impatience,  and  not  suffer  ourselves  to  be  dis- 
tracted during  prayer,  Church  service,  and  have  before  God, 
as  had  David,  a  contrite  heart,  which  is  the  most  pleasing  sa- 
crifice in  His  eyes,  and  which  He  never  despises.  In  this  way 
we  render  a  reasonable  service,  and  are,  as  St.  Peter  says  (i.  Peter 
2.  9.),  a  kingly  priesthood,  because  we  govern  like  kings 
over  our  evil  inclinations,  and  offer  with  body  and  soul  a  con- 
tinual sacrifice  to  God.  The  apostle  further  exhorts  us  not  to 
become  like  the  world,  that  is,  that  we  do  not  follow  the  cor- 
rupt manners  and  principles  of  the  evil  children  of  the  world ; 
not  to  desire  those  things  at  which  the  world  aims:  not  to  love 
that  which  the  world  loves;  not  to  act  as  the  world  acts;  but 
rather  constantly  seek  to  change  our  entire  disposition,  and  make 
it  anew  by  combatting  our  corrupted,  evil  inclinations,  and  re- 
placing them  with  the  opposite  ones.  "We  must  cease  to  be  the 
old  worldly  man,  and  become  a  new  heavenly  man,  whose  life 
is  in  heaven;  and  to  be  such,  we  must  carefully  seek  to  know 
in  all  things  what  is  pleasing  to  God,  and  therefore  perfect  and 
good.  This  is  the  necessary  science  to  which  St.  Paul  alludes, 
when  he  says,  We  should  not  wish  to  know  more  than  is  pro- 
per. All  the  arts  and  sciences  will  not  help  us  to  gain  heaven, 
if  we  do  not  strive  to  learn  thoroughly  what  faith  teaches,  and 
to  know  what  God  demands ;  and  having  even  progressed  far  in 
this  God  pleasing  science,  we  should  not  boldly  think  more  of 
ourselves  than  is  right,  and  not  violate  charity  by  contempt  of 
others  less  instructed ;  for  God  gives  to  every  one,  in  some  mea- 
sure, the  gift  of  faith.   This  gift  of  faith  we  should  use  in  order 


76 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 


to  more  and  more  glorify  the  body  of  Christ,  His  Church,  whose 
members  we  are,  and  to  increase  the  number  of  her  members. 

ASPIRATION.  Grant,  0  Jesus,  that  by  mortification, 
humility,  and  contrition,  I  may  offer  my  body  and  my  soul 
as  a  living,  holy,  and  pleasing  sacrifice  to  Thee,  and  that  I 
may  never  defile  them  by  impurities. 


GOSPEL.  (Luke  ii.  42—52.)  And  when  he  was  twelve 
years  old,  they  went  up  to  Jerusalem  according  to  the  cu- 
stom of  the  feast;  and  having  fulfilled  the  days  when  they 
returned,  the  child  Jesus  remained  in  Jerusalem,  and  his 
parents  knew  it  not.    And  thinking  he  was  in  the  company, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY.  77 

they  came  a  day's  journey,  and  sought  him  among  their 
kinsfolks  and  acquaintance.  And  not  finding  him  \  they  re- 
turned into  Jerusalem,  seeking  him.  And  it  came  to  pass, 
that  after  three  days  they  found  him  in  the  temple  sitt- 
ing in  the  midst  of  the  doctors ,  hearing  them ,  and  asking 
them  questions.  And  all  that  heard  him,  were  astonished 
at  his  wisdom  and  his  answers.  And  seeing  him,  they  won- 
dered. And  his  mother  said  to  him:  Son,  why  hast  thou 
done  so  to  us*?  Behold,  thy  father  and  I  have  sought  thee 
sorrowing.  And  he  said  to  them:  How  is  it  that  you  sought 
me?  Did  you  not  know  that  I  must  be  about  my  father's 
business?  And  they  understood  not  the  word  that  he  spoke 
unto  them.  And  he  went  down  with  them,  and  came  to  Na- 
zareth, and  was  subject  to  them.  And  his  mother  kept  all 
these  words  in  her  heart.  And  Jesus  advanced  in  wisdom, 
and  age,  and  grace  with  God  and  man. 

Why  did  our  Saviour  yo  with  His  parents  to  Jerusalem  to  the 

temple  ? 
Because  God  Himself  by  Moses  {Dent.  xvi.  16.)  commanded 
that  all  the  male  Israelites  should  appear,  three  times  a  year  on 
certain  festivals,  and  oifer  sacrifice  before  Him  in  the  temple ;  Je- 
sus fulfilled  this  commandment  to  set  us  an  example  that  we, 
according  to  the  will  of  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  should  willingly 
and  devoutly  be  present  at  the  services  of  the  Church  on  Sundays 
and  holidays  of  obligation,  and  not  be  kept  away  by  bad  weather, 
bad  roads,  or  by  other  trivial  excuses,  when  Jesus  did  not  shun  a 
three  day's  journey  to  the  temple. 

Why  does  the  gospel  say  "as  usual"? 
That  we  may  understand  that,  like  Mary  and  Joseph,  we 
should  keep  the  ecclesiastical  festivals  and  usages  exactly,  and 
how  proper  it  is  that  true  Catholics  should  live  by  them.  As  Mary 
and  Joseph  took  the  child  Jesus  with  them,  parents  should  learn 
to  require  of  their  children,  at  an  early  age,  to  take  part  in 
prayer,  attend  school  and  Church,  and  see  that  they  conduct 
themselves  quietly  and  reverently  while  there. 

Why  did  the  child  Jesus  remain  in  Jerusalem  ? 
Because  of  His  love  of  prayer  and  communion  with  His  Hea- 
venly Father,  and  to  show  even  then  some  rays  of  His  divinity, 
by  which  to  let  it  be  known  that  He  had  come  for  the  glory  of 
His  Father,  and  to  procure  our  salvation.  This  should  be  our 
chief  object,  also. 


78  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

Why  did  Mary  and  Joseph  so  diligently  search  for  Jesus? 

Because  they  were  fearful  that  they  would  lose  Jesus,  whom 
they  loved  so  unspeakably.  We  should  learn  from  this,  how  care- 
ful we  should  be,  not  to  lose  Jesus  by  sin,  or  having  lost  Him, 
how  anxiously  we  should  seek  by  penance  to  find  Him  again.  By 
the  search  and  inquiries  of  the  parents  of  Jesus,  those  parents  are 
taught  and  made  ashamed  who  care  less  for  the  education  of  their 
children  than  for  their  temporal  advantages,  and  pay  no  attention 
whether  they  are  in  good  or  in  bad  company,  whether  they  are 
learning  things  that  are  useful  or  not,  indeed,  for  the  sake  of  some 
temporal  advantage,  for  example,  or  for  support,  even  permit 
their  children  sinful  intimacy  with  evil  minded  persons.  From 
these  parents  God,  one  day,  with  sternest  justice,  will  demand 
the  sOuls  of  their  children. 

Why  was  our  Saviour  found  in  the  temple  with  the  doctors, 

listening  to  them,  and  asking  them  questions? 
That  we  might  be  shown  that  we  ought  to  seek  the  knowledge 
necessary  for  our  salvation,  and  so  attend  carefully  to  the  sermons 
and  instructions  on  Christian  doctrine ;  we  should  by  no  means 
be  ashamed  to  ask  questions  of  our  pastors,  when  we  are  in 
doubt,  and  should  listen  to  their  answers.  Was  Christ,  the  Eternal 
Wisdom,  ashamed  to  ask  questions  and  to  answer?  Why  should 
we  ignorant  people  hesitate  to  do  it?  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that 
persons  who  have  many  important  things  concerning  their  spiri- 
tual welfare  on  their  minds,  from  pride  and  false  shame,  would 
rather  go  to  perdition  than  ask  advice,  solely  for  fear  of  showing 
their  ignorance. 

Why  did  Mary  say:  Son,  why  hast  thou  done  so  to  us? 
Those  words  were  forced  from  her  by  pain  at  the  absence  of 
her  Son,  whom  she  loved  above  all  things,  and  not  by  indignation, 
for  He  was  blameless.  But  Mary's  conduct  should  teach  parents 
to  remember  their  duty  to  care  for  their  children,  and  punish 
them  when  they  do  wrong. 

MORAL  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  VIRTUE  OF  OBEDIENCE. 
He  was  subject  to  them.  {Luke  ii.  51.) 

FRom  this  all  Christians  should  learn  to  be  obedient  to  the 
commandments  of  God,  of  the  Church,  and  of  their  pannts. 
God  with  obedience  or  disobedience  to  His  commandments,  has 
united  life  or  death,  blessing  or  curses,  and  shows  in  the  Bible 
(i.  Kings  xv.  22.),  that  obedience  pleases  Him  more  than  sacrifices 
or  the  fat  of  rams ;  that  He  despises  disobedience  as  He  does 
witchcraft  and  idolatry.  We  must  be  obedient  to  the  Church,  be- 
cause Christ  Himself  with  His  holy  Spirit  lives  in  her,  and  go- 
verns her,  and  has  said:  Who  hears  not  the  Church,  let 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY     79 

him  be  to  thee  a  heathen  and  a  publican,  therefore, 
shut  out  from  eternal  life.  We  must  be  obedient  to  our  parents, 
because  they  stand  to  us  in  place  of  God,  and  we  owe  to  them, 
under  Him,  our  life  and  many  benefits.  Those  children  have  rea- 
son to  be  afraid  who  do  not  assist  their  parents,  when  they  are 
old,  poor,  and  helpless,  are  even  ashamed  of  them,  since  even 
Christ  Jesus,  the  God-Man,  was  obedient  and  subject  in  all  things 
to  His  poor  mother,  and  to  an  humble  mechanic  who  was  only 
His  fosterfather.  Cursed  be  he  who  honoureth  not  his 
father  and  mother  (Dent,  xxvii.  16.);  how  much  more  cursed 
those  who  despise,  deride,  and  abandon  their  parents?  Their  eyes 
will  one  day  be  picked  out  by  ravens  (Prov.  xxx.  17.).  And  if  God 
commanded  obstinate  and  disobedient  children  to  be  stoned  (Deut. 
xxi.  20.),  what  do  those  not  deserve  who  even  strike  their  pa- 
rents, or  otherwise  lay  hands  upon  them  ? 

How  did  Jesus  increase  in  age,  wisdom,  and  grace? 

As  He  increased  in  age,  He  showed  new  effects  of  the  wisdom 
and  grace  with  which  He  was  fijled,  and  so  teaches  us  to  advance 
farther  and  farther  in  the  path  of  virtue,  for  each  age  has  its  pe- 
culiar virtues  and  duties ,  which  we  should  strive  to  fulfil ,  that 
we  may  attain  to  the  perfection  of  the  next. 

ASPIRATION.  Most  amiable  Jesus!  who  in  the  twelfth 
year  of  Thy  age,  didst  permit  Thyself  to  be  found  in  the 
temple  by  Thy  parents,  and,  as  an  example  for  us,  wast 
humbly  obedient  to  them,  grant  that  we  may  diligently 
serve  the  important  affair  of  our  salvation ,  willingly  carry 
the  yoke  of  Thy  law  from  our  youth,  and  be  always  obedient 
to  the  laws  of  Thy  Church,  to  our  parents,  and  superiors. 
Prevent  uneducated  youth  from  growing  up  recklessly  and 
impertinently  to  a  scandalous  life.  Give  parents  wisdom  and 
grace  to  educate  their  children  according  to  Thy  will  in  all 
virtue.  Grant  to  us  all,  that  we  may  never  lose  Thee  by  sin, 
or  if  we  have  lost  Thee,  to  anxiously  seek  Thee,  happily  find 
Thee,  and  with  Thy  grace  more  and  more  increase  in  wisdom 
and  in  virtue.  Amen. 

TRUE  PIETY. 
Theg  found  Him  in  the  temple.  (Luke\\.  6.4.) 

VEry  many  people  deceive  themselves  in  regard  to  true 
piety,  because  their  imagination  represents  it  to  them,  ac- 
cording to  the  effect  produced  by  their  passions  or  disposition  of 
mind.  He  who  fasts  willingly,  believes,  if  he  only  fasts  often,  that 
he  is  pious,  though  in  his  heart  he  nourishes  a  secret  hatred,  and 


80  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

while  he  fears  to  wet  the  tip  of  his  tongue  with  wine,  even  with 
water,  lest  he  should  not  live  temperately  enough,  yet  finds  plea- 
sure in  detraction  and  slander,  that  unquenchable  thirst  for  the 
blood  of  his  neighbor.  Another,  because  he  is  accustomed  daily 
to  recite  a  long  string  of  prayers,  esteems  himself  pious,  though  he 
overflows  afterwards  with  haughty,  bitter,  offensive  language, 
hurting  people  at  home  and  abroad.  One  keeps  his  purse  open  for 
the  poor,  but  keeps  his  heart  ever  closed  to  the  love  of  his  enemy, 
whom  he  will  not  forgive;  another  forgives  his  enemy  with  all 
his  heart,  but  will  not  pay  his  creditors,  until  forced  by  law  to  do 
so.  All  these  think  themselves  pious,  and  are  perhaps  so  regard- 
ed by  the  world,  but  in  truth  they  are  anything  rather  than 
pious.  Then,  in  what  does  true  piety  consist?  It  consists  in  the 
perfect  love  of  God,  or  to  speak  more  accurately,  it  is  the  perfect 
love  of  God  itself.  This  love  is  called  the  beautiful  love,  because 
it  is  the  adornment  of  the  soul,  and  attracts  to  itself  with  compla- 
cency the  eyes  of  the  Divine  Majesty.  When  it  strengthens  us  to 
do  good,  it  is  called  the  strong  love ;  when  it  causes  us  to  do  that 
good  quickly,  carefully,  and  repeatedly,  it  is  called  piety.  The 
ostrich  has  wings,  it  is  true,  but  never  uses  them  for  flying;  the 
chickens  fly  heavily  and  not  high ;  but  the  eagles,  the  doves,  and 
the  swallows,  fly  high  and  swiftly,  and  do  not  easily  tire.  The  sin- 
ners are  but  earth  people,  they  creep  upon  the  ground;  the  just, 
who  are  still  imperfect,  rise,  it  is  true,  towards  heaven,  but  sel- 
dom, and  then  but  slowly  and  heavily.  But  some  there  are,  true, 
pious  souls,  who  like  the  doves  and  the  eagles  soar  high  on 
strong,  swift  wings  to  God.  In  a  word,  piety  is  nothing  else  than 
a  certain  active,  swift  energy  of  the  spirit,  with  which  the  strong 
love  in  us,  or  we  with  it,  perform,  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  us,  all 
good.  As  the  strong  love  urges  us  to  keep  God's  commandments, 
the  perfect  love,  that  is,  piety,  urges  us  to  keep  them  carefully 
and  with  nil  possible  zeal.  No  one  is  just  or  pious  who  does  not 
keep  all,  without  exception,  of  God's  commandments;  for  to  be 
just  we  must  possess  the  strong  love,  and  to  be  pious  we  must 
possess  besides  an  active,  lively  attention  to  all  the  good  that  can 
possibly  be  done  by  us.  Thus  St.  Francis  de  Sales  writes  in  his 
Philothea,  from  which  it  is  seen  that  true  piety  consists  not  in 
special  devotions,  or  the  practice  of  special  good  works,  but  in 
the  zealous,  earnest,  continuous  obedience  to  the  commandments, 
and  performance  of  duty  for  the  love  of  God. 


81 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY 

AFTER  EPIPHANY. 


N  the  Intro  it  of  this  day's  Mass  the  Church 
calls  upon  all  creatures  to  thank  God  for  the 
Incarnation  of  His  only  begotten  Son.  Let 
all  the  earth  adore  Thee,  and  sing  to 
Thee;  let  it  sing  a  psalm  to  Thy  name. 
{Ps.  lxv.  4.)  Shout  with  joy  all  the  earth, 
ML-  sing  ye  a  psalm  to  His  name,  give 
glory  to  His  praise.  {Ps.  lxv.  1.)  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Almighty  and  eternal 
God!  Heaven  and  earth  stand  under  Thy  great  direction. 
Bless  our  days  with  Thy  peace!  Behold  Thy  people  bowed  to 
the  dust,  awaiting  the  merciful  grant  of  this  petition, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Bomans  xii.  6—16.)  Brethren:  We  have 
different  gifts,  according  to  the  grace  that  is  given  us:  either 
prophecy,  to  be  used  according  to  the  rule  of  faith,  or  mini- 
stry in  ministering,  or  he  that  teacheth  in  doctrine,  he  that 
exhorteth  in  exhorting,  he  that  giveth  with  simplicity,  he 
that  ruleth  with  carefulness,  he  that  sheweth  mercy  with 
cheerfulness.  Let  love  be  without  dissimulation.  Hating  that 
which  is  evil,  cleaving  to  that  which  is  good.  Loving  one 
another  with  the  charity  of  brotherhood,  with  honour  pre- 
venting one  another.  In  carefulness  not  slothful.  In  spirit 
fervent.  Serving  the  Lord.  Rejoicing  in  hope.  Patient  in  tri- 
bulation. Instant  in  prayer.  Communicating  to  the  necessi- 
ties of  the  saints.  Pursuing  hospitality.  Bless  them  that 
persecute  you:  bless  and  curse  not.  Rejoice  with  them  that 
rejoice,  weep  with  them  that  weep.  Being  of  one  mind,  one 
towards  another.  Not  minding  high  things,  but  consenting 
to  the  humble.  Be  not  wise  in  your  own  conceits. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  here  exhorts  every  Christian  to 
make  good  use  of  God's  gifts ;  if  one  receives  an  office,  he  must 
see  well  to  it,  that  he  fills  it  in  such  a  manner  that  he  can,  one 
day,  stand  before  God.  He  especially  exhorts  to  brotherly  love 
which  we  should  practise  by  charitable  works,  such  as,  receiv- 
ing strangers  hospitably,  giving  alms  to  those  who  are  in  need, 
and  to  those  who  by  misfortune  or  injustice  have  lost  their  pro- 


82         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

perty;  lie  commands  us,  at  the  same  time,  to  joy  in  the  welfare 
of  our  neighbor,  and  to  take  his  misfortunes  to  heart,  as  we  re- 
joice at  our  own  good  fortune,  or  are  grieved  at  our  misfortune. 

How  is  brotherly  love  best  preserved? 
Brotherly  love,  by  which  we  love  our  neighbor  as  our  own 
brother,  is  especially  preserved  by  the  virtue  of  humility,  by 
which  we  esteem  our  neighbor  above  ourselves,  consider  his  good 
qualities  only,  bear  his  defects  patiently,  and  always  meet  him  in 
a  friendly,  respectful,  and  indulgent  manner.  This  humility  thus 
causes  us  to  live  always  in  peace  with  our  fellowmen,  while  among 
the  proud,  where  each  wants  to  be  higher  than  the  rest,  there  is 
continual  strife  and  dissatisfaction.  {Prov.  xiii.  10.) 

MORAL  INSTRUCTION  FOR  SUPERIORS. 

THose  have  to  expect  a  severe  sentence  from  God,  who  merely 
for  temporal  gain,  seek  profitable  offices,  and  thrust  them- 
selves into  them,  whether  fit  for  them  or  not;  and  when  capable 
care  very  little  whether  or  not  they  fulfil  the  duties  required  by 
their  office,  even  perhaps  making  the  fulfilment  of  them  depend 
upon  bribes.  Of  such  God  makes  terrible  complaint:  Thy  prin- 
ces (judges)  are  faithless,  companions  of  thieves: 
they  all  love  bribes,  they  run  after  rewards;  they' 
judge  not  for  the  fatherless;  and  the  widow's  cause 
comes  not  into  them.  {Isai.  i.  23.)  But  horribly  and  speedily 
will  God  appear  to  you;  for  a  most  severe  judgment  shall 
be  for  them  that  bear  rule.  (Wisd.  vi.  6.) 

ASPIRATION.  Grant  us,  0  Lord,  Thy  grace,  that,  ac- 
cording to  Thy  will,  we  may  follow  the  instructions  of 
St.  Paul  in  regard  to  humility  and  love,  have  compassion 
upon  all  suffering  from  need,  esteem  ourselves  as  nothing, 
and  descend  to  the  lowest,  that  we  may,  one  day,  be  elevated 
with  them  in  heaven. 

GOSPEL.  (John  ii.  1  —  11.)  And  the  third  day  there 
was  a  marriage  in  Cana  of  Galilee;  and  the  mother  of  Jesus 
was  there.  And  Jesus  also  was  invited  with  his  disciples,  to 
the  marriage.  And  the  wine  failing,  the  mother  of  Jesus 
saith  to  him:  They  have  no  wine.  And  Jesus  saith  to  her: 
Woman,  what  is  it  to  me  and  to  thee?  My  hour  is  not  yet 
come.  His  mother  saith  to  the  waiters:  Whatsoever  he  shall 
say  to  you,  do  ye.  Now  there  were  set  there  six  waterpots  of 
stone,  according  to  the  manner  of  the  purifying  of  the  Jews, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 


83 


containing  two  or  three  measures  apiece.  Jesus  said  to 
them:  Fill  the  waterpots  with  water.  And  they  filled  them 
up  to  the  brim.  And  Jesus  saith:  Draw  out  now,  and  carry 
to  the  chief  steward  of  the  feast.  And  they  carried  it.  And 
when  the  chief  steward  had  tasted  the  water  made  wine, 
and  knew  not  whence  it  was,  but  the  waiters  knew  who 
had  drawn  the  water,  the  chief  steward  calleth  the  bride- 
groom, and  saith  to  him:  Every  man  at  first  setteth  forth 
good  wine,  and  when  men  have  well  drunk,  then  that  which 
is  worse.  But  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine  until  now.  This 


6* 


84        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee:  and  he 
manifested  his  glory,  and  his  disciples  believed  in  him. 

Why  did  Christ  go  with  His  mother  to  this  marriage? 

That  He  might  honor  this  humble  and  God  fearing  couple 
who,  with  faithful  hearts  had  invited  Him  and  His  mother  to 
their  wedding;  that  He  might  give  us,  by  deigning  to  be  pre- 
sent at  the  marriage  of  these  poor  people,  an  example  of  humi- 
lity; that  by  changing  the  water  into  wine,  He  might  come  to 
their  assistance  in  their  poverty,  and  save  their  good  name;  to 
reveal  His  dignity  as  the  Messiah  to  His  disciples  by  this  mi- 
racle; and  to  sanctify  by  His  presence  the  marriages  that  are 
formed  with  proper  modesty. 

Alas!  how  few  marriages  of  our  time  could  Jesus  honor 
with  His  presence,  because  He  is  invited  neither  by  fervent 
prayer,  nor  by  the  chaste  life  of  the  couple:  He  is  excluded, 
rather,  by  the  frequent  immorality  of  the  married  couple  and 
their  guests. 

Why  was  Mary  interested  in  this  newly  married  couple? 
Because  she  is  merciful  and  the  Mother  of  Mercy,  and  wil- 
lingly assists  all  the  poor  or  afflicted,  who  fear  God.  From  this 
incident  St.  Bonaventura  judges  of  the  many  graces  which  we 
can  hope  for  through  Mary  (that  is,  through  her  intercession. 
Tr.),  now  that  she  reigns  in  heaven;  "for",  he  says,  "if  Mary 
while  yet  on  earth,  was  so  compassionate,  how  much  more  so 
is  she  now  reigning  in  heaven ! "  and  he  gives  the  reason  when 
adding:  "Mary  now  that  she  sees  the  face  of  God,  knows  our 
necessities  far  better  than  when  she  was  on  earth,  and  that  in 
proportion  to  the  increase  of  her  compassion,  has  increased  her 
power  to  aid  us."  Ah!  why  do  we  not  take  refuge  in  all  our 
necessities  with  this  most  merciful  mother,  who,  unasked,  is  so 
anxious  for  the  wretched? 

Why  did  Christ  say  to  Mary:   Woman,  what  is  it  to  me  and 

to  thee? 
This  seemingly  harsh  reply  of  Christ  was  no  reproach,  for 
Mary  had  made  her  request  only  in  love  and  mercy,  and  Christ 
praises  even  those  happy  ones  who  are  merciful,  but  He  wished 
to  show  that  in  the  performance  of  divine  work,  only  the  di- 
vine will  should  have  force.  .He  thus  meant  to  say:  "In  this 
thou,  0  mother,  art  not  my  mother,  because  I  received  from  thee 
my  humanity,  not  my  divinity,  which  alone  performs  miracles, 
and  this  only  by  the  will  of  my  Heavenly  Father.  In  accordance 
with  this  will,  I  will  do  that  which  thou  dost  ask,  when  the 
hour  designed  by  God  shall  come."  Though  the  hour  had  not 
come,  He  yet  granted  His  mother's  wish,  who  knew  that  her 
divine  Son  refused  none  of  her  requests,  and  so  she  said  to  the 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  MATRIMONY.  85 

servants:  Whatsoever  He  shall  say  to  you,  do  ye.  Behold  the 
great  power  of  Mary's  intercession !  Neglect  not  therefore  to  take 
refuge  with  this  most  powerful  mother ! 

What  are  we  taught  by  the  words :  My  hour  has  not  yet  come? 
These  words  teach  us,  that  we  should  in  all  things  await  God's 
appointed  time,  and  in  things  belonging  to  God  and  His  honor, 
should  act  only  by  divine  direction,  without  any  human  motives. 

What  does  the  lack  of  wine  signify? 
In  the  spiritual  sense  the  lack  of  wine  may  be  understood  to 
signify  the  lack  of  love  between  married  people,  which  happens 
mostly  in  the  case  of  those  who  enter  this  state  with  impure 
motives,  for  the  sake  of  riches,  beauty  of  person,  so,  or  who  have 
before  marriage  kept  up  sinful  intercourse.  For  these  it  only 
remains  to  ask  God  for  forgiveness  of  their  sins,  to  bear  the  hard- 
ships of  married  life  in  the  spirit  of  penance,  and^  to  change  the 
wrong  motives  they  had  before  marriage,  so  will  God  supply  the 
lack  of  wine,  that  is,  the  lack  of  true  love,  and  change  the  waters 
of  misery  into  the  wine  of  patient  affection. 

Why  did  Christ  command  them  to  take  the  wine  to  the  steward? 
That  the  steward,  whose  office  required  him  to  be  attentive  to 
the  conduct  of  the  guests,  and  to  know  the  quality  of  the  wine, 
should  give  his  judgment  in  regard  to  the  excellence  of  this,  and 
be  able  to  testify  to  the  miracle  before  all  the  guests. 

ASPIRATION.  0  my  most  merciful  Jesus!  I  would  ra- 
ther drink  in  this  world  the  sour  wine  of  misery  than  the 
sweet  wine  of  pleasure,  that  in  heaven  I  may  taste  the  per- 
fect wine  of  eternal  joy. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT 
OF  MATRIMONY. 

MWhat  is  Matrimony? 
Atrimony  is  the  perfect,  unlimited  union  and  connection  of 
two  free  persons  of  different  sex  {Cor.  vii.  3.  4.),  that  the 
association  between  man  and  woman  may  be  advanced  by  the  hope 
of  mutual  assistance,  that  supported  each  by  the  other,  they  may 
more  easily  bear  the  burdens  of  life,  and  the  weakness  of  age; 
and  by  the  procreation  of  children  they  may  leave  not  heirs  to 
temporal  estates,  but  rather  to  raise  preservers  of  the  true  faith 
and  religion  {Tob.vi.  16, 17,  22.);  that  it  may  be  a  means  of  pre- 
venting sins  of  the  flesh.  {Cor.  i.  72.,  Cat.  rom.  de  malr.  313,  14.) 

Who  instituted  Matrimony? 
God  Himself,  the  Creator  of  all  tilings,  instituted  it,  and  ordered 
the  manner  in  which  it  should  be  kept  [Gen. i.  2(5,  27.,  and  ii.  18, 
21—24.).  He  Himself  brought  to  man  the  helpmate,  whom  he  had 


8  (J  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  MATRIMONY. 

formed  from  his  side,  that  she  who  came  from  his  heart,  might 
never  depart  from  his  heart,  but  cling  to  him  in  the  indissoluble 
bond  of  love.  To  this  original  divine  institution  Christ  refers  (Mutt. 
xix.  4—6.),  and  the  Church  declares  the  bond  of  marriage  per- 
petual and  indissoluble. 

Is  Matrimony  a  Sacrament? 

Yes;  according  to  the  testimony  of  the  fathers,  the  Church  has 
held  it  such  from  the  times  of  the  apostles,  which  she  could  not 
do,  had  Christ  not  raised  it  to  the  dignity  of  a  Sacrament.  St.  Paul 
even  calls  it  a  great  Sacrament,  because  it  is  symbolical  of  the 
perpetual  union  of  Christ  with  His  Church;  and  the  Council  of 
Trent  declares:  "If  any  one  says,  that  Matrimony  is  not  really  and 
truly  one  of  the  seven  Sacraments  of  the  Church  instituted  by 
Christ,  but  an  invention  of  men,  that  imparts  no  grace,  let  him  be 
anathema."   (Cone-  Tricl.  Sess.  24.  c.  1.) 

What  graces  does  this  Sacrament  impart? 

The  grace  of  preserving  matrimonial  fidelity  inviolate;  the 
grace  of  educating  children  as  Christians;  of  patiently  enduring 
the  unavoidable  difficulties  of  married  life,  and  of  living  peaceably 
with  each  other.  For  all  this  married  people  greatly  need  the 
grace  of  God,  and  without  it  they  can  scarcely  fulfil  their  duties 
at  all,  to  the  great  detriment  of  their  own  and  their  children's 
salvation. 

What  is  the  external  sign  of  grace  in  the  Sacrament  of  Matrimony? 

The  union  of  two  single  persons  in  Matrimony  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  regulations  of  the  Council  of  Trent  {Cone.  Trid.  Sess.  24. 
c.  1.),  must  not  be  formed  privately,  but  publicly  in  the  face  of 
the  Church,  that  is,  before  the  pastor,  or,  with  his  permission, 
by  another  priest,  in  the  presence  of  two  witnesses. 

What  preparations  are  to  be  made  to  receive  the  grace  of  this 

Sacrament? 
The  first  and  best  preparation  is  a  pure  and  pious  life,  joined 
to  the  invocation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  we  may  know,  Avhether 
or  not  we  are  called  to  this  state  of  life.  Next,  the  parents  and 
the  father -confessor  should  be  asked  for  advice,  and  that  the 
choice  is  not  made  because  of  wealth,  beauty,  or  station,  but  be- 
cause of  true  Christian  sentiment  and  education.  The  third  and 
nearest  preparation  is,  to  purify  the  conscience,  if  it  has  not 
already  been  done,  by  a  good  general  confession,  and  the  reception 
of  the  most  holy  Sacrament  of  the  Altar.  Before  their  marriage 
the  young  coupie  should  ask  their  parents'  blessing,  should  hear 
the  marriage  Mass  with  the  greatest  devotion,  with  the  intention 
of  obtaining  God's  grace  to  begin  their  new  state  of  life  well,  and 
finally,  they  should  commend  themselves  with  confidence  to  the 
protection  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  and  her  spouse  St.  Joseph. 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  MATRIMONY.  $7 

Why  are  there  so  many  unhappy  marriages? 

Because  so  many  people  prepare  the  way  to  marriage  by  sins 
and  vices,  continue  to  sin  without  interruption,  and  without  true 
amendment  until  marriage;  therefore  always  confess  unworthily, 
even  perhaps  before  the  very  wedding.  Besides  this,  many  enter 
the  married  life  only  on  account  of  carnal  intentions,  or  other 
earthly  motives ;  often  they  do  not  in  the  least  think  to  ask  God 
for  His  grace;  on  their  marriage  day  without  any  proper  prepa- 
ration for  such  an  important,  sacred  act,  they  go  to  Church  even 
in  immorality,  and  afterwards  celebrate  their  wedding  with  but 
little  modesty.  Is  it  any  wonder,  that  such  married  people  receive 
no  blessing,  no  grace,  when  they  render  themselves  so  unworthy, 
so  unfit  for  it? 

Why  did  God  institute  married  life  ? 

That  children  might  be  brought  up  honestly  and  as  Christians, 
and  that  they  should  be  especially  educated  in  matters  of  faith ; 
that  married  people  should  sustain  each  the  other  in  the  diffi- 
culties of  life ,  and  mutually  exhort  themselves  to  a  pious  life ; 
that  the  sin  of  impurity  might  be  avoided.  For  they  who  in 
such  manner  receive  matrimony  as  to  shut  out  God  from 
themselves,  and  from  their  mind,  and  to  give  themselves 
to  their  lust,  as  the  horse  and  mule  which  have  not  un- 
derstanding, over  them  the  devil  hath  power.  {Tob.Yi.  17.) 

With  was  intentions  should  the  married  state  he  entered? 

With  such  intentions  as  had  the  young  Tobias  and  his  bride 
Sara,  who  before  the  marriage  ceremony,  both  ardently  prayed 
God  for  His  grace,  and  took  their  wedding  breakfast  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord  {Tod.  xiv.  15.).  Hence  God  was  with  them  with  His 
blessing  until  death.  If  all  young  couples  would  so  enter  the  mar- 
riage state,  it  would  certainly  be  holy,  God  pleasing,  and  blessed 
for  them,  and  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  spoken  to  wives,  would  come 
true  for  them:  Yet  she  shall  be  saved  by  bearing  children, 
if  she  continue  in  faith,  and  love,  and  sanctification 
with  sobriety,  (i.  Tim.  ii.  15.) 

Why  are  those  engaged  to  be  married,  published  three  times 

in  Church? 

That  those  things  such  as  affinity,  clandestine  marriages,  or 
public  dishonesty  which  are  impediments  to  the  marriage  of  the 
persons,  and  would  render  it  invalid,  may  be  known  in  time. 
Therefore  any  one  who  is  aware  of  such  impediments,  is  bound 
to  make  them  known  to  the  pastor. 

Why  is  the  marriage  performed  in  the  presence  of  a  priest? 

Because  the  Catholic  Church  expressly  declares,  that  those 
marriages  which  are  not  performed  in  presence  of  a  priest ,  or, 
with  his  permission,  by  another  priest,  and  without  witnesses, 
are  null  and  void  (Sess.  xxiv.  c.  1.);  and  because  the  blessing  of 


88    INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  MATRIMONY. 

the  priest,  which  he  imparts  in  the  name  of  the  Church,  gives 
the  couple,  if  they  are  in  a  state  of  grace,  strength,  power  and 
grace  to  be  faithful  to  each  other,  to  endure  all  trials  patiently, 
and  be  safe  from  all  the  influences  of  the  evil  enemy. 

Why  do  they  join  hands  before  the  priest  and  two  witnesses? 
By  this  they  bind  themselves  before  God  and  His  Church  to 
remain  true  to  each  other,  and  to  be  ready  to  assist  each  other 
in  all  adversities,  for  which  reason  the  priest  winds  the  stole 
around  their  hands*),  the  bridegroom  puts  a  ring  on  the  bride's 
finger  which  exhorts  her  to  inviolate  fidelity,  for  which  purpose 
the  priest  signs  and  seals  this  holy  union  with  the  unbloody  Sa- 
crifice of  the  New  Law. 

Can  the  bond  of  marriage  be  dissolved  in  the  Catholic  Church  ? 
A  valid  marriage,  contracted  with  the  free  consent  of  each  of 
the  parties,  can  according  to  the  plain  doctrine  of  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures, the  constant  teaching  and  practice  of  the  Church,  be  dis- 
solved only  by  the  death  of  one  of  the  parties.  If  the  pope  or  a 
bishop,  for  important  reasons,  gives  a  divorce,  this  is  only  from 
bed  and  board,  and  neither  can  marry  again  while  the  other 
lives,  without  committing  a  grievous  sin.  (Such  a  second  marriage 
would  not  be  valid  at  all.  Trans.)  How  pure  and  holy  do  the 
doctrine  and  practice  of  the  Catholic  Church  show  themselves  to 
be  in  this,  the  most  important  and  the  most  sacred  of  all  human 
relations,  preserving  its  inviolability  and  sanctity;  while,  on  the 
contrary,  by  means  of  the  wanton  doctrine  of  the  heretics,  which 
for  trivial  reasons  entirely  dissolves  the  marriage  contract,  this 
sacred  union  is  made  the  deepest  ignominy  of  mankind,  and  the 
playball  of  human  passions  and  caprice ! 

What  is  thought  of  mixed  marriages,  or  marriages  between 
Catholics  and  Protestants? 

The  Catholic  Church  has  always  condemned  such  marriages, 
because  of  the  great  dangers  for  the  Catholic  party  and  for  the 
children,  which  unavoidably  spring  from  them.  Such  marriages 
promote  religious  indifference,  by  which  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
soul  is  destroyed ;  they  put  an  end  to  domestic  peace,  cause  mutual 
aversion,  quarrels,  and  confusion;  they  give  scandal  to  the  ser- 
vants; they  interfere  with  the  education  of  the  children,  even 
render  it  purely  impossible,  and  they  frequently  lead  to  apostacy 
and  despair.  But  the  Catholic  Church  especially  condemns  those 
mixed  marriages,  in  which  either  all  or  a  number  of  the  children 
are  brought  up  in  heresy,  and  she  can  never  look  upon  those  as 
her  children  and  give  them  her  blessing,  who  do  not  fear  to  with- 
draw themselves  and  their  own  children  from  the  only  saving 
faith,  and  expose  them  to  the  danger  of  eternal  ruin.  Therefore, 

*)  This  ceremony  of  the  stole  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Ritual,  and  is 
simply  a  custom  of  some  parts  of  Europe.    Trans. 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  MATRIMONY.  gcj 

those  Catholics  who  enter  the  matrimonial  union  with  heretics, 
and  permit  their  children  to  be  brought  up  in  heresy,  although 
the  marriage,  if  lawfully  contracted,  is  valid,  commit  a  mortal 
sin,  and  if,  at  the  same  time,  they  receive  the  holy  Sacraments  of 
Penance  and  of  the  Altar,  commit  also  a  terrible  sacrilege. 

What  should  the  newly  married  couple  do  immediately  after  the 
ceremony  is  performed? 

They  should  kneel  down  and  thank  God  for  the  graces  received 
in  this  holy  Sacrament,  in  these  words:  "Ratify,  we  beseech 
Thee,  0  Lord,  that  which  by  Thy  grace  Thou  hast 
wrought  in  us,  that  we  may  keep  that  which  in  Thy  pre- 
sence we  have  promised  unto  the  day  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  And  that  they  may  keep  it,  they  should  remember  the 
duties  placed  before  them  by  the  priest  in  their  marriage  bless- 
ing, and  the  exhortations  given  by  him,  which  are  taken  from 
the  epistle  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Ephesians  (Eph.  v.  29.  31.),  wherein 
he  instructs  married  people  how  they  should  comport  themselves 
to  each  other,  and  recalls  to  them  as  an  example  the  union  of 
Christ  with  His  Church,  and  His  love  for  her.  To  the  husbands 
he  says,  that  they  should  love  their  wives  as  Christ  loved  His 
Church,  for  which  He  even  gave  Himself  up  to  death,  from  which 
is  seen,  that  men  should  assist  their  wives  even  unto  death,  in  all 
need,  and  not  treat  them  as  servants.  To  the  wives  St.  Paul  says, 
that  they  as  the  weaker  should  be  in  all  reasonable  things  obe- 
dient to  their  husbands  as  the  Church  is  obedient  to  Christ;  for 
as  Christ  is  the  head  of  the  Church,  so  is  the  husband  the  head 
of  the  wife.  Experience  proves,  there  is  no  better  way  for  women 
to  win  the  hearts  of  their  husbands  than  by  amiable  obedience 
and  ready  love,  while,  on  the  contrary,  a  querulous,  imperative 
deportment  robs  them  of  their  husbands'  affections,  and  even 
causes  them  to  be  regarded  with  aversion.  St.  Paul  says  further, 
that  husbands  should  love  their  wives  (and  consequently  wives 
their  husbands)  as  their  own  bodies,  because  married  people  are, 
as  it  were,  one.  They  shall  be  two  in  one  flesh;  no  man 
ever  hated  his  own  flesh,  but  nourisheth  and  cherisheth 
it,  as  also  Christ  doth  the  Church.  {Eph.  v.  29.  31.)  How  un- 
justly and  barbarously  do  those,  then,  act,  who,  instead  of  loving 
one  another,  caring  for  one  another,  rather  hate  and  outrage  each 
other,  and  by  detraction  cause  the  loss  of  their  property,  and 
steal  away  their  honor!  These  do  not  consider  that  he  who  hates 
and  disgraces  his  life's  partner,  hates  and  disgraces  himself;  while 
he,  according  to  St.  Paul's  words,  who  loves  her,  loves  himself.  If 
married  people  would  remain  in  constant  love  and  unity,  it  is 
most  necessary  that  they  should  patiently  bear  with  each  other's 
infirmities,  wrongs,  and  defects,  exhort  one  another  with  mildness 
and  affection,  keep  their  adversities,  trials,  and  sufferings  as  much 
as  possible  to  themselves,  and  complain  only  to  God,  in  prayer, 


90  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  HOLY  NAME  OF  JESUS. 

who  alone  can  aid  them.  By  impatience,  quarrels,  and  complaints 
the  cross  becomes  only  heavier  and  the  evil  worse.  Finally,  not 
only  on  their  wedding  day  but  often  through  life,  they  should 
earnestly  consider,  that  they  have  not  entered  the  married  state 
that  they  may  inordinately  serve  the  pleasures  of  the  body,  but 
to  have  children,  according  to  the  will  of  God,  who  will  one  day 
inhabit  heaven;  for,  said  the  angel  to  Tobias:  For  they  who  in 
such  manner  receive  matrimony,  as  to  shut  out  God 
from  themselves  and  from  their  mind,  and  to  give  them- 
selves to  their  lust  as  the  horse  and  mule,  which  have 
not  understanding,  over  them  the  devil  hath  power. 
{Tob.vi.  17.) 

PRAYER.  Most  merciful  Jesus!  who  to  reveal  us  Thy 
power  and  to  honor  married  life,  didst  work  Thy  first  miracle 
at  the  wedding  in  Cana,  by  changing  water  into  wine: 
grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  Thy  faithful  may  keep  ever 
sacred  and  inviolate  the  holy  Sacrament  of  Matrimony,  and 
that  they  may  so  live  in  it  truthfully,  with  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  that  they  may  not  put  an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  ob- 
taining heaven  for  themselves,  and  for  their  children. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
HOLY  NAME  OF  JESUS. 

[Second  Sunday  after  Epiphany.] 


Who  instituted  this  festival? 
j§g^  Ope  Innocent  xiii.  who,  in  the  year  1721 ,  com- 
manded that  the  most  holy  name  of  Jesus  should 
be  festively  honored  throughout  the  Catholic 
world,  although,  a  few  centuries  before  this,  St. 
Bernard,  with  the  sanction  of  the  Apostolic  See, 
had  established  the  solemn  veneration  of  this 
most  holy  name,  in  his  order. 
In  the  Introit  of  this  day's  Mas?,  the  Church  thus  shows 
the  glory  of  this  name:  "In  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee 
should  bow  of  those  that  are  in  heaven,  on  eartli,  and 
under  the  earth;  and  every  tongue  should  confess  that 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  in  the  glory  of  God  the  Father." 
(Phil.ii.  10.  11.)  "Lord,  our  God,  how  admirable  is  Thy 
name  in  the  whole  earth!"  (Ps.  vii.  1.)  Glory  be  to  the 
Father,  etc. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.    0  God,  who  didst  design 
Thy  only  begotten  Son  for  the  Redeemer  of  mankind,  and 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  HOLY  NAME  OF  JESUS.   yj 

commanded  the  name  of  Jesus  to  be  given  Him,  mercifully 
grant,  that  we  may,  one  day,  be  made  worthy  to  behold  His 
face  in  heaven  whose  holy  name  we  honor  on  earth.  Through 
the  same  Jesus  Christ,  &c. 

LESSON.  (Acts.  iv.  8—13.)  Then  Peter,  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  said  to  them :  Ye  princes  of  the  people  and  an- 
cients, hear:  If  we  this  day  are  examined  concerning  the 
good  deed  done  to  this  infirm  man,  by  what  means  he  hath 
been  made  whole,  be  it  known  to  you  all,  and  to  all  the 
people  of  Israel,  that  by  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  of 
Nazareth ,  whom  you  crucified ,  whom  God  has  raised  from 
the  dead,  even  by  him  this  man  standeth  before  you  whole. 
This  is  the  stone  which  was  rejected  by  you  the 
builders,  which  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner: 
neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other.  For  there  is  no 
other  name  under  heaven  given  to  men  whereby  we  must 
be  saved. 

EXPLANATION.  This  lesson  speaks  of  the  omnipotence  of 
the  name  of  Jesus,  through  which  not  only  are  miracles  per- 
formed, but  on  which  alone  our  salvation  depends.  For  Jesus 
alone  can  give  us  redemption  and  happiness;  He  alone  under 
heaven  has  been  given  to  man  by  God,  that  through  Him  hap- 
piness could  be  reached;  He  alone  can  break  the  fetters  of  error 
and  sin  in  which  all  mankind,  every  human  being,  lies  captured. 
He  alone  is  the  truth,  He  alone,  as  the  Son  of  God,  has  power  to 
give  perfect  satisfaction  for  sin,  and  to  make  us  truly  good;  and 
the  good  alone  can  be  saved.  Cling,  therefore,  ever  faithfully  and 
firmly  to  Jesus,  and  depart  not  from  Him ;  without  Him  you  can 
accomplish  nothing ;  with  Him,  through  Him  you  can  accomplish 
all  things. 
[For  the  gospel  of  this  day,  see  the  gospel  of  New- Year's  day.] 

REMARKS  OF  ST.  BERNARD  ON  THE  SWEET  NAME 

OF  JESUS. 

THe  holy  name  of  Jesus  produces  holy  thoughts  in  us,  fills  the 
soul  with  noble  sentiments,  strengthens  virtue,  lets  good  works 
bloom,  and  nourishes  pure  affections.  All  nourishment  leaves  our 
soul  dry,  if  it  contains  not  that  penetrating  oil,  the  name  Jesus. 
When  you  take  up  your  pen,  write  the  name  Jesus:  you  may 
make  books,  but  if  the  name  of  Jesus  is  not  in  them,  you  are 
without  strength  and  flavor  for  me;  you  may  speak,  or  you  may 
reply,  but  if  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds  not  from  your  lips,  you 
are  without  unction  and  without  charm.  Yes,  it  must  be  owned : 


92 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 


Jesus  is  honey  in  our  mouth,  light  in  our  eyes,  a  flame  in  our 
heart.  This  name  is  the  cure  for  all  the  ills  of  the  soul.  Art  thou 
troubled?  think  but  of  Jesus,  speak  but  the  name  of  Jesus,  the 
clouds  disperse,  and  peace  descends  anew  from  heaven.*)  Hast 
thou  fallen  into  sin?  and  doest  thou  fear  the  net  of  death?  invoke 
the  name  of  Jesus,  and  soon  wilt  thou  feel  life  returning.  No 
obduracy  of  the  soul,  no  weakness,  no  coldness,  resists  this  holy 
name;  no  heart  is  so  closed  that  it  is  not  moved,  and  opens  not 
in  tears,  to  the  name  of  Christ  Jesus.  Art  thou  surrounded  by 
sorrow  and  danger?  invoke  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  thy  fears  will 
vanish.  Never  yet  was  human  being  in  urgent  need,  and  on  the 
point  of  perishing,  who  invoked  this  helpgiving  name,  and  was 
not  powerfully  sustained.  It  was  given  us  ior  the  cure  of  all  our 
ills;  it  softens  the  impetuosity  of  anger,  the  fire  of  concupiscence, 
the  movements  of  pride,  the  smart  of  our  wounds,  the  thirst  of 
avarice,  the  sensual  passions,  and  the  desires  of  low  pleasures.  If 
we  call  it  to  our  minds,  the  very  name  of  Jesus  brings  before  us 
the  most  meek  and  humble  heart  of  Jesus,  and  gives  us  a  new 
knowledge  of  the  most  loving  and  tender  compassion  that  ever  yet 
was  seen.  The  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  purest  and  holiest,  the 
noblest  and  most  indulgent  of  men,  of  the  God-Man,  of  sanctity 
itself,  the  name  of  all  blessings  and  of  all  virtues!  To  think  of 
Jesus  is  to  think  of  the  infinite  great  God,  who,  while  He  has 
given  His  life  as  an  example  to  ours,  has  also  given  us  the  needful 
understanding  and  energy,  and  the  assistance  necessary  to  enable 
us  to  follow  and  imitate  Him,  in  our  thoughts  and  inclinations, 
and  in  our  words  and  actions.  If  the  name  of  Jesus  reaches  the 
depths  of  our  heart,  it  leaves  heavenly  virtue  there.  We  say, 
therefore,  with  our  great  master,  St.  Paul,  the  Apostle:  If  any 
man  love  not  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  ana- 
thema, (i.  Cor.  xvi.  22.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY 

AFTER  EPIPHANY. 


He  Intro  it  of  the  day's  Mass  says :  "Adore 
the  Lord,  all  you  his  angels.  Sion  heard 
his  voice,  and  rejoiced;  and  the  daugh- 
ters of  Juda  exulted.  The  Lord  hath 
reigned,  let  the  earth  rejoice,  let  many 
islands  be  glad  {Ps. xcvi.  1.)  Glory  be  to 
the  Father,  etc. 


*)  St.  Bernardine  says  the  same:   "Does  grief  bow  us  heavily,  then  we 
but  the  more  loudly  call  on  Jesus." 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY.  t)3 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Almighty  and  eternal 
God!  look  mercifully  on  our  weakness,  and  extend  the  right 
hand  of  Thy  majesty  for  our  protection.  Through  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Bom.  xii.  16 — 21.)  Brethren:  Be  not  wise  in 
your  own  conceits.  To  no  man  rendering  evil  for  evil.  Pro- 
viding good  things  not  only  in  the  sight  of  God,  but  also  in 
the  sight  of  all  men.  If  it  be  possible,  as  much  as  in  you, 
having  peace  with  all  men.  Not  revenging  yourselves,  my 
dearly  beloved,  but  give  place  unto  wrath.  For  it  is  written : 
Revenge  to  me :  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord.  But  if  thy 
enemy  be  hungry,  give  him  to  eat :  if  he  thirst,  give  him 
to  drink.  For  doing  this,  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  upon 
his  head.  Be  not  overcome  by  evil,  but  overcome  evil  by 
good. 

When  are  we  overcome  by  evil? 
When  we  wish  to  take  revenge.  "Revenge  is  no  sign  of  cour- 
age," says  St.  Ambrose,  "but  rather  of  weakness  and  cowardice. 
As  it  is  the  sign  of  a  very  weak  stomach,  to  be  unable  to  digest 
its  food,  so  it  is  the  mark  of  a  very  weak  mind,  to  be  unable  to 
bear  a  harsh  word."  „Are  you  impatient,"  says  the  same  saint, 
„you  are  overcome;  are  you  patient,  you  have  overcome." 

What  should  we  do,  if  our  reputation  is  injured? 
We  should  leave  its  revenge,  or  its  defence  and  protection  to 
God,  who  has  retained  that  for  Himself.  "But  as  a  good  name," 
says  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  "is  the  main  support  of  human  society, 
and  as  without  it  we  could  not  be  useful  to  that  society,  but  even 
hurtful  to  it,  on  account  of  the  scandal,  Ave  should  feel  bound,  for 
love  of  our  neighbor,  to  aim  after  a  good  reputation,  and  to  pre- 
serve it."  We  should  not  be  too  sensitive  about  this,  however,  for 
too  great  sensitiveness  makes  one  obstinate,  excentric,  and  in- 
tolerable, and  only  excites  the  malice  of  the  detracters  all  the 
more.  The  silence  and  contempt  with  which  we  meet  a  slander  or 
an  injustice,  is  generally  a  more  efficacious  antidote  than  sensiti- 
veness, anger,  or  revenge.  The  contempt  for  a  slander  at  once 
disperses  it  all,  but  anger  shows  a  weakplace,  and  gives  the  accu- 
sation an  appearance  of  probability.  If  this  does  not  suffice,  and 
the  slander  continues,  let  us  persevere  in  humility,  and  lay  our 
honor  and  our  soul  into  the  hands  of  God,  and  they  will  be  more 
speedily  cared  for  than  in  any  other  manner. 

How  do  ice  "heap  coals  of  fire  on  the  head  of  our  enemy?" 
When  we  return  good  to  him,  for  the  sake  of  God,  and  seeing 
how  well  me  mean  towards  him,  the  flush  of  shame  reddens  his 


94  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

face  for  the  wrongs  he  has  done  us.  St.  Augustine  explains  the 
words  also  in  this  manner:  "By  giving  food  and  drink  or  doing 
other  kindnesses  to  your  enemy,  you  will  heap  coals,  not  of  anger, 
but  of  love,  upon  his  head,  which  will  inflame  him  to  return  love 
for  love."  Learn,  therefore,  from  the  example  of  Christ  and  His 
saints  not  to  allow  yourself  to  be  overcome  by  evil,  but  do  good 
to  those  that  hate  and  persecute  you. 

ASPIRATION.  Ah,  that  I  might,  according  to  the  words 
of  St.  Paul,  so  act  that  I  might  be  a  child  of  the  Heavenly 
Father,  who  lets  His  sun  shine  on  the  just  and  the  unjust ! 


GOSPEL.    (Matt.  viii.   1  —  13.)     At  that   time:    When 
Jesus  was  come  down  from  the  mountain,  great  multitudes 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY.    95 

followed  him.  And  behold,  a  leper  came  and  adored  him, 
saying :  Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean.  And 
Jesus  stretching  forth  his  hand,  said :  I  will,  be  thou  made 
clean.  And  forthwith  his  leprosy  was  cleansed.  And  Jesus 
saith  to  him :  See  thou,  tell  no  man :  but  go  shew  thyself  to 
the  priest,  and  offer  the  gift  which  Moses  commanded  for 
a  testimony  unto  them.  And  when  he  had  come  into  Caphar- 
naum,  there  came  to  him  a  centurion,  beseeching  him,  and 
saying:  Lord,  my  servant  lieth  at  home  sick  of  the  palsy, 
and  is  grievously  tormented.  And  Jesus  saith  to  him :  I  will 
come  and  heal  him.  And  the  centurion  making  answer  said : 
Lord,  I  am  not  worthy  that  thou  shouldst  enter  under  my 
roof;  but  only  say  the  word,  and  my  servant  shall  be  healed. 
For  I  also  am  a  man  subject  to  authority,  having  under  me 
soldiers,  and  I  say  to  this,  Go,  and  he  goeth,  and  to  another, 
Come,  and  he  cometh,  and  to  my  servant,  Do  this,  and  he 
doeth  it.  And  Jesus  hearing  this,  marvelled;  and  said  to  them 
that  followed  him :  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  I  have  not  found  so 
great  faith  in  Israel.  And  I  say  to  you,  that  many  shall 
come  from  the  East  and  the  West,  and  shall  sit  down  with 
Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven : 
but  the  children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  out  into  the 
exterior  darkness:  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of 
teeth.  And  Jesus  said  to  the  centurion :  Go,  and  as  thou 
hast  believed*  so  be  it  done  to  thee.  And  the  servant  was 
healed  at  the  same  hour. 

Why  did  the  leper  say :  "Lord,  if  Thou  wilt,  Thou  canst 
make  me  clean?" 

He  thus  showed  his  faith  that  Christ,  the  Redeemer  promised 
to  the  world,  being  the  true  God,  could  make  him  well.  From 
this  we  learn  to  have  confidence  in  the  omnipotence  of  God,  who 
is  a  helper  in  all  need  (Ps.  cvi.  6.  13.  19.),  and  to  leave  all  to  the 
divine  will  of  God,  in  such  words  as  these :  "Lord,  if  it  be  pleasing 
to  Thee,  and  well  for  me,  grant  me  this  or  that." 

Why  did  Jesus  extend  His  hand  to  touch  the  leper  ? 

To  show  that  He  was  above  the  law  which  forbade  the  touch- 
ing of  a  leper  for  fear  of  infection,  which  could  not  apply  to 
Jesus;  to  reveal  the  health-giving,  curative  power  of  His  flesh, 


%         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

which  dispelled  leprosy  by  the  simple  touch  of  His  hand;  to  give 
us  an  example  of  humility  and  of  love  to  the  poor  sick,  that  we 
may  learn  from  Him  to  have  no  aversion  to  the  infirm,  but  lov- 
ingly to  assist  the  unfortunate  sick,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus,  who 
took  upon  Himself  the  leprosy  of  our  sins,  whom  the  saints  have 
so  faithfully  imitated  in  their  tender  care  of  the  most  disgusting- 
diseases.  Oh,  how  hard  it  will  be  for  those  to  stand  before  the 
Tribunal  of  God  at  the  Last  Day,  who  cannot  even  bear  to  look 
at  the  poor  and  sick! 

Why  did  Christ  command  the  leper  to  tell  no  man? 
To  instruct  us  that  we  should  not  trumpet  around  our  good 
works  in  order  to  obtain  frivolous  praise  {Matt.  vi.  1 .),  by  which 
we  deprive  ourselves  of  their  heavenly  reward. 

Why  did  Christ  send  the  healed  leper  to  the  priest? 

That  he  might  observe  the  law,  which  required  all  the  healed 
lepers  to  show  themselves  to  the  priests,  to  offer  a  sacrifice,  to  be 
examined  and  pronounced  clean;  that  the  priest  if  he  beheld  the 
miracle  of  the  sudden  cure  of  the  leper,  might  know  Him  who 
had  wrought  the  cure,  to  be  the  Messiah ;  and  finally,  to  teach  us 
that  we  must  honor  the  priests  because  of  their  high  position, 
even  when  they  do  not  live  in  a  manner  worthy  of  their  dignity, 
as  was  the  case  with  the  Jewish  priests. 

What  is  taught  by  the  centurion's  care  for  his  serrant? 

That  masters  should  take  care  of  their  sick  servants,  see  that 
they  are  attended  to  in  their  illness,  and  above  all  that  they  are 
provided  with  the  Sacraments.  It  is  unchristian,  yes,  even  cruel 
and  barbarous,  to  drive  from  the  house  a  poor,  sick  servant,  or  to 
leave  him  lying  in  his  distress  without  assistance  or  care. 

Why  did  Christ  say:  J  will  come,  and  heal  him? 

Because  of  His  humility,  by  which  He,  although  God  and  Lord 
of  Lords,  did  not  hesitate  to  visit  a  sick  servant.  Christ's  humility 
in  this,  shames  many  persons  of  position  who  think  themselves 
too  exalted  to  move  hand  or  foot  for  a  poor  servant. 

Why  did  the  centurion  say :  Lord,  J  am  not  worthy  that  Thou 
shouldst  enter  under  my  roof? 

Because  he  recognised  Christ's  divinity  and  his  own  nothing- 
ness, and  therefore  regarded  himself  as  unworthy  to  receive  Him 
in  his  house. 

From  this  we  learn  to  humble  ourselves,  especially  when,  in 
holy  Communion,  we  receive  Christ  into  our  hearts,  for  which 
purpose  the  priest  in  its  administration  generally  uses  the  cen- 
turion's words,  to  exhort  those  who  are  about  to  receive,  to 
humility. 


ON  RESIGNATION  TO  THE  WILL  OF  GOD.  97 

Why  did  he  add:  But  only  say  the  word,  and  my  servant 

shall  be  healed? 

"    By  this  he  publicly  manifested  his  faith  in  Christ's  divinity 

and  omnipotence,  of  whom  he  believed  that,  though  absent,  He 

could  heal  the  servant,  with  a  word. 

If  a  gentile  centurion  had  such  faith  in  Christ,  and  such  con- 
fidence in  His  power,  should  we  Christians  not  be  ashamed  that 
we  are  of  such  little  faith,  and  so  distrustful  of  God? 

What  is  meant  by  this:  Many  shall  come  from  the  East  and 

the   West,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,   and  Isaac, 

and  Jacob  in  the  kinydom  of  heaven;  but  the  children  of 

the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  out? 

This  was  said  by  Christ  in  reference  to  the  obdurate  Jews,  who 
would  not  believe  in  Him,  nor  accept  His  doctrine.  Many  pagans 
who  live  near  the  rising  and  the  setting  sun,  will  receive  the 
gospel,  live  in  accordance  with  it,  and  will  enjoy  heavenly  bliss 
with  the  patriarchs  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  who  were  the 
most  ardent  friends  of  God,  while  the  Jews,  God's  chosen  people, 
who  as  such,  possessed  the  first  claim  to  heaven,  will,  because  of 
their  unbelief  and  other  sins,  be  cast  into  outer  darkness,  that  is, 
into  the  deepest  abyss  of  hell,  where  there  will  be  weeping  and 
gnashing  of  teeth. 

Thus  will  it  be  with  those  Christians  who  do  not  live  in  ac- 
cordance with  their  faith.  Therefore,  fear  lest  you,  for  want  of 
cooperation  with  God's  grace,  be  eternally  rejected,  while  others 
who  have  faithfully  cooperated  with  it,  will  enter  in  your  place 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Jesus,  rich  in  consolations!  grant  me 
the  leper's  faith  and  confidence,  that  in  all  things  I  may  rely 
upon  Thine  omnipotence,  and  may  resign  myself  to  Thy  di- 
vine will,  and  may  ever  honor  Thy  priests.  Grant  me,  also, 
0  most  humble  Jesus!  the  centurion's  humility,  that,  for 
Thy  sake,  I  may  compassionately  assist  my  neighbor,  and 
by  doing  so,  render  myself  worthy  of  Thy  grace  and  mercy. 


T 


ON  RESIGNATION  TO  THE  WILL  OF  GOD. 

Lord,  if  thou  wilt.  (Matt.  viii.  2.) 

Hose  who  in  good  as  in  evil  fortune  are  perfectly  resigned 
to  the  will  of  God,  or  conform  their  will  to  His,  and  accept 
whatever  He  sends  them  with  joy  and  thanks,  possess  heaven,  as 
St.  Chrysostom  says,  while  yet  upon  earth.  Those  who  have  gained 
this  resignation,  are  saddened  by  no  adversity,  because  they  are 
satisfied  with  all  that  God,  their  best  Father,  sends  them,  be  it 
honor  or  disgrace,  wealth  or  poverty,  life  or  death.    All  happens 


98  INSTRUCTION  FOR  MASTERS  AND  SERVANTS. 

as  they  will,  because  they  know  no  will  but  God's,  and  He  does 
as  the}r  will,  because  they  desire  nothing  but  that  which  He  does 
and  wills.  God  does  the  will  of  those  that  fear  Him  (Ps. 
cxliv.  19.).  In  the  lives  of  the  old  fathers,  we  find  the  following: 
The  fields  and  vineyards  belonging  to  one  farmer,  were  much 
more  fertile  and  yielding  than  were  his  neighbors'.  They  asked 
how  it  happened,  and  he  said:  they  should  not  wonder  at  it,  be- 
cause he  always  had  the  weather  he  wished.  At  this  they  won- 
dered more  than  ever:  How  could  that  be?  "I  never  wish  for 
other  weather,"  he  replied,  "than  God  wishes;  and  because  I 
wish  as  He  wishes,  He  gives  me  the  fruits  I  wisfc."  This  sub- 
mission to  the  divine  Will  is  also  the  cause  of  that  constant  peace 
and  undimned  joy  of  the  saints  of  God,  with  which  their  hearts 
have  owerflowed  here  below,  even  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest 
sufferings  and  afflictions.  Who  would  not  aspire  to  so  happy  a 
state?  We  will  attain  to  it,  if  we  believe  that  nothing  in  this 
world  can  happen  to  us  except  by  the  will  and  through  the  di- 
rection of  God,  sin  and  guilt  excepted,  for  God  can  never  be  the 
cause  of  them.  This  the  Holy  Ghost  inculcates  by  the  mouth  of 
the  wiseman:  Good  things  and  evil,  life  and  death,  po- 
verty and  riches,  are  from  God  (Eccl.  xi.  14.),  that  is,  are 
permitted  or  sent  by  God ;  that  all  that  comes  from  God,  is  for 
the  best,  for  God  doeth  all  things  well.  (Mark.  vii.  37.) 
Whoever  keeps  these  two  fundamental  truths  always  in  mind, 
will  certainly  be  ever  contented  with  the  will  of  God,  and  always 
consoled ;  he  will  taste  while  yet  on  earth  the  undisturbed  peace 
of  mind  and  foretaste  of  happiness  which  the  saints  had  while 
here,  and  which  they  now  eternally  enjoy  in  heaven,  because  of 
the  union  of  their  will  with  the  divine. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  MASTERS  AND  SERVANTS. 

THe  master  of  a  house  should  be  careful  to  have  not  only  obe- 
dient, faithful,  willing,  and  industrious  servants  in  his  home, 
as  had  the  centurion  in  the  gospel,  but  still  more  pious  and  god- 
fearing ones,  for  God  richly  blesses  the  master  because  of  pious 
servants.  Thus  God  blessed  Laban  on  account  of  the  pious  Jacob 
(Gen.  xxx.  30.),  and  the  house  of  Potiphar  because  of  the  just 
Joseph  (Gen.  xxxix.  5.).  Thus  the  master  should  look  to  the  morals 
and  Christian  conduct  of  his  servants,  and  not  suffer  unrighteous 
ones  in  his  house,  for  he  must,  after  this  life,  give  an  account 
before  the  Tribunal  of  God,  and  he  makes  himself  unworthy  of 
the  blessing  of  God,  and  even  of  the  most  terrible  punishment  by 
retaining  such.  For  will  God  not  punish  those  masters  and  mistres- 
ses who  suffer  those  under  them  to  seek  the  dangerous  occasions 
of  sin,  keep  sinful  company,  go  about  at  night,  and  lead  scanda- 
lous lives?  Will  not  God,  one  day,  demand  the  souls  of  servants 
from  their  masters?  The  same  punishment  which  will  befall  those 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY.   99 

who  deny  their  faith,  will  rest  upon  the  careless  masters  and 
mistresses,  for  St.  Paul,  the  Apostle,  writes:  For  if  any  man 
have  not  care  of  his  own,  and  especially  of  those  of  his 
house,  he  hath  denied  his  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an 
infidel,  (i.  Tim.  v.  8.) 

Servants  should  learn  from  the  centurion's  servants  who  obeyed 
his  single  word,  that  they  also  should  willingly,  industriously,  and 
quickly  do  every  thing  ordered  by  their  masters,  unless  it  be 
something  not  lawful  or  sinful.  They  should  recollect  that  what- 
ever they  do  for  their  masters,  is  done  for  God  Himself.  Servants, 
obey  in  all  things  your  masters  according  to  the  flesh, 
not  serving  to  the  eye,  as  pleasing  men,  but  in  simpli- 
city of  heart,  fearing  God.  Whatsoever  you  do,  do  it 
from  the  heart,  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  to  men,  know- 
ing that  you  shall  receive  of  the  Lord  the  reward  of 
inheritance.  Serve  ye  the  Lord  Christ.  (CW,iii.  22—24.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY 

AFTER  EPIPHANY. 
[The  Introit  of  the  Mass  as  on  the  preceding  Sunday  / 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  knowest  that 
exposed  to  so  many  dangers,  we  through  human  weakness 
cannot  stand,  give  us  strength  of  mind  and  body,  that  by 
Thy  aid  we  may  overcome  that  which,  on  account  of  our 
sins,  we  may  be  called  on  to  endure.  Through  the  same 
Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  {Romans  xiii.  8 — 10.)  Brethren:  Owe  no  man 
anything,  but  to  love  one  another.  For  he  that  loveth  his 
neighbor,  hath  fulfilled  the  law.  For:  "Thou  shalt  not  com- 
mit adultery :  Thou  shalt  not  kill :  Thou  shalt  not  steal : 
Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness:  Thou  shalt  not  covet1': 
and  if  there  be  any  other  commandment,  it  is  comprised  in 
these  words:  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.11  The 
love  of  our  neighbor  worketh  no  evil.  Love  therefore  is  the 
fulfilling  of  the  law. 

What  is  meant  by  St.  Paul's  words:   Who  loves  his  neighbor, 

Shath  fulfilled  the  law? 
T.  Augustine  says  in  reference  to  this,  that  he  who  loves  his 
neighbor,  fulfils  not  only  the  first,  but  also  the  second  tablet 
of  the  law.  The  reason  is,  that  the  love  of  our  neighbor  contains 
and  presupposes  the  love  of  God  as  its  fountain  and  foundation. 


100   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

For  the  neighbor  must  be  loved  on  account  of  God;  for  the 
neighbor  cannot  be  loved  with  true  love,  if  God  is  not  loved  first, 
and  at  the  same  time.  On  this  account,  the  holy  Evangelist  St. 
John  gave,  in  his  old  age,  among  his  instructions  the  exhortation: 
Little  children,  love  one  another.  And  when  asked  why, 
he  answered:  Because  it  is  the  command  of  the  Lord,  and 
it  is  enough  that  it  should  be  fulfilled.  Therefore  in  this 
love  of  the  neighbor  which  comes  from  the  love  of  God  and  is 
contained  in  it,  consists  the  fulfilment  of  the  whole  law.  {Matt. 
xxii.  40.) 


GOSPEL.  (Matt.  viii.  23—27.)  At  that  time:  When 
Jesus  entered  into  a  boat,  his  disciples  followed  him :  and 
behold,  a  great  tempest  arose  in  the  sea,  so  that  the  boat 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY.   101 

was  covered  with  waves,  but  he  was  asleep.  And  they  came 
to  him,  and  awakened  him,  and  said :  Lord,  save  us,  we 
perish.  And  Jesus  saith  to  thern :  Why  are  ye  fearful,  0  ye 
of  little  faith?  Then  rising  up,  he  commanded  the  winds 
and  the  sea,  and  there  came  a  great  calm.  But  the  men 
wondered,  saying:  What  manner  of  man  is  this,  for  the 
winds  and  the  sea  obey  him l? 

Why  did  Christ  sleep  in  the  boat? 
To  test  His  disciples'  faith  and  trust;  to  exercise  them  in 
enduring  the  persecutions  which  would  come  to  them  later;  to 
teach  us  that  we  should  not  waver  in  the  storms  of  temptations. 
So  St.  Augustine  writes:  "Christ  slept,  and  because  of  the  danger 
the  disciples  were  confused.  Why?  Christ  slept.  Even  so  thy 
heart  becomes  confused,  unquiet  thy  ship,  when  the  waves  of 
temptation  break  over  it?  Why?  Thy  faith  sleeps.  Then  shouldst 
thou  awaken  Christ  in  thy  heart;  then  will  thy  faith  be  awak- 
ened, quieted  thy  conscience,  calm  thy  ship." 

Why  did  Christ  reproach  His  disciples  when  they  awakened  Him 
and  asked  for  help? 

Because  of  their  little  faith  and  trust;  for  if  they  firmly  be- 
lieved Him  to  be  true  God,  they  would  necessarily  believe  He 
could  aid  them  sleeping  as  well  as  waking. 

Nothing  so  displeases  God  as  doubt  of  His  powerful  assistance. 
Cursed  be  the  man  that  trusteth  in  man,  and  maketh 
flesh  (mortal  man)  his  arm  (aid),  and  whose  heart  depart- 
ethfrom  the  Lord.  Blessed  be  the  man  that  trusteth  in 
the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  shall  be  his  confidence.  (Jerem. 
xvii.  5.  7.)  God  sometimes  permits  storms  to  come  about  us,  such 
as  poverty,  persecution,  sickness,  so  that  we  may  have  occasion 
to  put  our  confidence  in  Him  alone.  Of  this  St.  Bernard  very 
beautifully  says:  "When  the  world  rages,  when  the  wicked  be- 
come furious,  when  the  flesh  turns  against  the  spirit,  I  will  hope 
in  Him.  Who  has  trusted  Him,  and  been  brought  to  shame?" 
We  should  therefore  trust  in  God  only,  and  take  refuge  with  Him, 
invoking  Him  as  did  the  disciples:  Lord,  save  us,  we  perish; 
or  cry  out  with  David:  Arise,  why  sleepest  thou,  0  Lord? 
Arise,  and  cast  us  not  off  to  the  end.  (Ps.  xliii.  23.) 

Why  did  Jesus  stand  up  and  command  the  sea  to  be  still? 

To  show  His  readiness  to  aid  us,  and  His  omnipotence  to 
which  all  things  were  subject.  Thus  the  people  who  saw  this  mi- 
racle, wondered  and  said :  What  manner  of  man  is  this,  for  the 
winds  and  the  sea  obey  Him? 

We  daily  see  in  all  creatures  the  wonders  of  the  omnipotence, 
of  the  wisdom,  and  the  goodness  of  God,  and  yet  we  are  not 


102  0N  THE  PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD. 

touched ;  we  continue  cold  and  indifferent  to  God.  The  reason  is, 
that  we  look  upon  all  with  the  eyes  of  the  body  and  not  with 
the  eyes  of  the  soul ;  that  is,  we  do  not  seek  to  ascend  by  medi- 
tation to  the  Creator,  and  to  judge  from  the  manifold  beauty  and 
usefulness  of  created  things  the  goodness  and  the  wisdom  of  God. 
The  saints  rejoiced  in  all  the  works  of  the  Lord ;  a  flower,  a  little 
worm  of  the  earth  would  move  the  heart  of  St.  Francis  of  Sales, 
the  Seraph,  to  wonderment  and  the  love  of  God;  they  ascended, 
as  on  a  ladder,  from  the  contemplation  of  creatures  to  Him,  who 
gives  to  every  thing  life,  motion,  and  existence.  If  we  were  to 
follow  their  example,  we  would  certainly  love  God  more,  and 
more  ardently  desire  Him ;  if  we  do  not,  we  live  like  irrational 
men,  we  who  were  certainly  created  only  to  know  and  to  love  God. 

ASPIRATION.  Grant  us,  0  best  Jesus !  in  all  our  needs, 
a  great  confidence  in  Thy  divine  assistance,  and  do  not  allow 
us  to  become  faint-hearted;  let  Thy  assistance  come  to  us  in 
the  many  dangers  to  which  we  are  exposed;  command  the 
turbulent  winds  and  waves  of  persecution  to  be  still,  and 
give  peace  and  calmness  to  Thy  Church  which  Thou  hast  re- 
deemed with  Thy  precious  blood,  that  we  may  serve  Thee  in 
sanctity  and  justice,  and  arrive  safely  at  the  desired  haven 
of  eternal  happiness.  Amen. 

ON  THE  PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD. 

But  he  was  asleep.  {Matt.  viii.  24.) 

I  T  is  an  article  of  faith  in  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  that  God 
X.  has  not  only  created  the  world,  but  that  He  sustains  and 
governs  it ;  this  preservation  and  ruling  of  the  whole  world  and 
of  each  individual  creature  in  it,  is  called  Providence.  There 
are  people  who  think,  that  God  is  too  great  a  Lord,  to  busy  Him- 
self about  the  care  of  this  world,  that  to  do  so  is  beneath  His 
majesty;  it  was  enough  for  Him  to  create  the  world  (and  they 
hardly  believe  He  has  done  this),  and,  for  the  rest,  He  leaves  it 
to  itself,  or  to  fate,  enjoys  His  own  happiness,  and,  as  it  were, 
sleeps  in  regard  to  us.  Thus  think  some,  but  only  the  unwise  and 
unrighteous.  For  what  manner  of  God  would  He  be,  who  is  of 
the  nature,  these  imagine?  Either  He  will  not,  or  cannot  have 
aught  to  do  with  creation.  Can  He  not?  then  He  is  neither  all- 
wise  nor  almighty.  Will  He  not?  then  He  is  not  good;  and  if  He 
knows  nothing  of  the  world,  then  He  is  not  omniscient. 

If  we  once  believe  that  God  created  the  world  (and  what 
rational  man  can  doubt  it?),  then  we  must  also  believe  He  rules 
and  sustains  it.  Can  any  work  of  art,  however  well  constructed 
and  arranged,  subsist  without  some  one  to  take  charge  and  watch 
over  it?  Would  not  the  greatest  of  all  masterpieces,  the  world, 


ON  THE  PEOV1DENCE  OF  GOD.  103 

therefore,  come  to  the  greatest  confusion  and  fall  back  into  its 
original  nothingness,  if  God  who  had  taken  it  from  that  nothing- 
ness, did  not  take  care  of  its  further  order  and  existence?  It  is 
indeed  true  that  the  ways  of  God's  providence  or  the  ways  and 
means  of  His  government,  are  often  so  concealed  that,  when  con- 
sidering some  events,  one  is  persuaded  to  admit  a  necessary  fate, 
an  accident,  the  course  of  nature,  the  ill  will  of  the  devil  or  man, 
as  the  fundamental  cause.  Yet  in  all  this  the  providence  of  God 
is  not  denied.  In  regard  to  God  nothing  does  or  can  happen  ac- 
cidentally, not  the  smallest  thing  occurs  without  the  knowledge, 
permission,  or  direction  of  God.  Not  one  sparrow  shall  fall 
on  the  ground  without  your  Father;  hut  the  very  hairs 
of  your  head  are  numbered.  (Matt.  x.  29.  30.)  Chance,  fate, 
and  luck  are  but  the  phantoms  of  insane  or  wicked  men,  which 
even  the  more  rational  heathens  have  rejected,  and  the  course 
of  nature  is  but  the  constant,  uninterrupted.  aTlwise,  and  bountiful 
preservation  and  government,  through  God,  of  creation.  The 
perverted  will  of  men  or  of  the  devil,  is  but  the  instrument  which 
God,  in  His  allwise  intention,  uses  to  effect  the  good,  for  He 
knows  how  to  produce  good  from  the  evil  He  permits,  and,  there- 
fore, as  St.  Augustine  says,  "permits  the  evil  that  the  good  may 
not  be  left  undone."  The  holy  Scriptures  give  testimony  in  almost 
every  page  of  this  manner  of  God's  acting.  If  we  peruse  the  hi- 
story of  our  first  parents,  of  Abraham,  of  Joseph  in  Egypt,  of 
Moses,  of  the  people  of  Israel,  of  Job,  Ruth,  David,  Tobias,  Esther, 
Judith,  and  others,  we  will  easily  everywhere  see  the  plainest 
signs  of  the  wisest  providence,  the  best  and  most  careful  absolute 
powrer,  by  virtue  of  which  God  knows  how  to  direct  all  things 
according  to  His  desire,  and  for  the  best  good  of  His  chosen  ones. 
The  gospel  of  this  day  is  also  a  proof  of  this.  Why  did  Christ  go 
into  the  boat?  Why  did  a  storm  arise?  Why  was  He  as]eep? 
Did  all  this  occur  by  accident?  No,  it  came  about  designedly  by 
direction  of  Christ,  that  His  omnipotence  might  be  seen,  and  the 
faith  and  confidence  of  His  disciples  be  strengthened. 

Thus  it  is  certain  that  God  foresees,  directs,  and  governs  all ; 
as  Scripture,  reason,  and  daily  experience  prove.  Would  we  but 
pay  more  attention  to  many  events  of  our  lives,  we  would  cert- 
ainly plainly  notice  the  providence  of  God,  and  give  ourselves  up 
to  His  guidance  and  dispensations.  The  Lord  ruleth  me,  and 
I  shall  want  for  nothing,  says  David.  (Ps.  xxii.  1.)  And  we 
also,  we  shall  want  for  nothing  if  wre  resign  ourselves  to  God's 
will,  and  are  contented  with  His  dispensations  in  our  regard; 
while,  on  the  contrary,  if  we  oppose  His  will,  we  shall  fall  into 
misfortune  and  error.  For  God  must  rule  over  us  with  goodness, 
or  with  sternness.  He  is  no  sleeping  God.  Behold!  He  shall 
neither  slumber  nor  sleep  that  keepeth  Israel.  (Ps.cxxA.) 


104 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY 

AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

[For  the  Introit  of  this  day,  see  the  Introit  in  the  Mass  of  the 
third  Sunday  after  Epiphany.] 

On  this  Sunday  mention  is  made  of  the  practice  of  the  Chris- 
tian virtues,  and  of  God's  sufferance  of  the  wicked  upon  earth, 
that  by  them  the  just  may  be  exercised  in  patience. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Guard  Thy  family  with 
Thy  eternal  mercy,  we  beseech  Thee,  0  Lord,  that,  as  it  sets 
its  hope  on  Thy  heavenly  grace  alone,  it  may  always  find 
security  in  Thy  protection.  Through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  {Col.  iii.  12—17.)  Brethren:  Put  ye  on,  there- 
fore ,  as  the  elect  of  God ,  holy,  and  beloved,  the  bowels  of 
mercy,  benignity,  humility,  modesty,  patience :  bearing  with 
one  another,  and  forgiving  one  another,  if  any  have  a  com- 
plaint against  another.  Even  as  the  Lord  hath  forgiven  you, 
so  you  also.  But  above  all  these  things  have  charity,  which 
is  the  bond  of  perfection :  and  let  the  peace  of  Christ  rejoice 
in  your  hearts,  wherein  also  you  are  called  in  one  body:  and 
be  ye  thankful.  Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  abun- 
dantly, in  all  wisdom :  teaching  and  admonishing  one  ano- 
ther in  psalms,  hymns,  and  spiritual  canticles,  singing  in 
grace  in  your  hearts  to  God.  All  whatsoever  you  do  in  word 
or  in  work,  all  things  do  ye  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  giving  thanks  to  God  and  the  Father  by  Him. 

Why  does  St.  Paul  call  charity  the  bond  of  perfection? 
Because  charity  comprises  in  itself,  and  links  together  all  the 
virtues  in  which  perfection  consists.  For  whoever  truly  loves 
God  and  his  neighbor,  is  also  good,  merciful,  humble,  modest, 
patiently  bears  the  weakness  of  his  neighbor,  willingly  forgives 
offences,  in  a  word,  practises  all  virtues  for  the  sake  of  charity, 
without  which  there  is  no  true  virtue. 

When  does  the  peace  of  God  rejoice  in  our  hearts  ? 
When  we  have  learned  to  conquer  our  evil  inclinations,  pas- 
sions, and  desires,  and  have  replaced  them  in  oiir  hearts  by  order 
and  quiet.  This  peace  then,  like  a  queen,  keeps  all  the  wishes  of 
the  soul  in  harmony,  and  causes  us  to  enjoy  constant  peace  with 
our  neighbor,  and  thus  serve  Christ  in  concord,  as  the  members 
of  one  body  serve  the  head.  The  best  means  of  preserving  this 


INSTRUCTION  OF  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY..  105 

peace,  are  an  earnest  attention  to  the  word  of  God,  and  mutual 
imparting  of  pious  exhortations  and  admonitions,  and  singing  of 
hymns,  psalms,  and  spiritual  canticles. 

Why  should  we  do  all  in  the  name  of  Jesus  ? 
Because  only  then  can  our  works  have  real  worth  in  the  sight 
of  God,  and  be  pleasing  to  Him,  when  they  are  performed  for 
love  of  Jesus,  in  His  honor,  in  accordance  with  His  spirit  and 
will.  Therefore  the  apostle  admonishes  us  that  we  should  do  all, 
eat,  drink,  sleep,  work,  &c,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  so  honor 
God,  the  Heavenly  Father,  and  show  our  gratitude  to  Him.  Oh, 
how  grieved  on  their  deathbed  will  they  be  who  have  neglected 
to  offer  God  their  daily  work  by  a  good  intention,  when  they 
will  see,  too  late,  how  devoid  they  are  of  meritorious  deeds,  and, 
on  the  contrary,  how  will  they  rejoice  whose  consciences  testify, 
that  in  all  their  actions  they  had  in  view  only  the  will  and  the 
honor  of  God!  Would  that  this  might  be  taken  to  heart  especially 
by  those  who  have  to  earn  their  bread  with  difficulty  and  in  dis 
tress,  that  they  might  always  unite  their  hardships  and  trials 
with  the  sufferings  and  merits  of  Jesus,  offering  them  to  the 
Heavenly  Father,  and  thus  imitating  Christ,  who  had  no  other 
motive  than  the  will  and  the  glory  of  His  Heavenly  Father. 

ASPIRATION.  0  God  of  love,  of  patience,  and  of  mercy, 
turn  our  hearts  to  the  sincere  love  of  our  neighbor,  and 
grant,  that  whatever  we  do  in  thoughts,  words,  and  actions, 
we  may  do  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
through  Him  render  thanks  to  Thee. 

ON  THE  CHOIR  OR  CHURCH  SINGING. 

Admonish  one  another  in  psalms,  hymns ,   and  spiritual 

canticles ,  singiny  in  yrace  in  your  hearts  to  God. 
^^  {Col.  iii.  16.) 

He  custom  of  singing  in  the  Church-choir*)  has  its  founda- 
JL  tion  as  far  back  as  the  Old  Testament,  when,  by  the  ar- 
rangement of  David,  Solomon,  and  Ezechias,  the  psalms  and  other 
sacred  canticles  were  sung  by  the  priests  and  levites.  This  custom 
the  Catholic  Church  has  preserved,  after  the  precepts  of  the 
apostles  (i.  Cor.  xiv.  26.;  Eph.  v.  19.),  and  the  example  of  Jesus 
who,  after  they  had  eaten  the  pasch,  intoned  a  hymn  of  praise 
with  His  apostles  (Matt.  xxvi.  30.),  that  Christians  on  earth,  like 
the  angels  and  saints  in  heaven  (Apoc.  v.  8.  9.,  xiv.  3.),  who  un- 
ceasingly sing  His  praises,  might  at  certain  hours  of  the  day,  at 
least,  give  praise  and  thanks  to  God.  In  the  earliest  times  of  the 

*)  The  choir  is  usually  a  gallery  in  the  Church  in  which  the  singers  are 
stationed;  the  place  in  which  the  clergy  sing  or  recite  their  office,  is  also 
called  the  choir. 


106         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

Church,  the  Christians  sang  hymns  of  praise  and  tkanksgiving, 
during  the  holy  Sacrifice  and  other  devotional  services,  often 
continuing  them  throughout  the  whole  night;  in  which  case  the 
choir-singers  probably  sang  in  certain  order,  and  according  to  a 
settled  agreement  This  singing,  in  time,  ceased  to  be  general, 
became  confined  to  the  choir,  which  was  accompanied,  later,  by 
instruments,  as  incited  by  David  who  calls  to  the  praise  of  the 
Lord  with  trumpets,  with  timbrels,  with  pleasant  psaltery  and 
harps.  (Ps.  cl.  3.  4.,  lxxx.  3.  4.)  In  many  Churches,  however,  the 
praiseworthy  habit  of  all  the  faithful  singing  together  during  the 
service,  is  retained,  and  if  this  is  done  with  pure,  godpleasing 
hearts,  and  true  devotion,  it  is,  as  St.  Basil  says,  "a  heavenly  oc- 
cupation, a  spiritual  burnt  offering;  it  enlightens  the  spirit,  raises 
towards  heaven,  leads  man  to  communion  with  God,  makes  the 
soul  rejoice,  ends  idle  talk,  puts  away  laughter,  reminds  us  of 
the  judgment,  reconciles  enemies.  Where  the  singing  of  songs 
resounds  from  the  contrite  heart,  there  God  with  the  angels  is 
present." 

GOSPEL.  (Matt  xiii.  24— 30.)  At  that  time:  Jesus 
proposed  another  parable  to  them,  saying:  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  likened  to  a  man,  who  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field. 
But  while  men  were  asleep,  his  enemy  came  and  oversowed 
cockle  among  the  wheat,  and  went  his  way.  And  when  the 
blade  was  sprung  up,  and  had  brought  forth  fruit,  then  ap- 
peared also  the  cockle,  and  the  servants  of  the  good  man  of 
the  house  coming,  said  to  him :  Sir,  didst  thou  not  sow  good 
seed  in  thy  field  ?  whence  then  hath  it  cockle  ?  And  he  said 
to  them :  An  enemy  hath  clone  this.  And  the  servants  said 
to  him :  Wilt  thou  that  we  go  and  gather  it  up  ?  And  he 
said :  No,  lest  perhaps  gathering  up  the  cockle,  you  root  up 
the  wheat  also  together  with  it.  Suffer  both  to  grow  until 
the  harvest,  and  in  the  time  of  the  harvest  I  will  say  to  the 
reapers:  Gather  up  first  the  cockle,  and  bind  it  into  bundles 
to  burn,  but  the  wheat  gather  ye  into  my  barn. 

What  is  understood  by  the  kingdom  of  heaven? 

The  Church  of  God,  or  the  collection  of  all  orthodox  Chris- 
tians on  earth,  destined  for  heaven. 

What  is  meant  by  the  good  seed,  and  by  the  cockle? 
The  good  seed,    as  Christ  Himself  says   {Matt.  xiii.  38.), 
signifies  the  children  of  the  kingdom,  that  is,  the  true  Christians, 
the  living  members  of  the  Church,  also  the  word  of  God,  which 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY.        107 


makes  us  children  of  God.  The  cockle  means  the  children  of 
iniquity,  of  the  devil  {John  iii.  8.),  that  is,  those  who  do  evil;  also 
every  wrong,  false  doctrine  which  leads  men  to  evil. 

Who  sows  the  good  seed? 
The  good  seed  is  sown  by  Jesus,  the  Son  of  Man,  not  only 
directly,  but  also  through  His  apostles,  and  the  priests,  their 
successors;  the  evil  seed  is  sown  by  the  devil,  or  by  wicked  men 
whom  he  uses  as  his  tools.  ' 

Who  are  the  men  teho  were  asleep? 

Those  superiors  in  the  Church,  those  bishops  and  pastors, 

who  take  no  care  of  their  flock,  and  do  not  warn  them  against 

seduction,  when  the  devil  comes  and  by  wicked  men  sows  the 

cockle  of  erroneous  doctrine  and  of  crime;  and  those  men  who 


108  ON  INCLINATION  TO  EVIL. 

are  careless  and  neglect  to  hear  the  word  of  God  and  holy  Mass? 
to  practise  prayer,  and  avail  themselves  of  the  holy  Sacraments, 
so,  in  whose  souls  the  devil  sows  the  seeds  of  bad  thoughts,  evil 
imaginings  and  desires,  from  which  spring,  later,  the  cockle  of 
pride,  impurity,  anger,  envy,  avarice,  &c. 

Why  does  God  not  allow  the  cockle,  that  is,  the  tricked  people, 

to  be  rooted  out  and  destroyed? 
Because  of  His  patience  and  long  suffering  towards  the  sinner 
to  whom  He  gives  time  for  repentance,  and  because  of  His  love 
for  the  just  from  whom  He  would  not,  by  weeding  out  the  un- 
just, take  away  the  occasion  of  practising  virtue  and  gathering 
up  merits  for  themselves ;  for  because  of  the  unjust,  the  just  have 
numerous  opportunities  to  exercise  patience,  humility,  &c. 

When  is  the  time  of  the  harvest? 

The  day  of  the  last  judgment  when  the  reapers,  that  is,  the 
angels,  will  go  out  and  separate  the  wicked  from  the  just,  and 
throw  the  wicked  into  the  furnace  of  fire,  while  the  just  will  be 
taken  into  everlasting  joy.  (Malt.  xiii.  49.) 

PRAYER.  0  faithful  Jesus,  Thou  greatest  lover  of  our 
souls,  who  hast  sown  the  good  seed  of  Thy  divine  word  in 
our  hearts,  that  it  may  bear  rich  fruit  for  eternal  life,  grant 
that  this  seed  may  live  and  be  productive  in  us;  protect  us 
from  our  evil  enemy,  that  he  may  not  oversow  his  erroneous 
and  false  doctrine  in  our  hearts,  and  corrupt  the  good;  keep 
us  from  the  sleep  of  sin,  and  from  indolence  in  the  good, 
that  we  may  remain  always  vigilant  and  armed  against  the 
temptations  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  overcome 
them  manfully,  and  die  a  happy  death.    Amen. 

ON  INCLINATION  TO  EVIL. 
Whence  comes  the  cockle?  (Matt.xiii.  29.) 

I  Whence  comes  the  inclination  to  evil  in  man? 

T  is  the  sad  consequence  of  original  sin,  that  is,  of  that  sin, 
which  our  first  parents,  by  their  disobedience,  committed  in 
paradise,  and  which  we  have  inherited  as  their  descendants.  This 
inclination  to  evil  remains  even  in  those  who  have  been  baptized, 
although  original  sin  with  its  guilt  and  eternal  punishment,  is 
taken  away  in  baptism",  but  it  is  no  sin  as  long  as  man  does  not 
voluntarily  yield  to  it.  [Cat.  Bom.  Part.  ii.  c.  2.  §.  43.) 

Why,  the  sin  being  removed,  does  the  inclination  remain? 
To  humble  us,  to  make  us  see  our  weakness,  our  great  mi- 
sery, that  we  may  turn  to  God  as  our  best  and  mightiest  Father, 
as  did  St.  Paul  when  he  was  much  annoyed  by  the  devil  of  the 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY.         109 

flesh  (ii.  Cor.  xii.  7.  8.);  that  the  glory  of  God  and  the  power  of 
Christ  should  be  manifested  in  us,  which  except  for  our  weakness 
could  not  be ;  that  we  might  have  occasion  to  fight  and  to  con- 
quer, and  not  become  idle.  A  soldier  cannot  battle  without  op- 
position, nor  win  victory  and  the  crown  without  a  contest.  Nor 
can  we  win  the  heavenly  crown,  if  no  occasion  is  given  us,  by 
temptations,  for  fight  and  for  victory.  "That  which  tires  the  com- 
batant," says  St.  Bernard,  "crowns  the  conqueror."  Finally,  the 
inclination  remains,  that  we  may  learn  to  endure,  in  all  meek- 
ness, the  faults  and  infirmities  of  others  and  to  watch  ourselves, 
lest  we  fall  into  the  same  temptations. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY 

AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

[For  the  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass,  see  the  Introit  of  the  third 
Sunday  after  Epiphany. J 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee, 
Almighty  God,  that  we  may  always  consider  that  which  is 
reasonable,  and  in  words  and  in  actions  do  only  that  which 
is  pleasing  to  Thee.    Through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  &c. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Thess.  i.  2—10.)  Brethren:  We  give  thanks 
to  God  always  for  you  all :  making  a  remembrance  of  you  in 
our  prayers  without  ceasing;  being  mindful  of  the  work  of 
your  faith,  and  labour,  and  charity,  and  of  the  enduring  of 
the  hope  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  before  God  and  our  Father: 
knowing,  brethren  beloved  of  God,  your  election:  for  our 
gospel  hath  not  been  unto  you  in  word  only,  but  in  power 
also,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  much  fulness,  as  you 
know  what  manner  of  men  we  have  been  among  you  for 
your  sakes.  And  you  became  followers  of  us  and  of  the  Lord: 
receiving  the  word  in  much  tribulation,  with  joy  of  the  Holy 
Ghost:  so  that  you  were  made  a  pattern  to  all  who  believe 
in  Macedonia  and  Achaia.  For  from  you  were  spread  abroad 
the  word  of  the  Lord ,,  not  only  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia, 
but  also  in  every  place  your  faith,  which  is  towards  God,  is 
gone  forth,  so  that  we  need  not  to  speak  anything.  For 
they  themselves  relate  of  us,  what  manner  of  entering  in  we 
had  unto  you;  and  how  you  turned  to  God  from  idols,  to 
serve  the  living  and  true  God,  and  to  wait  for  his  Son  from 


HO        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

heaven  (whom  he  raised  up  from  the  dead),  Jesus,  who  hath 
redeemed  us  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  here  gives  God  thanks  in 
prayer  for  those  inhabitants  of  Thessalonia,  who  have  been  con- 
verted to  Christianity  by  his  words,  and  gives  them  to  understand 
his  joy  at  their  Christian  life,  which  they  prove  by  their  good 
works  and  their  perseverance,  even  through  all  trials,  in  expec- 
tation of  eternal  reward  through  Christ.  He  assures  them  also 
of  their  salvation  (election),  because  God  had  caused  the  preach- 
ing of  His  gospel,  which  they  so  willingly  received,  to  produce 
such  extraordinary  fruit  in  them.  He  praises  them  not  only  for 
having  listened  to  the  gospel  and  abandoned  idolatry,  but  for 
having  directed  their  life  in  accordance  with  the  faith,  and  be- 
come a  model  to  distant  nations,  for  the  report  of  their  faith  had 
spread  far,  and  everywhere  their  zealous  reception  of  the  gospel 
was  spoken  of.  Would  that  the  same  could  be  said  of  us  Christians ! 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xiii.  31  —  35.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  pro- 
posed another  parable  unto  them,  saying:  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  like  to  a  grain  of  mustard-seed,  which  a  man  took 
and  sowed  in  his  field:  which  is  the  least  indeed  of  all  seeds: 
but  when  it  is  grown  up,  it  is  greater  than  all  herbs,  and 
becometh  a  tree,  so  that  the  birds  of  the  air  come  and  dwell 
in  the  branches  thereof.  Another  parable  he  spoke  to  them: 
The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  to  leaven,  which  a  woman 
took  and  hid  in  three  measures  of. meal,  until  the  whole  was 
leavened.  All  these  things  Jesus  spoke  in  parables  to  the 
multitudes;  and  without  parables  he  did  not  speak  to  them, 
that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet, 
saying:  I  will  open  my  mouth  in  parables,  I  will  utter 
things  hidden  from  the  foundation  of  the  world. 

What  is  here  understood  by  the  kingdom  of  heaven? 

The  Church  and  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  that  lead  to  heaven. 
Why  is  the  Church  compared  to  a  grain  of  mustard-seed? 

Because  there  is  a  great  likeness  between  them.  The  mustard- 
seed,  though  so  small,  grows  in  Palestine  so  high  and  so  rapidly, 
that  it  becomes  a  broad  tree,  in  which  birds  can  build  their  nests. 
And  small,  like  the  mustard-seed,  was  the  beginning  of  Christ's 
Church;  but  it  soon  spread  so  widely  that  numberless  people, 
even  great  philosophers  and  princes,  came  to  find  peace  and  pro- 
tection under  her  branches. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY.        \\\ 


Why  is  Christ's  doctrine  compared  to  leaven? 

Because  like  the  leaven,  which  quickly  penetrates  the  flower, 
and  makes  it  palatable  bread,  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  spreading 
with  surprising  swiftness  over  the  then  known  three  parts  of  the 
globe,  gave  the  gentiles  a  taste  for  divine  things  and  for  heavenly 
wisdom.  Thus  Christ's  doctrine  penetrates  him  who  receives  it, 
sanctifies  all  his  thoughts,  words,  and  deeds,  and  makes  him 
pleasing  to  God. 

What  are  the  principal  causes  of  the  spreading  of  Christ's  Church 

and  doctrine? 
The  omnipotence  of  God  and  the  miracles  which  He  so  fre- 
quently wrought   for   their  propagation;   the  sublimity  of  the 
doctrine  itself,  the  divine  origin  of  which  becomes  evident  to 


112         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EPIPHANY. 

careful  examination  and  industrious  practice;  the  courageous 
faith,  and  the  pure,  moral  life  of  the  early  Christians,  which  led 
many  pagan  minds  towards  it,  and  moved  them  to  accept  the 
doctrine  of  Christ;  and  the  persecution  of  Christianity,  for,  as 
Tertullian  says:  "The  blood  of  the  martyrs  was  the  seed  from 
which  the  Christians  grew."  The  false  doctrine  of  Mahomet,  the 
erroneous  teachings  of  Luther,  Calvin,  and  older  and  newer  he- 
retics have,  it  is  true,  also  spread  quickly,  far  and  wide ;  but  this 
is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for  it  is  easy  to  lead  people  to  a  doctrine 
that  encourages  sensuality,  and  to  which  they  are  carried  by 
their  evil  inclinations  themselves,  as  was  the  case  with  the  doc- 
trine of  the  impostor  Mahomet,  and  three  hundred  years  ago 
with  the  heresy  of  Luther;  but  to  spread  a  doctrine  which  de- 
mands the  subduing  of  the  carnal,  earthly  inclinations,  and  to 
bend  the  will  to  the  yoke  of  obedience  to  faith,  something  more 
than  human  eloquence  is  required!  Thus  Thomas  More,  the  Chan- 
cellor of  England,  who  gave  his  blood  for  the  true  doctrine  of 
Christ,  wrote  to  Luther,  who  was  boasting  of  the  rapid  increase 
of  his  sect,  that:  "it  was  easy  to  descend,  and  seducing  the  people 
to  a  bad  life  was  nothing  more  marvellous  than  that  a  heavy 
stone  should  fall  of  its  own  accord  to  the  ground ;"  and  Melanch- 
ton,  a  friend  of  Luther,  in  answer  to  his  mother's  question, 
whether  she  should  remain  a  Catholic  or  receive  Luther's  doc- 
trine, wrote :  "  In  this  religion  it  is  easy  to  live,  in  the  Catholic  it 
is  easy  to  die." 

Why  did  Christ  always  speak  in  parables? 
That  His  teaching  might  by  being  simple,  be  so  much  more 
easily  understood,  and  better  remembered.  He  who  is  called  upon 
to  teach  others,  should,  as  did  Christ,  always  speak  to  them  ac- 
cording to  their  ability  to  understand,  and  by  no  means  seek  his 
own  honor,  but  the  honor  of  God,  and  the  benefit  of  those  who 
hear  him. 

PRAYER.  0  most  benign  Jesus !  How  much  do  we  give 
Thee  thanks  that  Thou  hast  permitted  us  to  be  born  in  Thy 
holy  Church,  and  instructed  in  Thy  holy  doctrine,  which, 
like  the  mustard-seed,  has  grown  a  large  tree,  spreading 
over  the  whole  earth.  Grant  that  under  the  shadow  of  this 
tree,  in  Thy  holy  Church,  we  may  ever  rest  securely,  cling 
to  her  faithfully,  and  penetrated,  as  by  leaven,  with  her 
doctrine,  may  bring  Thee  pleasant  fruits  of  faith  and  virtue. 
Amen. 


113 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEPTUAGESIMA 
SUNDAY. 


Why  is  this  Sunday  called  "Septuayesima"? 
Ecause  in  accordance  with  the  words  of  the 
First  Council  of  Orleans,  some  pious  Christian 
congregations  in  the  earliest  ages  of  the  Church, 
especially  the  clergy,  began  to  fast  seventy  days 
before  Easter,  on  this  Sunday,  which  was  there 
fore  called  "Septuagesima" — the  seventieth  day. 
The  same  is  the  case  with  the  Sundays  follow- 
ing, which  are  called  Sexagesima,  Quinquagesima,  Quadragesima,' 
because  some  Christians  commenced  to  fast  sixty  days,  others 
fifty,  others  forty  days  before  Easter,  until  finally,  to  make  it 
properly  uniform,  Popes  Gregory  and  Gelasius  arranged  that  all 
Christians  should  fast  forty  days  before  Easter,  commencing  with 
Ash-Wednesday. 

Why,  from  this  day  until  Easter,  does  the  Church  omit  from  her 
service  all  joyful  canticles,  allelujas,  and  the  Gloria  in  e.rce/sis,  $c? 

To  gradually  prepare  the  minds  of  the  faithful  for  the  serious 
time  of  penance  and  sorrow,  for  sins  committed,  and  for  the  actual 
fast.  So  the  priest  appears  on  the  altar  in  violet,  the  color  of 
penance,  and  half  of  the  altar  is  covered  with  a  violet  curtain.  'To 
arouse  our  sorrow  for  our  sins,  and  the  need  of  repentance,  the 
Church  at  the  Introit  cries,  in  the  name  of  all  mankind,  with 
David:  "The  sorrows  of  death  surrounded  me,  the  sor- 
rows of  hell  encompassed  me.  In  my  affliction  I  called 
upon  the  Lord,  and  he  heard  my  voice  from  his  holy 
temple."  (Ps.  xvii.  5-9.)  I  will  love  thee,  0  Lord,  my 
strength;  the  Lord  is  my  firmament,  my  refuge,  my  de- 
liverer. (Ps.  xvii.  2—3.)  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  $&. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Mercifully  hear,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  0  Lord,  the  cry  of  Thy  people,  that  for  the 
glory  of  Thy  name,  we  who  are  justly  afflicted  for  our  sins, 
may  through  the  fulness  of  Thy  mercy  be  saved  from  all 
punishment.    Through  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  &c. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  ix.  24—27.,  and  x.  1  —  5.)  Brethren: 
Know  you  not  that  they  that  run  in  the  race,  all  run  in- 
deed, but  one  receiveth  the  prize?  So  run  that  you  may 
obtain.  And  every  one  that  striveth  for  the  mastery,  re- 
fraineth  himself  from  all  things :  and  they  indeed  that  they 
may  receive  a  corruptible  crown:    but  we  an  incorruptible 


114  INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEPTUAGESIMA  SUNDAY. 

one.  I  therefore  so  run,  not  as  at  an  uncertainty:  I  so  fight, 
not  as  one  beating  the  air:  but  I  chastise  my  body,  and 
bring  it  into  subjection :  lest  perhaps,  when  I  have  preached 
to  others,  I  myself  should  become  a  castaway.  For  I  would 
not  have  you  ignorant,  brethren,  that  our  fathers  were  all 
under  the  cloud,  and  all  passed  through  the  sea.  And  all  in 
Moses  were  baptized  in  the  cloud,  and  in  the  sea:  and  did 
all  eat  the  same  spiritual  food,  and  all  drank  the  same  spi- 
ritual drink:  (and  they  drank  of  the  spiritual  rock  that 
followed  them,  and  the  rock  was  Christ).  But  with  the  most 
of  them  God  was  not  well  pleased. 

EXPLANATION.  Besides  having  exhorted  us  to  penance  in 
the  Introit  of  the  Mass,  the  Church  desires  to  indicate  to  us,  by 
the  reading  of  this  epistle,  the  effort  we  should  make  to  reach 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  by  the  narrow  path  {Malt.  vii.  13.)  of  pe- 
nance and  mortification,  whither  only  those  enter  who  use  force. 
(Matt.  12.)  This  St.  Paul  illustrates  by  three  different  examples. 
By  the  example  of  those  who  in  a  race  run  to  one  point,  or  in 
a  prize-fight  practise  and  prepare  themselves  for  the  victor's 
reward  by  the  strongest  exercise,  and  by  the  strictest  abstinence 
from  everything  that  might  weaken  the  physical  powers.  If  to 
win  a  laurel-crown  that  passes  away,  these  will  subject  them- 
selves to  the  severest  trials  and  deprivations,  how  much  more 
should  we,  for  the  sake  of  the  heavenly  crown  of  eternal  hap- 
piness, abstain  from  those  improper  desires,  by  which  the  soul  is 
weakened,  and  practise  those  holy  virtues,  such  as  prayer,  love 
of  God  and  our  neighbor,  patience,  to  which  the  crown  is  pro- 
mised !  Next,  by  his  own  example,  bringing  himself  before  them 
as  one  running  a  race,  and  fighting  for  an  eternal  crown,  but  not 
as  one  running  blindly  he  knows  not  where,  or  fighting  as  one 
who  strikes  not  his  antagonist,  but  the  air;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
with  his  eyes  firmly  fixed  on  the  eternal  crown,  certain  to  be  his 
who  lives  by  the  precepts  of  the  gospel,  who  chastises  his  spirit 
and  his  body,  as  a  valiant  champion,  with  a  strong  hand,  that  is, 
by  severest  mortification,  fasting,  and  prayer.  If  St.  Paul,  not- 
withstanding the  extraordinary  graces  which  he  received,  thought 
it  necessary  to  chastise  his  body  that  he  might  not  be  cast  away, 
how  does  the  sinner  expect  to  be  saved,  living  a  soft  and  luxu- 
rious life,  without  penance  and  mortification?  St.  Paul's  third 
example  is  that  of  the  Jews  who  all  perished  on  their  journey  to 
the  Promised  Land,  even  though  God  had  granted  them  so  many 
graces;  for  He  shielded  them  from  their  enemies  by  a  cloud  which 
made  light  for  them  at  night,  and  a  cooling  shade  by  day;  He 
led  them,  dryfooted,  through  the  sea;  He  caused  manna  to  fall 
from  heaven  to  be  their  food,  and  water  to  gush  from  the  rock 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEPTUAGESIMA  SUNDAY.  H5 

for  their  drink.  These  physical  benefits  which  God  bestowed 
upon  the  Jews  in  the  wilderness  had  a  spiritual  meaning  for  them; 
for  the  cloud  and  the  sea  in  which  Moses  spiritually  baptized  them 
(not  in  reality,  only  as  in  a  picture),  had  reference  to  the  baptism 
Christ  instituted,  which  enlightens  the  soul,  tames  the  concu- 
piscence of  the  flesh,  and  purities  from  sin ;  the  manna  was  a  type 
of  the  most  holy  Sacrament  of  the  Altar,  the  soul's  true  bread 
from  heaven;  the  water  from  the  rock,  the  blood  flowing  from 
Christ's  wound  in  the  side ;  and  yet  with  all  these  physical  graces, 
which  God  gave  them,  and  with  all  the  spiritual  graces  they  were 
to  receive  by  faith  from  the  coming  Redeemer,  of  the  six  hundred 
thousand  men  who  left  Egypt,  only  two,  Joshua  and  Caleb,  en- 
tered the  Promised  Land.  Why?  Because  they  were  so  fickle, 
murmured  so  often  against  God,  and  so  desired  the  pleasures  of 
the  flesh.  How  much,  then,  have  we  need  to  fear  that  we  may  be 
excluded  from  the  truly  happy  Land,  Heaven,  if  we  do  not  con- 
tinuously struggle  for  it,  by  penance  and  mortification ! 

ASPIRATION.  Assist  me,  0  Jesus,  with  Thy  grace  that, 
following  St.  Paul's  example,  I  may  be  anxious,  by  the  con- 
stant pious  practice  of  virtue  and  prayer,  to  arrive  at  per- 
fection and  to  enter  heaven. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xx.  1  — 16.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
his  disciples  this  parable :  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  to 
a  householder,  who  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  hire 
laborers  into  his  vineyard.  And  having  agreed  with  the  la- 
borers for  a  penny  a  day ,  he  sent  them  into  his  vineyard. 
And  going  out  about  the  third  hour,  he  saw  others  standing 
in  the  market-place  idle.  And  he  said  to  them :  Go  you  also 
into  my  vineyard,  and  I  will  give  you  what  shall  be  just. 
And  they  went  their  way.  And  again  he  went  out  about  the 
sixth  and  the  ninth  hour,  and  did  in  like  manner.  But  about 
the  eleventh  hour  he  went  out  and  found  others  standing, 
and  he  saith  to  them :  Why  stand  you  there  all  the  day  idle? 
They  said  to  him:  Because  no  man  has  hired  us.  He  saith  to 
them :  Go  you  also  into  my  vineyard.  And  when  evening  was 
come,  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard  saith  to  the  steward :  Call 
the  laborers  and  pay  them  their  hire,  beginning  from  the 
last  even  to  the  first.  When  therefore  they  were  come,  that 
came  about  the  eleventh  hour,  they  received  every  man  a 
penny.  But  when  the  first  also  came,  they  thought  that  they 


8* 


116 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEPTUAGESIMA  SUNDAY. 


should  receive  more:  and  they  also  received  every  man  a, 
penny.  And  receiving  it,  they  murmured  against  the  master 
of  the  house,  saying:  These  last  have  worked  but  one  hour, 
and  thou  hast  made  them  equal  to  us  that  have  borne  the 
burden  of  the  day  and  the  heats.  But  he  answering  one  of 
them,  said:  Friend,  I  have  done  thee  no  wrong:  didst  thou 
not  agree  with  me  for  a  penny?  Take  what  is  thine,  and  go 
thy  way:  I  will  also  give  to  this  last  as  to  thee.  Or,  is  it 
not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will?  Is  thy  eye  evil,  because 
I  am  good?  So  shall  the  last  be  first,  and  the  first  last.  For 
many  are  called,  but  few  chosen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEPTUAGESIMA  SUNDAY.  \\1 

In  this  parable,  what  is  to  be  understood  by  the  householder,  the 
vineyard,  the  laborers,  and  the  penny? 

The  householder  represents  God,  who  in  different  ages  of  the 
world,  in  the  days  of  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  and  finally 
in  the  days  of  Christ  and  the  apostles,  has  sought  to  call  men  as 
workmen  into  His  vineyard,  the  true  Church,  that  they  might 
labor  there  industriously,  and  receive  the  penny  of  eternal  glory. 

How  and  when  does  God  call  people  ? 

By  inward  inspiration,  by  preachers,  confessors,  spiritual 
books,  and  conversations,  etc.,  in  flourishing  youth  and  in  ad- 
vanced age,  which  periods  of  life  may  be  understood  by  the  dif- 
ferent hours  of  the  day. 

What  is  meant  by  workiny  in  the  vineyard? 

It  means  laboring,  fighting,  suffering  for  God  and  His  honor, 
for  our  own  and  other's  salvation.  As  in  a  vineyard  we  spade, 
dig,  root  out  weeds,  cut  off  the  useless  and  noxious,  manure, 
plant,  and  bind  up,  so  in  the  spiritual  vineyard  of  our  soul  we 
must,  by  frequent  meditation  on  death,  hell,  and  by  examination 
of  conscience,  dig  up  the  evil  inclinations  by  their  roots,  and  by 
true  repentance  the  weeds  of  vice,  and  cut  away,  by  mortification, 
especially  by  prayer  and  fasting,  the  ever  springing  concupiscen- 
ces; by  the  recollection  of  our  sins,  we  must  humble  ourselves, 
and  amend  our  life;  in  place  of  the  bad  habits  we  must  plant  the 
opposite  virtues,  and  bind  our  unsteady  will  to  the  trellis  of  the 
fear  of  God  and  of  His  judgment,  that  we  may  continue  firm. 

How  is  a  vice  or  bad  habit  to  be  rooted  up? 

It  requires  so  much  labor  to  root  up  a  vice,  that  it  is  needed 
that  a  great  hatred  of  it  should  be  aroused ,  that  the  greatest 
desire  to  destroy  it,  should  be  created,  and  that  God  should  be 
entreated  for  His  grace,  without  which  nothing  can  be  accom- 
plished ;  it  is  useful  also  to  read  some  spiritual  book  which  speaks 
against  the  vice,  as  for  instance  against  anger,  impurity,  &c. ;  that 
the  Sacraments  of  Penance  and  Of  holy  Communion  should  be 
often  received,  and  that  some  particular  saint,  who  had  the  same 
vice,  but  by  the  grace  of  God  rooted  it  up,  should  be  honored, 
as  Mary  Magdalen  and  St:  Augustine  who  each  had  the  habit  of 
impurity,  but  with  the  help  of  God  resisted  and  destroyed  it  in 
themselves;  there  should  be  fasting,  almsdeeds,  or  other  good 
works,  performed  for  the  same  object,  and  it  is  of  great  impor- 
tance, every  necessity,  that  the  conscience  should  be  carefully 
examined  in  regard  to  it. 

Who  are  slandiny  idle  in  the  market-place? 

In  the  market-place,  that  is  the  world,  they  are  standing  idle 
who,  however  much  business  they  perform,  do  not  work  for  God 
and  for  their  own  salvation;  for  the  only  necessary  employment 


I   ! 

:     i 


118  INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEPTUAGESIMA  SUNDAY. 

is  the  service  of  God  and  the  working  out  of  our  salvation.  There 
are  three  ways  of  being  idle:  doing  nothing  whatever;  doing  evil; 
doing  other  things  than  the  duties  demanded  by  the  position  in 
life  and  its  office  requires,  or  if  this  work  is  done  without  a  good 
intention,  or  not  from  the  lo.ve  of  God.  This  threefold  idleness 
deprives  us  of  our  salvation,  as  the  servant  loses  his  wages  if  he 
works  not  at  all,  or  not  according  to  the  will  of  his  master.  We 
are  all  servants  of  God,  and  we,  none  of  us,  can  say  with  the 
laborers  in  the  vineyard  that  no  man  has  hired  us;  for  God,  when 
He  created  us,  hired  us  at  high  wages,  and  we  must  serve  Him 
at  all  times  and  constantly,  as  He  cares  for  us  at  all  times  and 
constantly;  and  if,  in  the  gospel,  the  householder  reproaches  the 
workmen,  whom  no  man  had  hired,  for  their  idleness,  what  will 
God,  one  day,  say  to  those  Christians  whom  He  hired  for  the 
work  in  His  vineyard,  the  Church,  if  they  have  remained  idle? 

Why  do  the  last  comers  receive  as  much  as  those  who  worked 

all  day? 

Because  God  rewards  not  the  time  or  length  of  the  work,  but 
the  industry  and  diligence  employed  in  virtue.  It  may  indeed 
happen,  that  many  a  one  who  has  served  God  but  for  a  short 
time,  excels  in  merits  another  who  has  lived  long,  but  has  not 
labored  as  diligently.  ( Wis.  iv.) 

What  is  signified  by  the  murmurs  of  the  earliest  workmen  when  the 
wages  were  paid? 
As  the  Jews  were  properly  the  first  who  were  called  by  God, 
Christ  intended  to  indicate  that  they,  who  were  displeased  that 
the  gentiles,  the  last  called,  should  one  day  receive  the  same 
reward  with  them  in  heaven,  would  find  fault  and  murmur,  which 
they  afterwards  did.  But  it  will  not  be  so  in  heaven;  there  envy, 
malevolence,  and  murmurs  will  find  no  place.  On  the  contrary, 
the  saints  who  long  served  God,  wonder  at  the  goodness  of  God 
to  the  converted  sinners,  and  those  who  have  served  Him  for  but 
a  short  time,  for  these  also  there  will  be  the  same  penny,  that  is, 
the  vision,  the  enjoyment,  and  possession  of  God  and  His  king- 
dom. Only  in  the  heavenly  glory  there  will  be  a  difference,  be- 
cause the  divine  lips  have  assured  us,  that  each  one  shall  be 
rewarded  according  to  his  works.  The  murmurs  of  the  workmen 
and  the  answer  of  the  householder,  serve  to  teach  us,  that  we 
should  not  murmur  against  the  merciful  proceedings  of  God 
towards  our  neighbor,  nor  envy  him;  for  envy  and  jealousy  are 
abominable  vices,  hated  by  God,  yes,  devilish.  Through  the 
envy  of  Satan,  death  hath  come  into  the  world.  (Ms.ii.24.) 
The  envious,  therefore,  imitate  Lucifer,  but  they  hurt  only  them- 
selves, because  they  are  consumed  by  their  envy.  "Envy,"  says 
St.  Basil,  "is  an  institution  of  the  serpent,  an  invention  of  the 
devils,  an  obstacle  to  piety,  a  road  to  hell,  the  depriver  of  the 
heavenly  kingdom." 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEXAGESIMA  SUNDAY.  H<J 

How  is  to  be  understood :  The  first  shall  be  last,  and  the 
last  shall  be  first? 
This  is  again  to  be  understood,  property,  of  the  Jews;  for  they 
were  the  first  to  be  called,  but  will  be  the  last  in  number,  as  in 
time,  because  they  responded  not  to  Christ's  invitation  and  His 
doctrine,  and  will  enter  the  Church  only  at  the  end  of  the  world; 
while,  on  the  contrary,  the  gentiles,  who  were  not  called  until 
after  the  Jews,  are  still  called,  and  will  be  the  first  in  number  as 
in  merit,  because  the  greater  part  responded  and  are  still  res- 
ponding to  the  call.  Christ,  indeed,  called  all  the  Jews,  but  few 
of  them  answered,  and  so  few  were  chosen. —  Would  that  this 
might  not  also  come  true  with  Christians  whom  God  has  also 
called,  and  whom  He  wishes,  as  far  as  in  Him  lies,  to  save  (i.  Tim. 
ii.  4.);  of  whom,  alas!  very  few  live  in  accordance  with  their  vo- 
cation to  work  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  and,  consequently,  do 
not  receive  the  penny  of  eternal  bliss. 

PRAYER.  0  most  benignant  God,  who,  out  of  pure 
grace,  without  any  merit  of  ours,  hast  called  us,  Thy  un- 
worthy servants,  to  the  true  faith,  into  the  vineyard  of  the 
holy  Catholic  Church,  and  dost  require  us  to  work  in  it  for 
the  sanctifi cation  of  our  souls,  grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that 
we  may  never  be  idle,  but  be  found  always  faithful  work- 
men, and  that  that  which  in  past- years  we  have  failed  to 
do,  we  may  make  up  for  in  future  by  greater  zeal  and  per- 
severing industry,  and,  the  work  being  done,  may  receive 
the  promised  reward  in  heaven,  through  Jesus  Christ,  Thy 
Son,  our  Lord,  &c. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEXAGESIMA  SUNDAY. 


N  the  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass,  the  Church 
brings  before  us  one  who  seeks  to  be  loosed 
from  his  sins,  and  calls  on  God  for  help  and 
assistance.  Arise,  why  sleepest  thou,  0 
Lord?  Arise,  and  cast  us  not  off  to  the 
end.  Why  turnest  thou  thy  face  away 
>  and  forgettest  our  want  and  our  trouble? 
for  our  soul  is  humbled  down  to  the  dust,  our  belly 
cleaveth  to  the  earth.  (Ps.  xliii.  23.  26.)  Glory  be  to  the 
Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  seest  that  we 
confide  in  no  action  of  our  own,  let  us  find  grace  with  Thee, 


[20  INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEXAGESIMA  SUNDAY. 

and  grant  us  by  the  intercession  of  St.  Paul,  the  Teacher 
of  Nations,  that  we  may  be  preserved  from  all  adversities. 
Through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  &c. 

EPISTLE,  (ii.  Cor.  xi.  19—33.;  xii.  1—9.)  Bretheen:  You 
gladly  suffer  the  foolish :  whereas  yourselves  are  wise.  For 
you  suffer  if  a  man  bring  you  into  bondage,  if  a  man  devour 
you,  if  a  man  take  from  you,  if  a  man  be  lifted  up,  if  a 
man  strike  you  on  the  face.  I  speak  according  to  dishonor, 
as  if  we  had  been  weak  in  this  part.  Wherein  any  man  dares 
(I  speak  foolishly),  I  dare  also.  They  are  Hebrews:  so  am  I. 
They  are  Israelits :  so  am  I.  They  are  the  seed  of  Abraham : 
so  am  I.  They  are  ministers  of  Christ  (I  speak  as  one  less 
wise),  lam  more:  in  many  more  labors,  in  prisons  more 
frequently,  in  stripes  above  measure,  in  deaths  often.  Of  the 
Jews  five  times  did  I  receive  forty  stripes,  save  one.  Thrice 
was  I  beaten  with  rods,  once  was  I  stoned,  thrice  I  suffered 
shipwreck,  a  night  and  a  day  I  was  in  the  depth  of  the  sea ; 
in  journeying  often,  in  perils  of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers, 
in  perils  from  my  own  nation,  in  perils  from  the  gentiles,  in 
perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  in  the 
sea,  in  perils  from  false  brethren,  in  labor  and  painfulness, 
in  many  watchings,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  many  fastings, 
in  cold  and  nakedness.  Besides  those  things  which  are  with- 
out: my  daily  instance,  the  solicitude  for  all  the  Churches. 
Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak?  Who  is  scandalized,  and 
I  am  not  on  fire  ?  If  I  must  needs  glory :  I  will  glory  of  the 
things  that  concern  my  infirmity.  The  God  and  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  blessed  forever,  knoweth  that 
I  lie  not.  At  Damascus  the  governor  of  the  nation  under 
Aretas  the  king  guarded  the  city  of  the  Damascenes  to  ap- 
prehend me.  And  through  a  window  in  a  basket  was  I  let 
down  by  the  wall,  and  so  escaped  his  hands.  If  I  must  glory 
(it  is  not  expedient  indeed) :  but  I  will  come  to  the  visions 
and  revelations  of  the  Lord.  I  know  a  man  in  Christ  above 
fourteen  years  ago,  (whether  in  the  body  I  know  not,  or  out 
of  the  body ,  I  know  not ,  God  knoweth) ,  such  a  one  rapt 
even  to  the  third  heaven.  And  I  know  such  a  man  (whether 
in  the  body,  or  out  of  the  body,  I  know  not :  God  knoweth) : 
that  he  was  caught  up  into  paradise,  and  heard  secret  words, 
which  it  is  not  granted  to  man  to  utter.  For  such  a  one  will 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEXAGESIMA  SUNDAY.  121 

I  glory :  but  for  myself  I  will  glory  in  nothing,  but  in  my 
infirmities.  For  even  if  I  should  have  a  mind  of  glory,  I  shall 
not  be  foolish:  for  I  will  say  the  truth.  But  I  forbear,  lest  any 
man  should  think  of  me  above  that  which  he  seeth  in  me, 
or  anything  he  heareth  from  me.  And  lest  the  greatness  of 
the  revelations  should  lift  me  up,  there  was  given  me  a  sting 
of  my  flesh,  an  angel  of  Satan,  to  buffet  me.  For  which  thing 
thrice  I  besought  the  Lord,  that  it  might  depart  from  me, 
and  he  said  to  me:  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee;  for  power 
is  made  perfect  in  infirmity.  Gladly  therefore  will  I  glory  in 
my  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  may  dwell  in  me. 

Why  is  St.  Paul  mentioned  in  the' Mass  of  this  day,  and  why  is  this 

epistle  read? 

Because,  in  Rome,  the  Station  or  Church  service  is  held,  on 
this  day,  in  the  Church  of  St.  Paul,  and  because  the  Church  con- 
tinues to  encourage  us  to  work  according  to  the  example  given 
by  St.  Paul  who,  with  the  grace  of  God,  accomplished  and  suf- 
fered so  much;  also  because  we  should  labor  for  the  honor  of 
God,  and  the  salvation  of  our  souls,  and  as  faithfully  cooperate 
with  the  grace  of  God. 

Why,  in  the  beginning  of  this  epistle,  does  St.  Paul  say  so  much  in 

his  own  praise? 
Not  out  of  ambition  for  honor  and  glory,  but  to  honor  God, 
and  for  the  love  and  advantage  of  the  Corinthians,  who  allowed 
themselves  to  be  deceived  by  mercenary  impostors,  and  false 
prophets,  who  beguiled  them  out  of  their  goods.  That  he  might 
make  public  the  craftiness  of  those  deceivers  who  assumed  the 
appearance  of  the  true  apostles,  as  Satan  the  form  of  a  good  angel. 
To  shame  these,  and  remove  the  obstacles  they  had  placed  in 
the  way  of  the  gospel,  St.  Paul  was  obliged  to  reveal  to  the  Co- 
rinthians the  things  he  had  performed  and  endured  in  propagat- 
ing the  holy  gospel.—  By  trials  and  sufferings  is  the  true  apostle 
known;  the  false  apostles,  the  hirelings,  as  Christ  calls  them,  only 
care  for  their  own  bodies,  for  temporal  advantages,  not  for  the 
salvation  of  souls.  We  see  this  examplified  in  Our  days  by  the 
heretical  missionaries  who,  when  there  is  suffering,  when  there 
is  martyrdom,  take  to  flight,  for  their  eyes  are  directed  only  to 
the  present  life  and  a  large  income,  while  the  Catholic  missiona- 
ries rejoice  if,  for  Christ s  sake,  and  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
they  are  permitted  to  suffer,  and  made  worthy  to  endure  the  cruel 
death  of  the  martyr. 

Who  is  it  of  whom  St.  Paid  relates  such  mar r els? 
Of  himself,  but  from  humility  and  modesty  he  does  not  say 
so;  fourteen  years  before,  forty  four  years  after  the  birth  of 


122 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEXAGESIMA  SUNDAY. 


Christ,  St.  Paul  was  wrapt  to  tJie  third  heaven,  that  is,  to  the 
abode  of  happy  spirits;  but  to  preserve  him  in  humility  God  per- 
mitted Satan  to  use  the  concupiscence  of  the  flesh,  which  is  like 
a  sting  in  the  body  of  man,  as  a  temptation  to  the  apostle,  and 
continually  tormented  him  with  it. 

ASPIRATION.  Give  me  the  grace,  0  God,  in  these  evil 
days  of  the  ever  increasing  uprising  of  false  doctrines  and 
delusions,  to  persevere  in  holding  to  Thy  gospel,  which  in 
the  holy  Catholic  Church  remains  unadulterated,  that  I  may 
not  allow  myself  to  be  drawn  from  it,  neither  by  the  charms 
of  the  world,  nor  by  its  mockery  and  reproaches. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  SEXAGESIMA  SUNDAY.  123 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  viii.  4 — 15.)  At  that  time:  When  a  very 
great  multitude  was  gathered  together  and  hastened  out  of 
the  cities  unto  him,  he  spoke  by  a  similitude:  The  sower 
went  out  to  sow  his  seed.  And  as  he  sowed,  some  fell  by  the 
wayside,  and  it  was  trodden  down,  and  the  fowls  of  the  air 
devoured  it.  And  other  some  fell  upon  a  rock;  and  as  soon 
as  it  was  sprung  up,  it  withered  away,  because  it  had  no 
moisture.  And  other  some  fell  among  thorns,  and  the  thorns 
growing  up  with  it,  choked  it.  And  other  some  fell  upon 
good  ground,  and  being  sprung  up,  yielded  fruit  an  hundred- 
fold. Saying  these  things,  he  cried  out :  He  that  hath  ears  to 
hear,  let  him  hear.  And  his  disciples  asked  him  what  this 
parable  might  be.  To  whom  he  said:  To  }T)u  it  is  given  to 
know  the  mystery  of  the  kingdom  of  God :  but  to  the  rest  in 
parables,  that  seeing  they  may  not  see,  and  hearing  they 
may  not  understand.  Now  the  parable  is  this :  The  seed  is 
the  word  of  God.  And  they  by  the  wayside,  are  they  that 
hear:  then  the  devil  cometh,  and  taketh  the  word  out  of 
their  heart,  lest  believing  they  should  be  saved.  Now  they 
upon  the  rock,  are  they  who  when  they  hear,  receive  the 
word  with  joy:  and  these  have  no  roots,  who  believe  for  a 
while,  and  in  time  of  temptation  fall  away.  And  that  which 
fell  among  thorns,  are  they  who  have  heard,  and  going  their 
way,  are  choked  with  the  cares,  and  riches,  and  pleasures  of 
this  life,  and  yield  no  fruit.  But  that  on  the  good  ground, 
are  they  who  in  a  good  and  perfect  heart,  hearing  the  word, 
keep  it,  and  bring  forth  fruit  in  patience. 

Why  is  the  word  of  God  compared  to  a  seed? 
Because  from  the  word  of  God  germinates  the  fruit  of  good 
works,  as  from  good  seed  grows  good  fruit;  as  it  is  impossible, 
therefore,  for  an  unsown  field  to  produce  good  fruit,  so  is  it  im- 
possible for  man  without  the  seed  of  God's  word  to  produce  good 
fruits  of  the  spirit. 

Why,  in  the  parable,  does  Christ  cry  out:  He  that  hath  ears  to 

hear,  let  him  hear? 

Because  of  the  importance  and  necessity  of  the  doctrine  which 

was  contained  in  the  parable.  For  to  hear  the  word  of  God  is  an 

absolute  necessity  for  salvation,  as  the  Apostle  indicates:  How 


124  0N  TIIE  STRENGTH  OF  GOD'S  WORD. 

shall  they  believe  in  him  (Jesus)  of  whom  they  have 
not  heard?  (Rom.x.  14.)  And  Jesus  praises  those  happy  ones 
who  hear  the  word  of  God  and  keep  it  {Luke  xi.  28.)  And  on  this 
subject  St.  Augustine  says:  "Be  assured,  my  brethren,  that  as 
the  body  becomes  weakened  by  want  and  hunger,  and  wastes  to 
a  mere  shadow,  so  the  soul  that  is  not  nourished  by  the  word  of 
God,  becomes  shrunken,  worthless,  and  unfit  for  any  good  work." 
Whence  comes  so  much  evil  cockle,  when  the  seed  of  God's  word  is 
so  abundantly  sown? 
Because,  as  Christ  says,  the  seed  falls  now  by  the  wayside, 
now  upon  a  rock,  now  among  thorns,  seldom  upon  good  soil,  this 
is  to  say,  those  who  hear  the  word  of  God  are  as  a  highway,  over 
which  many  distracted  thoughts  are  travelling  which  tread  down 
the  scattered  seed,  or,  like  fowls  of  the  air  devour  it,  or  they  are 
like  rocks,  hardened  by  their  prejudices  or  repeated  crimes,  so 
that  the  divine  word  cannot  take  root;  or,  again,  they  are  so 
overgrown  by  the  thorns  of  worldly  cares,  the  constant  desire 
for  wealth  and  riches  and  sensual  delights,  that  even  if  they  re- 
ceive the  seed,  it  is  unable  to  grow  and  bear  fruit. 

TON  THE  STRENGTH  OF  GOD'S  WORD. 
He  word  of  God  is  compared,  by  the  Prophet  Jeremias,  to 
a  hammer  which  crushes  hearts  as  hard  as  rocks,  and  to  a 
fire  that  dries  up  the  swamps  of  vice,  and  consumes  the  inve- 
terate evil  habits.  {Jer.  xxiii.  29.)  The  Psalmist  compares  it  to 
thunder  that  makes  all  tremble,  a  storm -wind  that  bends  and 
breaks  the  cedars  of  Libanon,  that  is,  proud  and  obstinate  spirits; 
a  light  that  dispels  the  darkness  of  ignorance;  and  a  remedy 
that  cures  sin.  {Ps.  xxviii.  3.  5.,  cxviii.,  cv.,  and  cxxix..  11.)  St.  Paul 
compares  it  to  a  sword  that  divides  the  body  from  the  soul,  that 
is,  the  carnal  desires  from  the  spirit  {Hebr.  iv.  12.);  the  Apostle 
James  to  a  mirror  in  which  man  sees  his  stains  and  his  wrongs. 
{Jam.  i.  23.)  The  Prophet  Isaias  to  a  precious  rain  that  moistens 
the  soil  of  the  soul  and  fertilizes  it  {Isai.  Iv.  10.  11.);  and  Jesus 
Himself  compares  it  to  a  seed  that  when  it  falls  on  good  ground, 
brings  forth  fruit  an  hundredfold.  {Lukevm.  8.)  One  single  grain 
of  this  divine  seed  produced  the  most  marvellous  fruits  of  sanctity 
in  St.  Augustine,  St.  Anthony  the  Great,  in  St.  Nicholas  of  Tolen- 
tino,  and  others ;  for  St.  Augustine  was  converted  by  the  words : 
"Let  us  walk  honestly  as  in  the  day:  not  in  rioting  and 
drunkenness,  not  in  chambering  and  impurities,  not  in 
contention  and  envy."  {Horn.  xiii.  13.)  St.  Anthony  by  the 
words:  "If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go,  sell  what  thou  hast, 
and  give  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in 
heaven;  and,  come,  follow  me."  {Matt. xxi.  15.)  Nicholas  of 
Tolentino  was  brought  to  Christian  perfection  by  the  words: 
"Love  not  the  world,  nor  those  things  which  are  in  the 
world."  (i.  John  ii.  15.) 


ON  THE  STRENGTH  OF  GOD'S  WORD.  125 

How  should  we  prepare  ourselves  to  be  benefitted  by  the  word 

of  God? 

We  must  be  good,  well  tilled  soil,  that  is,  we  must  have  a 
heart  that  loves  truth,  desires  to  learn,  and  humbly  and  sincerely 
seeks  salvation;  we  must  listen  to  the  word  of  God  with  due  pre- 
paration and  attention,  keep  the  divine  truths  we  have  heard,  in 
our  heart,  frequently  consider,  and  strive  to  fulfil  them. 

What  should  be  done  before  the  sermon? 

We  should  endeavor  to  purify  our  conscience,  for,  as  St.  Chry- 
sostom  demands:  "Who  would  pour  precious  juice  into  a  vessel 
that  is  not  clean,  without  first  washing  it?"  We  should,  there- 
fore, at  least  cleanse  our  hearts  by  an  ardent  sorrow  for  our 
sins,  because  the  spirit  of  truth  enters  not  into  the  sinful  soul 
( WU.  i.  4.) ;  we  should  ask  the  Holy  Ghost  for  the  necessary  en- 
lightenment, for  little  or  no  fruit  can  be  obtained  from  a  sermon 
if  it  is  not  united  with  prayer;  wTe  should  listen  to  the  sermon 
with  a  good  motive,  that  is,  with  a  view  to  hearing  some  thing 
edifying  and  instinctive;  if  we  listen  to  a  sermon  only  from  cu- 
riosity, the  desire  to  hear  something  new,  to  criticize  the  preacher, 
or  to  see  and  to  be  seen,  we  are  like  the  Pharisees  who  for  such 
and  similar  motives  went  to  hear  Christ,  and  derived  no  benefit 
therefrom.  'As  a  straight  sword  goes  not  into  a  crooked  sheath, 
so  the  word  of  God  enters  not  into  a  heart  that  is  filled  with  im- 
proper motives;"  we  should  strive  to  direct  our  minds  rightly, 
that  is,  to  dispel  all  temporal  thoughts,  all  needless  distraction, 
otherwise  the  wholesome  words  would  fall  but  upon  the  ears, 
would  not  penetrate  the  heart,  and  the  words  of  Christ  be  ful- 
filled: They  have  ears,  and  hear  not. 

Now  should  we  comport  ourselres  during  the  sermon? 

We  should  listen  to  the  sermon  with  earnest,  reverent  atten- 
tion, for  God  speaks  to  us  through  the  preachers,  and  Christ  says 
to  them:  Who  hears  you,  hears  me.  {Luke  x.  6.)  We  must 
listen  to  the  preachers,  therefore,  not  as  to  men,  but  as  to  God's 
ambassadors,  for  every  preacher  can  say  with  St.  Paul:  We  are 
ambassadors  for  Christ,  God,  as  it  were,  exhorting  by 
us.  (ii.  Cor.  v.  20.)  "If,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "when  the  letter  of  a 
king  is  read,  the  greatest  quiet  and  attention  prevail,  that  noth- 
ing the  king's  letter  contains,  may  be  lost,  how  much  more  should 
we  listen  with  reverence  and  perfect  silence  to  the  word  of  God?" 
The  word  of  God  is,  and  ever  will  be,  a  divine  seed,  which,  when 
properly  received,  produces  precious  fruit,  by  whomsoever  sowed ; 
for  in  the  sowing  it  matters  not  who  sows,  but  what  soil  is  sowed. 
Be  careful,  also,  that  you  do  not  apply  that  which  is  said,  to  others, 
but  take  it  to  yourself,  or  the  sermon  will  be  of  no  benefit  for 
you.  Are  you  free  from  those  vices  which  the  preacher  decries 
and  against  which  he  battles?  then,  thank  God,  but  do  not  despice 


j  26  ON  THE  STRENGTH  OF  GOD'S  WORD. 

others  who  are  perhaps  laboring  under  them,  rather  pray,  that 
they  may  be  released  and  you  preserved  from  falling  into  them. 
Keep  also  from  sleeping,  talking,  and  other  extravagances,  and 
remember,  that  whoever  is  of  God,  also  willingly  hears 
his  word.  {John  vim  47.) 

What  should  be  done  after  the  sermon? 

We  should  then  strive  to  put  into  action  the  good  we  have 
heard,  for  God  justifies  not  those  who  hear  the  law,  but  those 
who  keep  it  {Rom.  ii.  13.),  and  those  who  hear  the  word  of  God 
and  do  not  conform  their  lives  to  it,  are  like  the  man  who  looks 
in  the  glass,  and  having  looked  in  the  glass  goes  away  and  pre- 
sently forgets  what  manner  of  man  he  is.  {Jam.  i.  23.  24.)  To 
practise  that  which  has  been  heard,  it  is  above  all  necessary, 
that  it  should  be  kept  constantly  in  mind,  and  thoughtfully  con- 
sidered. St.  Bernard  says:  "Preserve  the  word  of  God  as  you 
would  your  body's  meat,  for  it  is  a  life  giving  bread,  and  the  food 
of  your  soul."  Happy  those,  says  Christ,  who  keep  it.  Receive  it, 
therefore,  into  your  soul's  interior,  and  let  it  reach  your  morals, 
and  your  actions. 

That  food  which  cannot  be  digested,  or  is  at  once  thrown 
out,  is  useless ;  the  food  should  be  well  masticated,  retained,  and 
by  the  digestive  powers  worked  up  into  good  blood.  So,  not  only 
on  the  day,  but  often  during  the  week,  that  which  was  heard  in 
the  sermon,  should  be  thought  of,  whether  it  has  already  been,  or 
if  it  can  and  will  be  now  put  into  practice.  Speak  of  it  to  others, 
thus  will  much  idle  talk  be  saved,  many  souls  with  the  grace  of 
God  roused  to  good,  and  enlightened  in  regard  to  the  evil  they 
had  not  before  seen  in  themselves,  and  kept  from  it;  let  us  hoar 
others  speak  of  the  sermon,  and  especially  should  heads  of  fami- 
lies require  their  children  and  domestics  to  tell  about  it;  let  us 
also  particularly  entreat  God  to  give  us  grace,  that  we  may  be 
enabled  to  practise  the  precepts  given  us. 

PRAYER.  How  much  am  I  shamed,  0  my  God,  that  the 
seed  of  Thy  divine  word,  which  Thou  hast  sowed  so  often 
and  so  abundantly  in  my  heart,  has  brought  forth  so  little 
fruit!  Ah!  have  mercy  on  me,  and  so  change  my  heart,  that 
it  may  become  good  soil,  in  which  Thy  word  may  take  root, 
grow  without  hinderance,  and  finally  bring  forth  fruits  of 
salvation.     Amen. 


127 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  QUINQUAGESIMA 
SUNDAY. 


lie  Intro  it  of  this  day's  Mass  is  the  sigh  of 
an  afflicted,  but  in  God  confiding  soul:  Be 
thou  unto  me  a  God,  a  protector,  and 
a  house  of  refuge  to  save  me,  for  thou 
art  my  strength,  and  my  refuge;  and 
for  thy  name's  sake  thou  wilt  lead  me, 
**>  and  nourish  me.  {Ps.  xxx.  34.)  In  thee, 
0  Lord,  have  I  hoped,  let  me  never  be  confounded;  de- 
liver me  in  thy  justice  and  rescue  me.  (Ps.  xxx.  2.) 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Hear  our  prayer,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  0  Lord,  that  being  freed  from  the  claims  of  our 
sins,  we  may  be  preserved  from  all  adversity.  Through  our 
Lord,  &c. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  xiii.  1  —  13.)  Brethren:  If  I  speak  with 
the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels ,  and  have  not  charity,  I 
am  become  as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal.  And  if  I 
should  have  prophecy,  and  should  know  all  mysteries,  and 
all  knowledge,  and  if  I  should  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could 
remove  mountains,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing.  And 
if  I  should  distribute  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  if  I 
should  deliver  my  body  to  be  burned,  and  have  not  charity, 
it  proflteth  me  nothing.  Charity  is  patient,  is  kind :  Charity 
envieth  not,  dealeth  not  perversely:  it  is  not  puffed  up,  it  is 
not  ambitious,  seeketh  not  her  own,  is  not  provoked  to 
anger,  thinketh  no  evil,  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but  rejo- 
iceth  with  the  truth :  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all  things, 
hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all  things.  Charity  never  falleth 
away:  whether  prophecies  shall  be  made  void,  or  tongues 
shall  cease,  or  knowledge  shall  be  destroyed.  For  we  know 
in  part,  and  we  prophesy  in  part.  But  when  that  which  is 
perfect  is  come,  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away. 
When  I  was  a  child,  I  spoke  as  a  child,  I  understoQd  as  a 
child,  I  thought  as  a  child.  But  when  I  became  a  man,  I 
put  away  the  things  of  a  child.  We  now  see  through  a  glass 
in  a  dark  manner;  but  then  face  to  face.  Now  I  know  in 
part :  but  then  I  shall  know,  even  as  I  am  known.  And  now 


128  INSTRUCTION  FOR  QUINQUAGESIMA  SUNDAY. 

there  remain  faith,  hope,  charity,. these  three:  but  the  great- 
est of  these  is  charity. 

EXPLANATION.  In  this  epistle  St.  Paul  speaks  of  the  ne- 
cessity, the  excellence,  and  the  nature  of  true  charity.  He  says, 
that  all  natural  and  supernatural  gifts,  all  good  works,  even  mar- 
tyrdom, do  not  avail  to  salvation,  if  they  are  not  united  and 
animated  by  the  love  of  God ;  because  that  love  alone  can  render 
our  works  pleasing  to  Him.  Therefore,  though  ever  so  much  good 
is  accomplished,  so  many  alms  given,  prayers,  fasting,  and  good 
deeds  performed  but  not  for  love  of  God,  or  while  not  in  the 
state  of  grace,  no  reward  in  heaven  can  be  hoped  for.  Strive 
then,  0  Christian  soul,  to  lead  always  a  pious  life  in  love,  and  to 
remain  always  in  a  state  of  grace. 

Can  faith  alone,  as  the  reformers  assert,  render  man  just, 
and  save  him? 

Faith  alone,  however  strong,  though  it  could  move  mount- 
ains, without  love,  that  is,  without  good  works  performed  for 
love  of  God  and  our  neighbor,  can  never  justify  or  save  us.  For, 
when  St.  Paul  says,  that  man  is  justified  by  faith  without 
works  {Rom  iii.  28.;  xi.  6.;  Jiph.n.S.),  he  means  to  refer  to  those 
works  which  were  done  by  command  of  the  law  of  Moses,  and 
which,  as  they  were  external  rnd  without  true  charity,  were  of 
no  avail;  he  did  not  refer  to  those  works  which  are  performed  in 
a  state  of  grace  with  a  living,  love-inspired  faith.  Thus  the  same 
apostle  writes  to  the  Galatians  (Gat.  v.  6.),  that  faith  only 
availeth  which  worketh  by  charity;  to  Titus  {Tit.  iii.  8.) - 
It  is  a  faithful  saying:  and  these  things  I  will  have  thee 
affirm  to  the  faithful  constantly:  that  they,  who  be- 
lieve in  God,  may  be  careful  to  excel  in  good  works. 
These  things  are  good  and  profitable  unto  men;  and  he 
exhorts  the  Colossians  {Colos.  i.  10.)  to  be  fruitful  in  every 
good  work.  This  St.  James  confirms  who  writes  {Jamesii.  17.24.): 
So  faith  if  it  have  not  works,  is  dead  in  itself;  by 
works  man  is  justified  and  not  by  faith  only.  That  this 
is  the  true  doctrine  of  Christ,  is  evident  from  His  own  words, 
when  He  says:  "Every  tree  that  yieldeth  not  good  fruit, 
shall  be  cut  down,  and  shall  be  cast  into  the  fire."  (Matt. 
vii.  19.)  At  the  day  of  judgment  Christ  will  demand  good  works 
of  all  men  {Matt.  xxv.  35.),  and  will  not  judge  them  only  accord- 
ing to  their  faith,  but  by  their  good  works,  which  true  faith  must 
always  produce.  {Apoc.  xx.  12.;  Ecd.  xxxii.  24.)  Would  Christ 
and  His5  apostles  demand  good  works,  if  faith  alone  would  suffice? 
"The  devils  also  believe  and  tremble"  (JamesW.  19.),  they 
believe,  but  they  are  not  saved,  and  their  faith  but  increases  their 
torments.  Therefore,  the  assertion  that  faith  without  good  works 
is  sufficient  for  justification  and  salvation,  is  plainly  against  the 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  QUINQUAGESIMA  SUNDAY.  129 

doctrine  of  Christ  and  His  Church,  and  must  of  necessity  lead 
man  to  the  greatest  debaucheries,  as  is  shown  by  the  unhappy 
separation  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

Are  good  icorks  performed  while  in  a  stale  of  mortal  sin  available? 

Good  works  performed  while  in  a  state  of  mortal  sin,  avail 
nothing  in  regard  to  eternal  life,  writes  St.  Lawrence  Justinian, 
but  aid  in  moderating  the  punishment  imposed  for  disobedience 
and  the  transgression  of  God's  commandments.  They  give  tem- 
poral goods,  such  as  honor,  long  life,  health,  earthly  happiness, 
etc. ;  they  prevent  from  falling  deeper  into  sin,  and  prepare  the 
heart  for  the  reception  of  grace;  so  the  pious  Gerson  writes:  "Do 
as  much  good  as  you  can  even  though  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin, 
that  God  may  give  light  to  your  heart." 

ASPIRATION.  0  God  of  love,  pour  the  spirit  of  true 
charity  into  my  heart,  that,  as  taught  by  St.  Paul,  I  may 
endeavor  to  be  always  in  a  state  of  grace,  that  all  my  works 
may  be  pleasing  to  Thee,  and  meritorious  for  me. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  xviii.  31 — 43.)  At  that  time:  Jesus 
took  to  him  the  twelve,  and  said  to  them:  Behold,  we  go  up 
to  Jerusalem,  and  all  things  shall  be  accomplished  which 
were  written  by  the  prophets  concerning  the  Son  of  Man. 
For  he  shall  be  delivered  to  the  gentiles,  and  shall  be  mocked, 
and  scourged,  and  spit  upon:  and  after  they  have  scourged 
him,  they  will  put  him  to  death,  and  the  third  day  he  shall 
rise  again.  And  they  understood  none  of  these  things,  and 
this  word  was  hid  from  them,  and  they  understood  not  the 
things  that  were  said.  Now  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  he 
drew  nigh  to  Jericho,  a  certain  blind  man  sat  by  the  way- 
side, begging.  And  when  he  heard  the  multitude  passing  by, 
he  asked  what  this  meant.  And  they  told  him,  that  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  was  passing  by.  And  he  cried  out,  saying :  Jesus, 
Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.  And  they  that  went  be- 
fore, rebuked  him,  that  he  should  hold  his  peace.  But  he 
cried  out  much  more :  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.  And 
Jesus  standing,  commanded  him  to  be  brought  unto  him. 
And  when  he  was  come  near,  he  asked  him,  saying:  What 
wilt  thou  that  I  do  to  thee?  But  he  said:  Lord,  that  I  may 
see.    And  Jesus  said  to  him:   Receive  thy  sight:   thy  faith 


130 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  QUINQUAGESIMA  SUNDAY. 


hath  made  thee  whole.  And  immediately  he  saw,  and  fol- 
lowed him,  glorifying  God.  And  all  the  people,  when  they 
saw  it,  gave  praise  to  Clod. 


Why  did  Christ  so  often  foretell  His  passion  to  His  disciples? 

Because  of  His  great  desire  to  suffer  for  us,  for  we  speak 
often  of  that  which  we  desire;  aud  because  He  wished,  that  His 
disciples  when  they  shou  d  see  Him,  later,  treated  as  a  criminal 
and  martyred,  would  not  think  evil  of  Him,  or  imagine  them- 
selves deceived,  hut  remember,  that  He  had  foretold  all,  minutely, 
that  all  happened  of  His  own  will,  and  hence  they  would  not  be 
cast  down. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  QUINQUAGESIMA  SUNDAY.       ,  131 

Did  not  the  disciples  understand  anything  of  that  which  He  told 
of  His  future  sufferings? 
They  may,  certainly,  have  well  understood  He  was  to  suffer, 
for  which  reason  Peter  tried  to  keep  Him  from  it  {Matt.  xvi.  22.); 
but  they  did  not  comprehend  why  or  for  what  He  would  suffer, 
or  how  He  would  rise  again.  All  this  the  Holy  Ghost  gave  them 
to  understand,  after  it  had  come  to  pass.  {John  xvi.  26.)  The  light 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  of  so  much  value,  that  without  it  even  the 
clearest  doctrines  taught  by  faith,  are  not  understood. 

Why  here,  as  in  other  places,  does  Christ  speak  of  Himself  as  the 

Son  of  Man? 
He  wished  to  show,  in  the  Jews'  way  of  speaking,  He  was  also 
man,  a  descendant  of  Adam,  that  we  should  be  humble,  and  not 
look  for  high  titles. 

Why  did  the  blind  man  call  Christ  the  So?i  of  David? 
Because,  like  all  the  Jews,  he  believed  that  the  Messiah,  ac- 
cording to  humanity,  would  be  of  the  house  of  David,  as  was 
promised.  (Ps.  cxxxi.  11.) 

Why  did  Christ  ask  the  blind  man:    What  wilt  thou  that  1  do 

to  thee? 

This  He  asked,  not  because  He  was  unaware  of  the  blind 
man's  wish,  but  to  enable  him  to  better  show  his  faith  and  hope, 
that  through  Christ  he  would  receive  his  sight;  and  that  He 
might  show  us  how  He  loves  to  do  good  to  us,  and  how  it  pleases 
Him  if  we  trustfully  place  our  wants  before  Him.  We  should  learn 
from  this  blind  man  who  would  not  be  restrained  by  the  passing 
crowd,  in  his  ardent  and  reiterated  request,  not  to  pay  attention, 
in  the  work  we  have  commenced,  to  human  respect,  or  human 
judgment,  but  to  persevere,  and  not  allow  ourselves  to  be  led 
astray  by  the  world's  mockery  or  contempt.  We  should  also  learn 
to  thank  God,  and  faithfully  cling  to  Him,  if  He  has  once  opened 
the  eyes  of  our  mind,  and  healed  our  spiritual  blindness,  which  is 
far  more  deplorable  than  physical  blindness,  for  nothing  can  be 
more  miserable  than  not  to  see  and  understand  God,  ourselves, 
what  is  necessary  for  our  salvation,  and  what  is  pernicious  to  it. 

Why  is  this  gospel  read  on  this  Sunday? 
The  Church  wishes  to  remind  us  of  the  painful  passion  and 
death  of  Jesus,  and  so  impress  us  by  the  contemplation,  that  we 
may  avoid  and  despise  the  wicked,  heathenish  amusements  of  the 
carnival,  sinful  pleasures  which  the  Church  has  always  condemned, 
because  they  come  from  dark  paganism,  and,  to  detain  the  people 
from  them,  commands,  that  during  the  three  days  of  the  carnival 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  shall  be  exposed  for  public  adoration, 
sermons  given,  and  the  faithful  exhorted,  to  have  recou  se  at 
this  time  to  the  Sacraments  of  Penance  and  of  the  Altar,  with  the 


9* 


I 


132  INSTRUCTION  FOR  LENT. 

reception  of  which  Pope  Clement  xiiii.  (Breve,  23.  June  1765) 
connects  a  plenary  indulgence.  A  true  Catholic  will  conform  to 
the  desire  of  his  holy  Church,  considering  the  words  St.  Augustine 
spoke,  at  this  time,  to  the  faithful,  "The  heathens  (as  also  the 
worldly  people  of  our  days)  shout  songs  of  love  and  merriment, 
but  you  should  delight  in  the  preaching  of  the  word  of  God ;  they 
rush  to  the  dramatic  plays,  but  you  should  hasten  to  Church; 
they  are  intoxicated,  but  you  should  be  sober  and  fast." 

PRAYER.  0  most  benign  Jesus !  who  didst  so  desire  to 
suffer  for  us,  grant,  that  we  may  willingly  suffer  for  love  of 
Thee;  that  we  may  hate  and  fly  from  the  detestable  pleas- 
ures of  the  world  and  the  flesh,  and  practise  penance  and 
mortification,  that  by  so  doing  we  may  merit  to  be  released 
from  our  soul-blindness,  to  love  Thee  more  and  more  ard- 
ently, and  finally  possess  Thee  forever. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  LENT. 

A  Who  instituted  Lent? 

Ccording  to  the  fathers  of  the  Church,  Justinus  and  Ire- 
naeus,  the  fast  before  Easter  was  instituted  and  sanctified 
by  Christ  Himself;  according  to  the  saints  Leo  and  Jerome,  the 
holy  apostles  ordained  it  after  Jesus'  example. 

Why  is  the  fast  required,  and  why  for  forty  days  before  Easter? 
In  imitation  of  Christ's  forty  days'  fast  for  us;  to  participate 
in  the  fasting  and  sufferings  of  Christ,  by  voluntary  mortification, 
as  did  St.  Paul,  who  sought  thus  to  fill  up  what  was  wanting  of 
the  sufferings  of  Christ  {Col.  i.  24.);  that  we  may  subject  our 
flesh  to  the  spirit,  and  mortify  our  evil  desires;  that  we  may 
lead  a  pure  life,  and  thus  prepare  for  the  holy  festival  of  Easter, 
and  the  reception  of  the  divine  Lamb,  Jesus;  and,  finally,  that 
we  may  render  God  satisfaction  for  our  sins,  and  do  penance,  as 
Pope  Gregory  says,  by  one  short  fast,  lasting  for  only  the  tenth 
part  of  a  year,  for  the  sins  of  one  whole  year. 

Was  fas  tiny  observed  in  old  limes  as  well  as  in  the  present? 

Yes,  but  much  more  strictly;  for  the  people  then  not  only 
abstained  from  meat,  as  now,  but  also  from  all  that  which  is  con- 
nected with  it,  such  as:  eggs,  butter,  cheese,  Ac,  even  from  wine 
and  fish,  although  this  was  not  the  general  command  of  the 
Church;  they  fasted  all  day,  and  only  ate  in  the  evening  after 
vespers,  in  remembrance  of  which,  vespers  are  now  said  before 
dinner-time,  because  the  Church,  as  a  kind  mother,  now  permits 
the  supper  to  be  changed  into  a  dinner,  and  also  allows  something 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  ASH- WEDNESDAY.  133 

to  be  taken  in  the  evening,  that  the  body  may  not  be  too  much 
weakened,  and  unfitted  for  labor. 

How  much  does  this  ancient  custom  shame  the  Christians  of 
to-day  who  think  the  fast  in  our  times  too  strict!  "But,"  asks  St. 
Ambrose,  "what  sort  of  Christians  are  they?  Christ,  who  never 
sinned,  fasted  for  our  sins,  and  we  will  not  fast  lor  our  own  great 
and  numerous  sins?" 

How  should  the  holy  season  of  Lent  be  spent  ? 

As  according  to  the  teaching  of  St.  Leo,  the  main  thing  in 
fasting  is  not  the  abstinence  from  food,  which  is  unavailing!?  kept 
from  the  body,  if  the  mind  is  not  at  the  same  time  withdrawn 
from  wickedness,  we  should  strive  during  Lent,  not  only  to  be 
temperate  in  eating  and  drinking,  but  especially  to  lead  a  modest 
life,  sanctifying  the  days  by  persevering  prayer  and  devoutly  at- 
tending church. 

PRAYER  FOR  THE  BEGINNING  OF  LENT. 

Almighty  God!  I  unite  myself  at  the  beginning  of  this 
holy  season  of  penance  with  the  Church  militant,  endeavor- 
ing to  make  these  really  days  of  sorrow  for  my  sins  and 
crucifixion  of  the  sensual  man.  0  Lord  Jesus!  in  union  with 
Thy  fasting  and  passion,  I  offer  Thee  my  fasting  in  obedience 
to  the  Church,  for  Thy  honor,  and  in  thanksgiving  for  the 
many  favors  I  have  received,  in  satisfaction  for  mine  and 
others'  sins,  and  that  I  may  receive  the  grace  to  avoid  such 
and  such  a  sin,  and  to  practise  such  and  such  a  virtue. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  ASH-WEDNESDAY. 

BWhy  is  this  day  thus  named? 
Ecause  on  this  day  the  Church  blesses  ashes,  and  places 
them  on  the  heads  of  her  faithful  children,  with  the  words: 
"Remember,  man,  thou  art  dust,  and  unto  dust  thou  shalt  return." 

Why  is  this  done? 
St.  Charles  Borromeo  gives  us  the  following  reasons  for  this 
practice:  that  the  faithful  may  be  moved  to  the  heart's  sincere 
humility;  that  the  heavenly  blessing  may  descend  upon  them,  by 
which  they,  being  really  penitent,  will  weep  with  their  whole 
j  qui  for  their  sins,  remembering  how  earth  was  cursed  because 
of  sin,  and  we  thus  have  all  to  retnrn  to  the  dust  of  earth;  that 
strength  to  do  true  penance  may  be  given  the, body;  and  that 
our  soul  may  be  endowed  with  divine  force  to  persevere  in 
penance. 


134  INSTRUCTION  FOR  ASH- WEDNESDAY. 

With  such  thoughts  let  the  ashes  be  put  upon  your  head, 
while  you  ask  in  all  humility  and  with  a  contrite  heart,  for  God's 
mercy  and  grace. 

Does  it  please  God,  that  for  such  reasons,  ashes  should  be  put 
upon  our  heads? 

It  does,  for  God  Himself  commanded  the  Israelits  to  put  ashes 
on  themselves  for  a  sign  of  repentance.  (Jer.  xxv.  "4.)  Thus  did 
David  (Ps.  ci.  10.)  who  even  strewed  ashes  on  his  bread;  the  Ni- 
nivites  (Jonas  iii.  5.),  Judith  (Jud.  ix.),  Mardochai  (Esth.  iv.),  Job 
(Job  xlii.  6.),  &c.  The  Christians  of  the  earliest  times  followed  this 
practice  as  often  as  they  did  public  penance  for  their  sins. 

Why  from  this  day  until  the  end  of  Lent,  are  the  altars  draped 

in  violet? 

Because,  as  has  been  already  said,  the  holy  season  of  Lent  is 
a  time  of  sorrow  and  penance  for  sin,  and  the  Church  desires 
externally  to  demonstrate,  by  the  violet  with  which  she  drapes 
the  altar,  by  the  violet  vestments  worn  by  the  priests,  and  by  the 
cessation  of  the  organ  and  festive  singing,  that  we  in  quiet  mourn- 
ing are  bewailing  our  sins ;  and  to  still  further  impress  the  spirit 
of  penance  upon  us,  there  is  usually  only  a  simple  crucifix  or  a 
picture  from  Christ's  passion,  left  visible  upon  the  altar,  and  de- 
voutly gazing  it,  the  heart  is  generally  prepared  for  contrition. 

In  the  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass  the  Church  uses  the  fol- 
lowing words  by  which  to  make  known  her  zeal  for  penance,  and 
to  move  God  to  mercy:  Thou,  o  Lord,  hast  mercy  on  all, 
and  hatest  none  of  those  things,  which  thou  hast  cre- 
ated; thou  winkest  at  the  sins  of  men,  to  draw  them  to 
repentance,  and  thou  pardonest  them;  because  thou  art 
the  Lord  our  God.  (Wis.  xi.  24.  25.)  Have  mercy  on  me,  0 
God,  have  mercy  on  me;  for  my  soul  trusteth  in  thee. 
(Ps.  lvi.  2.)  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  o  Lord,  that  Thy 
faithful  may  enter  on  this  solemn  fast  with  suitable  piety, 
and  go  through  it  for  the  benefit  of  their  salvation.  Through 
Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  &c. 

LESSON.  (Joel  ii.  12— 19.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord:  Be 
converted  to  me  with  all  your  heart,  in  fasting,  in  weeping, 
and  in  mourning.  And  rend  your  hearts,  and  not  your  gar- 
ments, and  turn  to  the  Lord  your  God:  for  he  is  gracious 
and  merciful,  patient  and  rich  in  mercy,  and  ready  to  repent 
of  the  evil.  Who  knoweth  but  he  will  return,  and  forgive, 
and  leave  a  blessing  behind  him,  sacrifice  and  libation  to 
the  Lord  your  God?  Blow  the  trumpet  in  Sion,  sanctify  a 
fast,   call  a  solemn  assembly,  gather  together  the  people, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  ASH  WEDNESDAY.  135 

sanctify  the  Church,  assemble  the  ancients,  gather  together 
the  little  ones  and  them  that  suck  at  the  breasts:  let  the 
bridegroom  go  forth  from  his  bed,  and  the  bride  out  of  the 
bride-chamber.  Between  the  porch  and  the  altar  the  priests, 
the  Lord's  ministers,  shall  weep  and  shall  say:  Spare,  OLord, 
spare  thy  people :  and  give  not  thine  inheritance  to  reproach, 
that  the  heathens  should  rule  over  them.  Why  should  they 
say  among  the  nations:  Where  is  their  God?  The  Lord  hath 
been  zealous  for  his  land,  and  hath  spared  his  people.  And 
the  Lord  answered  and  said  to  his  people :  Behold,  I  will  send 
you  corn,  and  wine,  and  oil,  you  shall  be  filled  with  them : 
and  I  will  no  more  make  you  a  reproach  among  the  nations : 
saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Prophet  Joel  exhorts  the  Jews  to 
sorrow  and  penance  for  their  sins,  that  they  might  evade  the  ex- 
pected judgment  to  be  sent  by  God  upon  the  city  of  Jerusalem. 
He  required  of  them  to  show  their  repentance  not  merely  by 
rending  their  garments,  a  sign  of  mourning  with  the  Jews,  but 
by  a  truly  contrite  heart.  By  this  lesson  from  the  prophet,  the 
Church  wishes,  we  should  see  plainly  what  qualities  our  penance 
should  possess,  if  we  desire  reconciliation  with  God,  forgiveness 
of  our  sins,  and  delivrance  at  the  Last  Day,  which  qualities  are 
not  merely  abstinence  from  food  and  amusements,  but  the  prac- 
tice of  real  mortification  of  our  evil  inclinations,  thus  becoming 
with  our  whole  heart  converted  to  God. 

GOSPEL.    (Matt.  vi.  16— 21.)    At  that  time:  Jesus  said 

to  his  disciples :  When  you  fast  be  not  as  the  hypocrites,  sad. 

For  they  disfigure  their  faces,  that  they  may  appear  to  men 

to  fast.  Amen  I  say  to  you,  they  have  received  their  reward. 

But  thou,  when  thou  fastest,  anoint  thy  head,  and  wash  thy 

face:  that  thou  appear  not  to  men  to  fast,  but  to  thy  Father, 

who  is  in  secret:  and  thy  Father,  who  seeth  in  secret,  will 

reward  thee.    Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  on  earth : 

where  the  rust  and  moth  consume,  and  where  thieves  break 

through  and  steal.    But  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in 

heaven:    where  neither  rust  nor  moth  doth  consume,  and 

where  thieves  do  no  break  through,  nor  steal.  For  where  thy 

treasure  is,  there  is  thy  heart  also. 

EXPLANATION.  Jesus  forbids  us  to  look  for  the  praises  of 
men,  when  performing  good  works,  of  which  the  fast  is  one,  and 


136  THURSDAY  AFTER  ASH- WEDNESDAY. 

that  which  is  still  worse,  to  do  good,  as  the  Pharisees,  from  hy- 
pocrisy. He  also  warns  us  against  avarice  and  the  desire  for 
temporal  riches,  urging  us  to  employ  our  temporal  goods,  in 
giving  alms,  and  doing  works  of  charity,  thus  laying  up  treasures 
of  meritorious  deeds  in  heaven,  which  are  there  rewarded  and 
will  last  there  forever.  "What  folly,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "to 
leave  our  goods  where  we  cannot  stay,  instead  of  sending  them 
before  us  where  we  are  going— to  heaven!" 

THURSDAY  AFTEK  ASH- WEDNESDAY. 

LESSON.  (Isai.  xxxviii.  1 — 6.)  In  those  days  Ezechias 
was  sick  even  to  death,  and  Isaias  the  son  of  Amos  the  pro- 
phet came  unto  him,  and  said  to  him:  Thus  saith  the  Lord: 
Take  order  with  thy  house  for  thou  shalt  die,  and  not.  live. 
And  Ezechias  turned  his  face  towards  the  wall,  and  prayed 
to  the  Lord,  and  said:  I  beseech  thee,  0  Lord,  remember 
how  I  have  walked  before  thee  in  truth,  and  with  a  perfect 
heart,  and  have  done  that  which  is  good  in  thy  sight.  And 
Ezechias  wept  with  great  weeping.  And  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  to  Isaias,  saying :  Go  and  say  to  Ezechias :  Thus  eaith 
the  Lord  the  God  of  David  thy  father:  I  have  heard  thy 
prayer,  and  I  have  seen  thy  tears,  behold,  I  will  add  to  thy 
days  fifteen  years :  And  I  will  deliver  thee  and  this  city  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  king  of  the  Assyrians,  and  I  will  protect 
it,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 

EXPLANATION.  In  the  fourteenth  year  of  his  reign,  death, 
by  the  command  of  the  Lord,  was  announced  by  the  Prophet 
Isaias  to  Ezechias,  King  of  Juda,  and  he,  no  longer  young,  turned 
confidently  to  God,  and  asked  that  his  life  might  be  prolonged, 
which  was  granted. 

The  Church  by  this  exhorts  us,  by  a  pious  life  and  by  fervent 
prayer  to  be  ready  for  death,  that  we  may  receive,  if  not  the  pro- 
longation of  our  temporal  life,  eternal  life. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  viii.  5—13.) 

I  See  this  gospel,  commencing  with  the  words:  "And  when  he  had 
entered  into  Caphamaum"  and  its  explanation  in  the  instruction 
for  the  third  Sunday  after  Epiphany.] 

PETITION.  Teach  me,  0  Lord,  to  love  my  neighbor,  as 
did  this  centurion,  and  grant  me  Thy  grace,  that  I  may 
imitate  his  great  humility,  and  always  as  confidently  as  he 
believe  in  Thee,  and  trust  Thy  power  and  goodness. 


137 


FRIDAY  AFTER  ASH- WEDNESDAY. 


LESSON.  (Isai.  lviii.  1—9.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God: 
Cry,  cease  not,  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a  trumpet,  and  shew 
my  people  their  wicked  doings,  and  the  house  of  Jacob  their 
sins.  For  they  seek  me  from  day  to  day,  and  desire  to  know 
my  ways,  as  a  nation  that  hath  done  justice,  and  hath  not 
forsaken  the  judgment  of  their  God:  they  ask  of  me  the  judg- 
ments of  justice:  they  are  willing  to  approach  to  God.  Why 
have  we  fasted,  and  thou  hast  not  regarded:  why  have  we 
humbled  our  souls,  and  thou  hast  not  taken  notice  I  Behold, 
in  the  day  of  your  fast,  your  own  will  is  found,  and  you 
exact  of  all  your  debtors.  Behold,  you  fast  for  debates  and 
strife,  and  strike  with  the  fist  wickedly.  Do  not  fast  as  you 
have  done  until  this  day,  to  make  your  cry  to  be  heard  on 
high.  Is  this  such  a  fast,  as  I  have  chosen:  for  a  man  to 
afflict  his  soul  for  a  day?  is  this  it,  to  wind  his  head  about 
like  a  circle,  and  to  spread  sackcloth  and  ashes?  wilt  thou 
call  this  a  fast,  and  a  day  acceptable  to  the  Lord  ?  Is  not 
this  rather  the  fast  that  I  have  chosen?  loose  the  bands  of 
wickedness,  undo  the  bundles  that  oppress,  let  them  that 
are  broken  go  free,  and  break  asunder  every  burden.  Deal 
thy  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  bring  the  needy  and  the  har- 
bourless  into  thy  house:  when  thou  shalt  see  one  naked, 
cover  him,  and  despise  not  thy  own  flesh.  Then  shall  thy 
light  break  forth  as  the  morning,  and  thy  health  shall  spee- 
dily arise,  and  thy  justice  shall  go  before  thy  face,  and  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  shall  gather  thee  up.  Then  shalt  thou  call, 
and  the  Lord  shall  hear:  thou  shalt  cry,  and  he  shall  say; 
Here  I  am,  for  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  merciful. 

EXPLANATION.  Of  the  true  fast  such  as  God,  through  the 
prophet,  demands,  St.  Bernard  writes:  "If  only  the  tickling  of 
the  palate  has  sinned,  let  it  fast,  it  is  enough ;  but  since  all  the 
members  of  the  body  have  sinned  as  well,  why  should  they  not 
also  fast?  The  eye  should,  therefore,  abstain  from  all  vain  and 
curious  sights;  the  ears  from  listening  to  idle  talk  and  tales;  the 
tongue  from  all  detraction  and  frivolous  words;  but  far  more  let 
the  soul  abstain  from  all  sin  and  evil  pleasures.  Without  this  fast 
the  Lord  reproves  all  others,  as  it  is  written:  Behold,  on  the 
day  of  your  fast,  your  own  will  is  found,  that  is,  you  fast 
as  it  pleases  you,  not  as  God  requires." 


1 38  SATURDAY  AFTER  ASH- WEDNESDAY. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt,  v.  43—48.;  vi.  1—4.)  At  that  time: 
Jesus  said  to  his  disciples:  You  have  heard  that  it  hath 
been  said:  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor,  and  hate  thy  enemy. 
But  I  say  to  you,  love  your  enemies,  do  good  to  them  that 
hate  you:  and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  and  calumniate 
you:  that  you  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  who  is  in 
heaven,  who  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  upon  the  good  and  bad, 
and  raineth  upon  the  just  and  the  unjust.  For  if  you  love 
them  that  love  you,  what  reward  shall  you  have  %  do  not 
even  the  publicans  the  samel  And  if  you  salute  your  breth- 
ren only,  what  do  you  do  more  ?  do  not  also  the  heathens  the 
same  ?  Be  you  therefore  perfect,  as  also  your  heavenly  Father 
is  perfect.  Take  heed  that  you  do  not  your  justice  before 
men,  to  be  seen  by  them :  otherwise  you  shall  not  have  a 
reward  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  Therefore  when 
thou  dost  an  alms  deed,  sound  not  a  trumpet  before  thee,  as 
the  Irypocrites  do  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  streets,  that 
they  may  be  honoured  by  men.  Amen  I  say  to  you  they 
have  received  their  reward.  But  when  thou  dost  alms,  let 
not  thy  left  hand  know  what  thy  right  hand  doth.  That  thy 
alms  may  be  in  secret,  and  thy  Father  who  seeth  in  secret, 
will  repay  thee. 

EXPLANATION.  In  regard  to  the  loving  of  our  enemies 
which  Christ  so  emphatically  enforces  in  this  day's  gospel,  St. 
Chrysostom  gives  nine  degrees  or  steps,  when  he  says:  "The  first 
degree  in  loving  your  enemy  is,  that  you  do  not  begin  the  enmity; 
the  second,  that  you  do  not  continue  it  in  the  same  way,  after  it 
has  begun ;  the  third,  that  you  repay  not  like  for  like,  but  that 
you  yield;  the  fourth,  that  you  advance  yourself  to  bear  the  in- 
sult \  the  fifth,  that  you  yourself  offer  more  than  the  offender 
demands;  the  sixth,  that  you  do  not  hate  him  by  whom  you  suf- 
fer; the  seventh,  that  you  love  him  who  offends  you;  the  eighth, 
that  you  willingly  bestow  benefits  upon  him;  the  ninth,  that  you 
even  pray  to  God  for  your  enemy.  Do  this  and  you  will  follow 
Jesus,  who  even  on  the  cross  loved  His  enemies  and  prayed  for 
them." 

SATURDAY  AFTER  ASH-WEDNESDAY. 

LESSON.  (Isai.  lviii.  9  — 14.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God: 
If  thou  wilt  take  away  the  chain  out  of  the  midst  of  thee, 


SATURDAY  AFTER  ASH-WEDNESDAY.  189 

and  cease  to  stretch  out  the  finger,  and  to  speak  that  which 
is  good  for  nothing.  When  thou  shalt  pour  out  thy  soul  to 
the  hungry,  and  shalt  satisfy  the  afflicted  soul,  then  shall 
thy  light  rise  up  in  darkness,  and  thy  darkness  shall  be  as 
the  noonday.  And  the  Lord  will  give  thee  rest  continually, 
and  will  fill  thy  soul  with  brightness,  and  deliver  thy  bones, 
and  thou  shalt  be  like  a  watered  garden,  and  like  a  fountain 
of  water,  whose  waters  shall  not  fail.  And  the  places  that 
have  been  desolate  for  ages,  shall  be  built  in  thee:  thou  shalt 
raise  up  the  foundations  of  generation  and  generation:  and 
thou  shalt  be  called  the  repairer  of  the  fences,  turning  the 
paths  into  rest.  If  thou  turn  away  thy  foot  from  the  sabbath, 
from  doing  thy  own  will  in  my  holy  day,  and  call  the  sab- 
bath delightful,  and  the  holy  of  the  Lord  glorious,  and  glorify 
him,  while  thou  dost  not  thy  own  ways,  and  thy  own  will 
is  not  found,  to  speak  a  word :  Then  shalt  thou  be  delighted 
in  the  Lord,  and  I  will  lift  thee  up  above  the  high  places  of 
the  earth,  and  will  feed  thee  with  the  inheritance  of  Jacob 
thy  father.  For  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it. 

EXPLANATION.  In  this  lesson  God  promises  peace  and 
happiness  to  those  who  keep  from  usury,  which  is  understood  by 
the  chain,  by  which  the  rich  bind  the  poor,  and  who  are  peaceful, 
practise  silence,  and  aid  the  poor  in  their  needs;  He  likewise 
promises  abundance  of  blessing  to  those  who  celebrate  the  Lord's 
festivals  with  due  devotion  and  sanctity. 

Let  us  learn  from  these  words  to  be  at  peace  with  all  men, 
to  subdue  our  tongues,  to  exercise  mercy  towards  those  in  want, 
and  to  celebrate  the  days  of  the  Lord  with  sacred  joy,  and  deep 
reverence,  that  glorious  reward  may  be  ours  here  and  hereafter. 

GOSPEL.  {Mark.  vi.  47—56.)  At  that  time:  When  it 
was  late,  the  ship  was  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  and  himself 
alone  on  the  land.  And  seeing  them  labouring  in  rowing  (for 
the  wind  was  against  them)  and  about  the  fourth  watch  of 
the  night  he  cometh  to  them  walking  upon  the  sea,  and  he 
would  have  passed  by  them.  But  they  seeing  him  walking 
upon  the  sea,  thought  it  was  an  apparition,  and  they  cried 
out.  For  they  all  saw  him,  and  were  troubled.  And  imme- 
diately he  spoke*  with  them,  and  said  to  them :  Have  a  good 
heart,  it  is  I,  fear  ye  not.  And  he  went  up  to  them  into  the 
ship,  and  the  wind  ceased.    And  they  were  far  more  aston- 


140  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 

ished  within  themselves :  for  they  understood  not  concerning 
the  loaves :  for  their  heart  was  blinded.  And  when  they  had 
passed  over,  they  came  into  the  land  of  Genesareth,  and  set 
to  the  shore.  And  when  they  were  gone  out  of  the  ship,  im- 
mediately they  knew  him;  and  running  through  that  whole 
country,  they  began  to  carry  about  in  beds  those  that  were 
sick,  where  they  heard  he  was.  And  whithersoever  he  ent- 
ered, into  towns,  or  into  villages,  or  cities,  they  laid  the  sick 
in  the  streets,  and  besought  him  that  they  might  touch  but 
the  hem  of  his  garment:  and  as  many  as  touched  him,  were 
made  whole. 

EXPLANATION.  Three  things  we  have  to  consider  in  this 
gospel:  The  omnipotence  of  Jesus,  the  impotence  of  man;  the 
apostles  and  disciples  had  been  the  whole  night  on  the  sea,  unable 
to  reach  the  shore;  in  the  morning,  at  the  fourth  watch  of  the 
night,  Jesus  is  seen  coming,  walking  on  the  waves,  the  wind 
ceases,  and  the  ship  speeds  to  the  shore;  —  and  the  blindness  of 
the  disciples,  who,  the  day  before,  had  seen  Jesus  feed  many 
thousands  of  men  with  a  few  loaves  of  bread,  and  yet  could  no*t 
see,  that  the  Lord,  omnipotent  in  all  things,  could  also  walk  upon 
the  waves  of  the  sea. 

From  this  we  learn  the  need  we  have  of  God's  assistance  and 
of  His  light,  and  let  us  often  cry  in  our  wants  and  temptations: 
"Send  us  light  and  strength,  0  Lord,  that  we  may  happily  reach 
the  shore  of  the  heavenly  fatherland!'' 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  IN 
LENT,  called  INVOGABIT. 

THis  Sunday  is  called  Invocabit,  because  the  Intro  it  of 
the  Mass  begins  with  this  word,  which  is  taken  from  the 
ninetieth  psalm,  wherein  we  are  urged  to  confidence  in  God,  who 
willingly  hears  the  prayer  of  the  penitent:  He  shall  cry  to  me, 
and  I  will  hear  him:  I  will  deliver  him  and  I  will  glo- 
rify him:  I  will  fill  him  with  length  of  days.  {Ps.  lxc. 
15.  16.)  He  that  dwelleth  in  the  aid  of  the  Most  High, 
shall  abide  under  the  protection  of  the  God  of  heaven. 
(Ps.  lxc.  1 )  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  wo  dost  purify  Thy 
Church  by  the  annual  observance  of  Lent;  grant,  that  what 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  IN  LENT.  X41 

Thy  children  strive  to  obtain  of  Thee  by  abstinence,  they 
may  secure  by  good  works.  Through  our  Lord,  &c. 

EPISTLE,  (ii.  Cor.  vi.  1  —  10.)  Brethren:  We  exhort  you, 
that  you  receive  not  the  grace  of  God  in  vain.  For  he  saith : 
"In  an  acceptable  time  have  I  heard  thee;  and  in  the  day  of 
salvation  have  I  helped  thee."  Behold,  now  is  the  acceptable 
time:  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation.  Giving  no  offence 
to  any  man,  that  our  ministry  be  not  blamed :  but  in  all 
things  let  us  exhibit  ourselves  as  the  ministers  of  God,  in 
much  patience,  in  tribulation,  in  necessities,  in  distresses,  in 
stripes,  in  prison,  in  seditions,  in  labours,  in  watchings,  in 
fastings,  in  chastity,  in  knowledge,  in  long-suffering,  in 
sweetness,  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  charity  unfeigned,  in  the 
word  of  truth,  in  the  power  of  God ;  by  the  armour  of  justice 
on  the  right-hand,  and  on  the  left:  by  honour,  and  dishonour: 
by  evil  report,  and  good  report:  as  deceivers,  and  yet  true: 
as  unknown,  and  yet  known:  as  dying,  and  behold  we  live: 
as  chastised,  and  not  killed:  as  sorrowful,  yet  always  rejoic- 
ing: as  needy,  yet  enriching  many:  as  having  nothing,  and 
possessing  all  things. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Church  very  appropriately  has  read 
on  this  day  this  epistle  of  St.  Paul,  in  which  he  exhorts  the  Chris- 
tians to  make  use  of  the  time  of  grace.  A  special  time  of  grace 
is  Lent,  in  which  everything  invites  to  conversion  and  penance, 
a  time,  therefore,  in  which  God  is  ready  to  make  rich  bestowal 
of  His  graces.  As  St.  Ansehn  says,  those  do  not  use  the  grace 
who  do  not  cooperate  with  it.  Let  us,  therefore,  follow  St.  Paul's 
example,  and  earnestly  practise  those  virtues  he  places  before  us, 
and  especially  those  of  temperance,  patience,  chastity,  liberality, 
love  of  God  and  of  our  neighbor.  Let  us  arm  ourselves  with  the 
arms  of  justice  at  the  right  and  the  left,  that  is,  let  us  strive  to 
be  humble  in  prosperity,  in  adversity  trustful  of  God's  help.  Let 
us  be  never  led  from  the  path  of  virtue,  by  mockery,  contempt, 
nor  by  persecution,  by  torments,  or  death. 

ASPIRATION.  Grant,  0  Jesus,  that  we  may  always 
faithfully  cooperate  with  Thy  graces,  and  well  employ  the 
time  Thou  hast  again  given  for  our  salvation. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  iv.  1  — 11.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  was 
led  by  the  spirit  into  the  desert,  to  be  tempted  by  the  devil. 
And  when  he  had  fasted  forty  days  and  forty  nights,  he  was 
afterwards  hungry.    And  the  tempter  coming,  said  to  him: 


142 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 


If  thou  !be  the  Son  of  God,  command  that  these  stones  be 
made  bread.  But  he  answered  and  said:  It  is  written,  "Not 
by  bread  alone  doth,  man  live,  but  by  every  word  that  pro- 
ceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God."  Then  the  devil  took  him 
into  the  holy  city,  and  set  him  upon  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple, 
and  said  to  him :  If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  cast  thyself 
clown;  for  it  is  written:  "He  hath  given  his  angels  charge 
over  thee,  and  in  their  hands  shall  they  bear  thee  up,  lest 
perhaps  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone."  Jesus  said  to 
him:  It  is  written  again,  "Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy 
God."  Again  the  devil  took  him  up  into  a  very  high  mount- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  IN  LENT.  143 

ain,  and  shewed  him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  the 
glory  of  them,  and  said  to  him:  All  these  will  I  give  thee, 
if  thou  wilt  fall  down  and  adore  me.  Then  Jesus  said  to  him : 
Begone,  Satan:  for  it  is  written:  "The  Lord  thy  God  shalt 
thou  adore,  and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve.'"  Then  the  devil 
left  him;  and  behold,  angels  came  and  ministered  to  him. 

INSTRUCTION.  I.  Christ  went  into  the  desert  by  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  prepare  by  fasting  and  prayer,  for  His  mis- 
sion of  preacher,  and  to  endure  the  temptations  of  Satan,  that,  as 
St.  Paul  says,  He  might  be  one  tempted  in  all  things  like  as 
we  are,  without  sin,  and  so  become  for  us  a  Highpriest  who 
knew  how  to  have  compassion  on  our  infirmities  {llebr.  iv. 
15.),  and  to  show  us  by  His  own  example,  how  we  should,  armed 
with  the  word  of  God,  as  with  a  sword,  overcome  the  tempter. 
(Eph.Yi.  17.)  — Let  us,  therefore,  courageously  follow  Christ  to 
the  combat  against  all  temptations,  with  His  assistance  it  will  not 
be  hard  to  conquer  them.  He  has  certainly  taught  us  to  overcome 
the  hardest  ones :  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  of  the  flesh,  and  the  pride  of 
life,  and  if  we  overcome  these,  it  will  be  easy  to  conquer  the  rest 

II.  If  Christ,  the  only  Son  of  God,  permitted  Himself  to  be 
tempted  by  Satan,  even,  taken  up  a  high  mountain,  and  to  the 
pinnacle  of  the  temple,  it  should  not  appear  strange  to  us,  that 
we  are  assailed  by  many  temptations,  or  that  we  should  find  in 
the  lives  of  so  many  saints,  that  the  evil  spirit  tormented  them 
by  various  images  of  terror  and  vexation.  This  we  find  in  the  hi- 
story of  the  pious  Job,  where  we  also  find  at  the  same  time,  that 
the  evil  spirit  cannot  bend  a  hair  of  our  head  without  God's 
permission. 

III.  From  the  coming  of  the  angels  to  minister  to  Christ,  after 
He  had  conquered  Satan,  we  see  that  all  who  bravely  resist 
temptations,  will  enjoy  the  assistance  and  consolations  of  the  be- 
loved angels. 

DOCTRINAL  AND  MORAL  INSTRUCTION  ON 

TEMPTATIONS. 
To  be  tempted  by  the  devil.  (Matl.iv.  1.) 

A  What  is  a  temptation? 

Temptation  is  either  a  trial  for  instruction  and  exercise  in 
virtue,  or  a  deception  and  incitement  to  sin.  In  the 
first  sense  God  tempts  man,  in  the  second  the  devil,  the  world 
or  bad  people,  and  the  flesh,  by  evil  thoughts,  feelings,  words, 
or  works. 

Through  what  are  we  principally  tempted? 
By  our  own  evil  concupiscence  and  inclination  to  sin  which 
adhere  to  us  through  original  sin  (Jam.  i.  14.),  on  account  of  which 


144  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 

it  is  said,  that  the  flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit.   {Gal. 
v.  17.) 

Does  the  devil  also  tempt  us? 
He  does,  and  is  therefore  called,  in  this  day's  gospel,  the 
tempter.  St.  Peter  teaches  us  this,  having  himself  experienced 
it:  Be  sober  and  watch,  because  your  adversary,  the 
devil,  as  a  roaring  lion,  goeth  about,  seeking  whom  he 
may  devour,  (i.  Peter  v.  8.)  Not  all  temptations  are  to  be  as- 
cribed to  the  devil,  however,  but  often  come  from  our  own  cor- 
rupted nature,  our  own  incautiousness,  or  looseness  of  our  senses, 
by  which  we  expose  ourselves  to  the  danger  of  falling  into  sin. 

How  does  the  devil  tempt  us  to  sin? 

In  a  twofold  manner:  He  incites  the  concupiscence  of  man 
to  those  sins  to  which  he  sees  him  inclined,  and  then  seeks  so  to 
blind  and  confuse  his  imagination,  that  he  neither  reflects,  nor 
properly  sees  the  temporal  injury,  disgrace,  and  derision,  nor  the 
shamefulness  of  sin  and  its  eternal  punishment,  but  throws  him- 
self into  it.  Thus  the  devil  seduced  Eve,  our  first  mother,  and 
thus  he  tempted  Christ,  with  whom  he  could  not,  of  course,  suc- 
ceed, for  He  was  incapable  of  sin.  He  tempts  bad  people  to  per- 
secute us,  or  to  tempt  us  by  their  wicked  vanities,  as  he  did  with 
the  friends  of  Job. 

Can  the  devil  force  us  to  evil? 

He  cannot;  "for  as  a  chained  dog,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "can 
bite  none  but  those  who  go  near  him,  so  the  devil  cannot  harm 
with  his  temptations  those  who  do  not  consent  to  them.  Like  the 
dog  he  can  bark  at  you,  but  cannot  bite  you  against  your  will." 
Not  by  force  but  by  persuasion  Satan  strives  to  injure,  he  does 
not  force  our  consent,  but  entreats  it.  Seek,  therefore,  to  subdue 
your  passions  and  your  senses,  especially  your  eyes,  and  you  will 
either  remain  free  from  all  temptations,  or  easily  overcome  them. 

Does  God  also  tempt  us  ? 

God  does  indeed  tempt  us,  but  not  to  sin,  as  St.  James  ex- 
pressly teaches.  {Jam.  i.  13.)  God  either  Himself  proves  us  by 
sufferings  and  adversities,  or  He  permits  the  temptations  of  the 
devil  or  evil  minded  people  to  come  upon  us,  to  give  us  oppor- 
tunity to  practise  the  virtues  of  love,  patience,  obedience,  etc. 
Thus  He  said  to  the  Jews  through  Moses:  The  Lord,  your 
God,  trieth  you,  that  it  may  appear,  whether  you  love 
him  with  all  your  heart  and  with  all  your  soul,  or  not. 
(I)eut.  xiii.  3.) 

Does  God  permit  us  to  be  tempted  by  man  also? 

He  does,  and  for  the  same  reasons.  Thus  He  permitted  the 
chaste  Joseph  to  be  tempted  by  Potiphar's  wife  {Gen.  xxxix.  7.); 
Job  by  his  wife  and  his  friends.  {Job  ii.  9.)  But  He  never  permits 
us  to  be  tempted  beyond  our  strength,  but  gives  us  always  suf- 


MONDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT.  145 

ficient  grace  to  overcome  and  even  gain  benefit  from  the  tempta- 
tion, (i.  Cor.  x.  13.) 

Are  the  temptations  pernicious  and  bad? 

No;  tliey  are  useful  and  necessary,  rather.  "Hard  is  the 
fight,"  St.  Bernard  writes,  "but  meritorious,  for  although  it  is 
accompanied  by  suffering,  it  is  followed  by  the  crown"  (Apoc.  ii. 
12.);  and  Origen  says  {Libr.  Num.},  "As  meat  becomes  corrupt 
without  salt,  so  does  the  soul  without  temptations."  Temptations, 
then,  are  only  injurious  when  consent  is  given,  and  we  suffer  our- 
selves to  be  overcome  by  them. 

When  is  consent  giren  to  temptations? 

No  sooner  than  we  consciously  and  voluntarily  decide  to  do 
the  evil  to  which  we  are  tempted;  so  long  as  we  resist  it,  and 
feel  an  aversion  for  it,  so  long  we  do  not  consent,  and  commit 
no  sin. 

What  are  the  best  means  of  overcoming  temptations? 

Humility  is  one;  for  thus  answered  St.  Anthony,  when  he  saw 
the  whole  earth  covered  with  snares,  and  was  asked,  "Who  will 
escape?"  "The  humble;"  he  who  knows  his  own  frailty,  distrusts 
himself,  and  relies  only  on  God,  who  resists  the  proud  and  gives 
His  grace  to  the  humble  (Jam.  iv.  6.);  other  means  are:  the  fervent 
invocation  of  the  Mother  of  God,  of  our  holy  guardian  angel,  and 
patron  saints;  the  pronouncing  of  the  holy  name  of  Jesus,  making 
the  sign  of  the  cross,  sprinkling  holy  water;  the  remembrance  of 
the  presence  of  God,  who  knows  our  most  secret  thoughts,  and 
before  whom  we  are  indeed  ashamed  to  think  or  do  that  which 
would  cause  us  shame  in  the  presence  of  an  honorable  person; 
frequent  meditation  on  death,  hell,  and  eternal  joys;  flying  from 
all  those  persons  and  places  by  whom  and  in  which  we  are  ge- 
nerally tempted;  fervent  prayers,  especially  socalled  ejaculations 
as:  "Lord,  save  me,  I  perishf  Lord,  hasten  to  help  me!"  finally, 
the  sincere  acknowledgment  of  our  temptations  at  the  tribunal  of 
penance,  which  is  a  remedy  especially  advised  by  pious  spiritual 
teachers. 

PRAYER.  0  Lord  Jesus!  who  spent  forty  days  in  the 
desert  without  food  or  drink,  and  didst  permit  Thyself,  be- 
sides, to  be  tempted  by  the  evil  spirit,  give  me,  I  beseech 
Thee  by  that  holy  fast,  the  grace  to  combat,  during  this 
holy  season  of  Lent,  under  Thy  protection,  against  intem- 
perance, and  to  resist  the  suggestions  of  Satan,  that  I  may 
win  the  crown  of  eternal  life.  Amen. 

MONDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Msek.  ssxW.  11—16.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God:  Behold,  I  myself  will  seek  my  sheep,  and  will  visit  them. 


10 


146  MONDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

As  the  shepherd  visiteth  his  flock,  in  the  day  when  he  shall 
be  in  the  midst  of  his  sheep  that  were  scattered:  so  will  I 
visit  my  sheep,  and  will  deliver  them  out  of  all  the  places 
where  they  have  been  scattered  in  the  cloudy  and  dark  day. 
And  I  will  bring  theni  out  from  the  peoples,  and  will  gather 
them  out  of  the  countries,  and  will  bring  them  to  their  own 
land:  and  I  will  feed  them  in  the  mountains  of  Israel,  by  the 
rivers,  and  in  all  the  habitations  of  the  land:  I  will  feed 
them  in  the  most  fruitful  pastures,  and  their  pastures  shall 
be  in  the  high  mountairs  of  Israel:  there  shall  they  rest  on 
the  green  grass,  and  be  fed  in  fat  pastures  upon  the  mount- 
ains of  Israel.  I  will  feed  my  sheep :  and  I  will  cause  them 
to  lie  down,  saith  the  Lord  God.  I  will  seek  that  which  was 
lost:  and  that  which  was  driven  away,  I  will  bring  again: 
and  I  will  bind  up  that  which  was  broken,  and  I  will 
strengthen  that  which  was  weak,  and  that  which  was  fat 
and  strong,  I  will  preserve:  and  I  will  feed  them  in  judgment, 
saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 

EXPLANATION.  After  these  words  to  the  Jews,  to  whom 
God  promised,  that  He  would  free  them  from  Babylonian  capti- 
vity, and  then  pasture  and  protect  them  like  a  good  pastor,  the 
prophet  describes,  in  a  higher  sense,  the  time  when  all  nations 
will  be  united  under  one  shepherd,  namely  Christ  Jesus,  in  one 
sheep  fold.  These  words  may  be  applied,  at  the  same  time,  to  a 
soul,  that  by  a  true  conversion  lias  been  released  by  the  Good 
Shepherd  Jesus,  who  has  everywhere  followed  it,  from  the  power 
of  Satan,  and  is  now  carefully  nourished,  by  Him,  by  His  word 
and  His  blessed  Sacraments,  and  filled  with  heavenly  consolations. 
0  Christian,  who,  perhaps,  hast  strayed  away  by  sin  from 
Jesus,  the  Good  Shepherd,  hasten  back  to  Him  in  sorrow;  with 
joy  He  will  receive  you,  and  present  you  His  love! 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xxv.  31 — 46.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples:  When  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  his  ma- 
jesty, and  all  the  angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon 
the  seat  of  his  majesty.  And  all  nations  shall  be  gathered 
together  before  him,  and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from 
another,  as  the  shepherd  separateth  the  sheep  from  the  goats: 
and  he  shall  set  the  sheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the  goats 
on  his  left.  Then  shall  the  king  say  to  them  that  shall  be  on 
his  right  hand:  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  possess  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world. 


TUESDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT.  147 

For  I  was  hungry,  and  you  gave  me  to  eat:  I  was  thirsty, 
and  you  gave  me  to  drink :  I  was  a  stranger,  and  you  took 
me  in:  naked,  and  you  clothed  me:  sick,  and  you  visited  me: 
I  was  in  prison,  and  you  came  to  me.  Then  shall  the  just 
answer  him,  saying:  Lord,  when  did  we  see  thee  hungry, 
and  feed  thee:  thirsty,  and  gave  thee  drink?  And  when  did 
we  see  thee  a  stranger,  and  took  thee  in:  or  naked,  and 
clothed  thee  ?  Or  when  did  we  see  thee  sick  or  in  prison,  and 
came  to  thee  ?  And  the  king  answering,  shall  say  to  them : 
Amen  I  say  to  you,  as  long  as  you  have  done  it  to  one  of 
these  my  least  brethren,  you  did  it  to  me.  Then  shall  he  say 
to  them  also  that  shall  be  on  his  left  hand :  Depart  from  me, 
you  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire  which  was  prepared  for  the 
devil  and  his  angels.  For  I  was  hungry,  and  you  gave  me 
not  to  eat;  I  was  thirsty,  and  you  gave  me  not  to  drink.  I 
was  a  stranger,  and  you  took  me  not  in:  naked,  and  you 
clothed  me  not:  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  you  did  not  visit 
me.  Then  shall  they  also  answer  him,  saying :  Lord,  when 
did  we  see  thee  hungry,  or  thirsty,  or  a  stranger,  or  naked, 
or  sick,  or  in  prison  and  did  not  minister  to  thee '?  Then  he 
shall  answer  them,  saying:  Amen  I  say  to  you,  as  long  as 
you  did  it  not  to  one  of  these  least  ones,  neither  did  you  it 
to  me.  And  these  shall  go  into  everlasting  punishment ,  but 
the  just  into  life  everlasting. 

EXPLANATION.  From  the  words  of  this  gospel  we  see  how 
imperative  it  is  upon  us  to  be  charitable  to  the  poor,  since  Jesus 
gives  such  great  reward  to  the  charitable,  and  so  severely  pu- 
nishes the  uncharitable.  Why.?  To  this  St.  Francis  the  Seraph 
replies:  "In  the  poor  Christ  reveals  Himself  to  us  as  in  a  mirror; 
as  often,  therefore,  as  a  poor  or  feeble  person  meets  you,  re- 
member the  poverty  and  weakness  Christ  took  upon  Himself  for 
us,  and  revere  in  him  Christ  Himself,  who  says:  As  long  as 
you  did  it  to  one  of  these  least  in  my  name,  you  did  it 
to  me." 

TUESDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Isai.  lv.  6  —  11.)  In  those  days:  Isaias  the  pro- 
phet spake,  saying:  Seek  ye  the  Lord,  while  he  may  be  found: 
call  upon  him,  while  lie  is  near.    Let  the  wicked  forsake  his 


148  TUESDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

way,  and  the  unjust  man  his  thoughts,  and  let  him  return 
to  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  on  him,  and  to  our  God, 
for  he  is  bountiful  to  forgive.  For  my  thoughts  are  not  your 
thoughts:  nor  your  ways  my  ways,  saith  the  Lord.  For  as 
the  heavens  are  exalted  above  the  earth,  so  are  my  ways 
exalted  above  your  ways,  and  my  thoughts  above  your 
thoughts.  And  as  the  rain  and  the  snow  come  down  from 
heaven,  and  return  no  more  thither,  but  soak  the  earth  and 
water  it,  and  make  it  to  spring,  and  give  seed  to  the  sower, 
and  bread  to  the  eater :  so  shall  my  word  be  which  shall  go 
forth  from  my  mouth :  it  shall  not  return  to  me  void,  but  it 
shall  do  whatsoever  I  please,  and  shall  prosper  in  the  things 
for  which  I  sent  it,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 

EXPLANATION.  The  prophet  here  exhorts  the  sinner  to 
use  the  time  of  grace,  for  real  conversion,  when  God  is  so  wil- 
lingly ready  to  receive  him.  He  should  not  permit  himself  to  be 
kept  back,  neither  by  the  number  nor  the  enormity  of  his  sins ; 
for  greater  than  all  his  sins  is  the  mercy  of  God.  —  Consider  St. 
Bernard's  words  on  this  text:  Seek  the  Lord,  while  he  may  be 
found:  "Three  reasons  there  are  that  render  fruitless  the  search 
for  the  Lord,—  not  to  seek  Him  at  the  proper  time,  in  the  proper 
manner,  and  there  where  He  can  be  found.  The  proper  time  is  in 
this  life,  for  with  death  the  search  is  ended,  the  door  is  locked; 
the  proper  manner  is  to  seek  with  ardent  desire  and  with  perse 
verance ;  the  right  place  is  in  meditating  on  the  life,  passion,  and 
death  of  Jesus,  and  His  glory  in  heaven.  Seek  the  Lord  in  time, 
therefore,  seek  Him  with  all  zeal,  in  prayer  and  contemplation. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xxi.  10— 17.)  At  that  time:  When  he 
was  come  into  Jerusalem,  the  whole  city  was  moved,  saying: 
Who  is  this?  And  the  people  said:  This  is  Jesus  the  prophet, 
from  Nazareth  of  Galilee.  And  Jesus  went  into  the  temple 
of  God,  and  cast  out  all  them  that  sold  and  bought  in  the 
temple,  and  overthrew  the  tables  of  the  money-changers,  and 
the  chairs  of  them  that  sold  doves :  and  he  saith  to  them :  Tt 
is  written,  "My  house  shall  be  called  the  house  of  prayer; 
but  you  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves."  And  there  came  to 
him  the  blind  and  the  lame  in  the  temple:  and  he  healed 
them.  And  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  seeing  the  wonderful 
things  that  he  did,  and  the  children  crying  in  the  temple, 
and  saying:    "Hosanna  to  the  son  of  David,'1  were  moved 


WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT.  14»J 

with  indignation,  and  said  to  him:  Hearest  thon  what  these 
say?  And  Jesus  said  to  them:  Yea,  have  you  never  read: 
"Out  of  the  mouths  of  infants  and  of  sucklings  thou  hast 
perfected  praise?11  And  leaving  them,  he  went  out  of  the  city 
into  Bethania,  and  remained  there. 

EXPLANATION.  The  spirit  of  usury  induced  many  Jews  to 
trade  even  in  the  vestibu'e  of  the  temple.  Condemning  this  dis- 
graceful disorder,  Jesus  with  divine  force  turned  out  the  buyers 
and  sellers.  If  Jesus  thus  condemned  and  punished  those  who 
desecrated  the  entrance  of  the  temple,  how  will  He  scorn  and 
punish  those  Christians  who  desecrate  the  Church,  the  house  in 
which  Jesus  is  present  in  the  blessed  Sacrament,  by  talking,  laugh- 
ing, and  other  misdemeanors?  Always  conduct  yourself,  there- 
fore, with  reverence  in  the  house  of  God,  and  consider  that  even 
the  angels  prostrate  before  the  eyes  of  God,  cover  their  faces, 
adoring  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth. 

WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

[Emberday.J 

LESSON,  (iii.  Kinr/sxix.  3 — 8.)  In  those  days:  Elias  came 
into  Bersabee  of  Juda,  and  left  his  servant  there.  And  he 
went  forward  one  day's  journey  into  the  desert.  And  when 
he  was  there,  and  sat  under  a  juniper  tree,  he  requested  for 
his  soul  that  he  might  die,  and  said:  It  is  enough  for  me, 
Lord,  take  away  my  soul:  for  I  am  no  better  than  my  fa- 
thers. And  he  cast  himself  down,  and  slept  in  the  shadow  of 
the  juniper  tree:  and  behold,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  touched 
him  and  said  to  him :  Arise  and  eat.  And  he  looked,  and 
behold,  there  was  at  his  head  a  hearth-cake  and  a  vessel  of 
water:  and  he  ate  and  drank,  and  he  fell  asleep  again.  And 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  again  the  second  time  and 
touched  him,  and  said  to  him:  Arise,  eat:  for  thou  hast  yet 
a  great  way  to  go.  And  he  arose,  and  ate,  and  drank,  and 
walked  in  the  strength  of  that  food  forty  days  and  forty 
nights,  unto  the  mount  of  God. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Prophet  Elias  had  caused  the  death 
of  the  idolatrous  priests  of  Baal  at  the  brook  Cison,  in  the  Land 
of  Juda,  after  he  had  demonstrated  to  them,  by  a  great  miracle, 
the  worship  of  the  one  true  God.  This  was  announced  to  the 
impious  Queen  Jezabel,  who  then  threatened  Elias  with  death. 
Elias  fled  to  the  desert,  but  God  did  not  abandon  His  servant, 
and  sent  him  food,  strengthened  by  which  Elias  walked  forty 


150  WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

days  and  forty  nights  to  Mount  Horeb,  where  God  appeared  to 
him,  and  gave  him  important  messages.  The  holy  fathers  regard 
the  juniper  tree,  under  which  Elias  rested,  as  prefiguring  the 
cross  of  Christ,  under  the  shadow  of  which  there  is  rest  for  all 
who  suffer;  the  food  by  which  Elias  was  strengthened,  was  a 
type  of  holy  Communion  by  which  we  are  strengthened  on  the 
road  to  heaven,  and  the  forty  days  and  forty  nights  which  Elias 
passed  without  food  are  a  figure  of  Christ's  forty  days  fast. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xii.  38—50.)  At  that  time:  Some  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  answered  him,  saying:  Master,  we 
would  see  a  sign  from  thee.  Who  answering  said  to  them: 
An  evil  and  adulterous  generation  seeketh  for  a  sign;  and  a 
sign  shall  not  be  given  it,  but  the  sign  of  Jonas  the  prophet. 
For  as  Jonas  was  in  the  whale's  belly  three  days  and  three 
nights :  so  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  in  the  heart  of  the  earth 
three  days  and  three  nights.  The  men  of  Ninive  shall  rise  in 
judgment  with  this  generation,  and  shall  condemn  it;  be- 
cause they  did  penance  at  the  preaching  of  Jonas.  And  be- 
hold a  greater  than  Jonas  here.  The  queen  of  the  south  shall 
rise  in  judgment  with  this  generation,  and  shall  condemn  it: 
because  she  came  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  hear  the 
wisdom  of  Solomon,  and  behold  a  greater  than  Solomon  here. 
When  an  unclean  spirit  is  gone  out  of  a  man,  he  walketh 
through  dry  places,  seeking  rest,  and  findeth  none.  Then  he 
saith :  I  will  return  into  my  house,  from  whence  I  came  out. 
And  coming  he  findeth  it  empty,  swept,  and  garnished.  Then 
he  goeth,  and  taketh  with  him  seven  other  spirits  more 
wicked  than  himself,  and  they  enter  in  and  dwell  there :  and 
the  last  state  of  that  man  is  made  worse  than  the  first.  So 
shall  it  be  also  to  this  wicked  generation.  As  he  was  yet 
speaking  to  the  multitudes,  behold,  his  mother  and  his  breth- 
ren stood  without,  seeking  to  speak  to  him.  And  one  said  unto 
him,  Behold,  thy  mother  and  thy  brethren  stand  without, 
seeking  thee.  But  he  answering  him  that  told  him,  said:  Who 
is  my  mother,  and  who  are  my  brethren  ?  and  stretching  forth 
his  hand  towards  his  disciples,  he  said :  Behold  my  mother  and 
my  brethren.  For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father 
that  is  in  heaven;  he  is  my  brother  and  sister,  and  mother. 


THURSDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT.  \  f,l 

EXPLANATION.  All  signs  and  miracles  which  Christ  the 
Lord  wrought,  were  confirmed  only  by  His  resurrection.  Had 
Christ  not  risen,  all  His  miracles  would  have  been  without  avail. 
For  this  reason  He  drew  the  attention  of  the  Pharisees  to  His  re- 
surrection, which  was  already  prefigured  by  the  Prophet  Jonas, 
who  was  three  days  inside  the  whale,  and  on  the  third  day  came 
forth  from  it  unharmed.  The  inhabitants  of  Ninive  repented, 
through  the  preaching  of  the  Prophet  Jonas  without  asking  for  a 
miracle.  What  will  become  of  us  if  we  do  not  repent,  we  who 
know  of  so  many  miracles  of  our  Lord  and  His  apostles,  and  have 
received  so  many  graces  from  Him !  But  our  repentance  must  be 
real,  for  terrible  is  his  condition  who  carelessly  relapses  into  the 
old  grievous  sins.  Not  one,  but  seven  devils  will  possess  him. 
By  a  firm,  animated  faith,  we  are  in  a  spiritual  manner  made  a 
brother  or  sister  of  Christ,  and  if  by  our  example  and  our  words 
we  cause  the  love  of  Christ  to  be  born  in  the  heart  of  our  neigh- 
bor, so  that  he  fulfils  the  will  of  the  Heavenly  Father,  we  are 
also  spiritually  made  the  mother  of  Christ.  Ah,  what  dignity  is 
his  who  believes  in  Jesus,  and  loves  Him  above  all! 

THURSDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Ezek.  xviii.  1  —  9.)  In  those  bays:  The  word  of 
the  Lord  came  to  me,  saying:  What  is  the  meaning  that  you 
use  among  you  this  parable  as  a  proverb  in  the  land  of  Israel, 
saying:  The  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  teeth  of 
the  children  are  set  on  edge?  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God, 
this  parable  shall  be  no  more  to  you  a  proverb  in  Israel. 
Behold,  all  souls  are  mine :  as  the  soul  of  the  father,  so  also 
the  soul  of  the  son  is  mine :  the  soul  that  sinneth,  the  same 
shall  die.  And  if  a  man  be  just,  and  do  judgment  and  jus- 
tice, and  hath  not  eaten  upon  the  mountains,  nor  lifted  up 
his  eyes  to  the  idols  of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  hath  not  de- 
filed his  neighbour's  wife,  nor  come  near  to  a  menstruous 
woman:  and  hath  not  wronged  any  man,  but  hath  restored 
the  pledge  to  the  debtor,  hath  taken  nothing  awa}^  by  vio- 
lence :  hath  given  his  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  hath  covered 
the  naked  with  a  garment :  hath  not  lent  upon  usury,  nor 
taken  any  increase:  hath  withdrawn  his  hand  from  iniquity, 
and  hath  executed  true  judgment  between  man  and  man: 
hath  walked  in  my  commandments  and  kept  my  judgments, 
to  do  according  to  the  truth:  he  is  just,  he  shall  surely  live, 
saith  the  Lord  God. 


152 


THURSDAY  IN  THE  iTEST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 


EXPLANATION.  As  the  Jews  had  complained  to  God,  at 
different  times,  that  they  were  made  to  suffer  for  the  sins  of  their 
forefathers,  God,  by  the  prophet,  told  them  their  complaints  were 
unfounded,  for  He  loved  and  judged  all  men,  the  father  as  the 
son,  and  punished  the  sinner  only.  It  is  indeed  frequently  stated 
in  the  holy  Scriptures,  that  God  visits  the  sins  of  parents  upon 
the  children,  but  this  is  the  case  only  with  those  who,  born  with 
their  parents'  evil  inclinations,  do  not  resist,  but  imitate  the  bad 
habits  of  their  parents.  Live  in  accordance  with  God's  will,  and 
you  will  never  have  reason  to  complain  of  Him. 


GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xv.  21  —  28.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  went 
from  thence,  and  departed  into  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 
And  behold  a  woman  of  Canaan  who  came  out  of  those 


FRIDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT.  153 

coasts,  crying  out,  said  to  him.  Have  mercy  on  me,  0  Lord, 

thou  Son  of  David,  my  daughter  is  grievously  troubled  by  a 

devil.  Who  answered  her  not  a  word.  And  his  disciples  came 

and  besought  him,  saying:    Send  her  away,  for  she  crieth 

after  us :  and  he  answering,  said :  I  was  not  sent  but  to  the 

sheep  that  are  lost  of  the  house  of  Israel.  But  she  came  and 

adored  him,  saying:  Lord,  help  me.  Who  answering  said:  It 

is  not  good  to  take  the  bread  of  the  children,  and  to  cast  it 

to  the  dogs.    But  she  said,  Yea,  Lord;  for  the  whelps  also 

eat  of  the  crumbs  that  fall  from  the  table  of  their  masters. 

Then  Jesus  answering,  said  to  her:  0  woman,  great  is  thy 

faith:  be  it  done  to  thee  as  thou  wilt:  and  her  daughter  was 

cured  from  that  hour. 

EXPLANATION.  How  true  it  is  as  the  prophet  says:  "God 
at  all  times  hears  the  desires  of  the  poor."  The  distressed  mother 
ceased  not  to  implore  Jesus'  help,  and  she  was  heard.  St.  Augu- 
stine beautifully  says  of  this:  "The  continued  sighs  of  a  desiring 
and  longing  heart,  are  sweet  music  unto  Christ;"  and  St.  Chry- 
sostom:  "Whether  or  not  we  receive  that  for  which  we  ask,  let 
us  ever  persevere  in  prayer;  if  we  receive,  we  are  thankful;  are 
we  refused,  we  remain  patient.  For  if  God  refuses  anything,  it  is 
the  same  as  if  He  had  granted  us  something.  For  we  know  not 
what  is  for  our  benefit,  only  God  knows  it." 

FRIDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

[Emberday.J 

LESSON.  {Ezek.  xviii.  20—28.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord:  The 
soul  that  sinneth,  the  same  shall  die:  the  son  shall  not  bear 
the  iniquity  of  the  father,  and  the  father  shall  not  bear  the 
iniquity  of  the  son:  the  justice  of  the  just  shall  be  upon  him, 
and  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  shall  be  upon  him.  But  if 
the  wicked  do  penance  for  all  his  sins,  which  he  hath  com- 
mitted, and  keep  all  my  commandments,  and  do  judgment 
and  justice :  living  he  shall  live,  and  shall  not  die.  1  will  not 
remember  all  his  iniquities  that  he  hath  done:  in  his  justice 
which  he  hath  wrought,  he  shall  live.  Is  it  my  will  that  a 
sinner  should  die,  saith  the  Lord  God,  and  not  that  he  should 
be  converted  from  his  ways,  and  live?  But  if  the  just  man 
turn  himself  away  from  his  justice,  and  do  iniquity  accord- 
ing to  all  the  abominations,  which  the  wicked  man  useth  to 


154  FRIDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OP  LENT. 

work,  shall  he  live?  All  his  justices  which  he  hath  done,  shall 
not  be  remembered :  in  the  prevarication,  by  which  he  hath 
prevaricated,  and  in  his  sin,  which  he  hath  committed,  in 
them  he  shall  die.  And  you  have  said :  The  way  of  the  Lord 
is  not  right.  Hear  ye,  therefore,  0  house  of  Israel :  is  it  my 
way  that  is  not  right,  and  are  not  rather  your  ways  per- 
verse'? For  when  the  just  turneth  himself  away  from  his 
justice,  and  committeth  iniquity,  he  shall  die  therein:  in  the 
injustice  that  he  hath  wrought,  he  shall  die.  And  when  the 
wicked  turneth  himself  away  from  his  wickedness,  which  he 
hath  wrought,  and  doeth  judgment  and  justice,  he  shall  save 
his  soul  alive.  Because  he  considereth  and  turneth  away 
himself,  from  all  his  iniquities,  which  he  hath  wrought,  he 
shall  surely  live,  and  not  die,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 

EXPLANATION.  How  consoling  are  the  words  of  the  Lord 
for  every  one,  even  for  the  greatest  sinner,  if  he  only  sincerely 
returns  to  God,  and  abandons  the  way  of  sin!  How  dreadful,  on 
the  contrary,  are  they  for  him  who  postpones  his  conversion  from 
day  to  day,  and  will  "finally  die  in  his  sins !  Despair  not,  then,  0 
sinner,  only  follow  instantly  the  call  to  repentance;  "God  pardons, 
yes,  forgets  all  thy  sins !" 

GOSPEL.  {John  v.  1  — 15.)  At  that  time:  There  was  a 
festival  of  the  Jews,  and  Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem.  Now 
there  is  at  Jerusalem  a  pond,  called  Probatica,  which  in 
Hebrew  is  named  Bethsaida,  having  five  porches.  In  these 
lay  a  great  multitude  of  sick,  of  blind,  of  lame,  and  of  with- 
ered, waiting  for  the  moving  of  the  water.  And  the  angel  of 
the  Lord  descended  at  certain  times  into  the  pond;  and  the 
water  was  moved.  And  he  that  went  down  first  into  the 
pond  after  the  motion  of  the  water,  was  made  whole  of 
whatsoever  infirmity  he  lay  under.  And  there  was  a  certain 
man  there,  that  had  been  eight  and  thirty  years  under  his 
infirmity.  Him  when  Jesus  had  seen  lying,  and  knew  that 
he  had  been  now  a  long  time,  he  saith  to  him  :  Wilt  thou  be 
made  whole?  The  infirm  man  answered  him:  Sir,  1  have  no 
man,  when  the  water  is  troubled,  to  put  me  into  the  pond. 
For  whilst  I  am  coming,  another  goeth  down  before  me. 
Jesus  saith  to  him:  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk.  And 
immediately  the  man  was  made  whole:  and  he  took  up  his 


SATURDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT.  155 

bed  and  walked.  And  it  was  the  Sabbath  that  day.  The  Jews 
therefore  said  to  him  that  was  cured :  It  is  the  Sabbath,  it  is 
not  lawful  for  thee  to  take  up  thy  bed.  He  answered  them: 
He  that  made  me  whole,  he  said  to  me:  Take  up  thy  bed, 
and  walk.  They  asked  him  therefore :  Who  is  that  man  that 
said  to  thee:  Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk?  But  he  that  was 
healed,  knew  not  who  it  was.  For  Jesus  went  aside  from  the 
multitude  standing  in  the  place.  Afterwards  Je^us  findeth 
him  in  the  temple,  and  saith  to  him :  Behold,  thou  art  made 
whole:  sin  no  more,  lest  some  worse  thing  happen  to  thee. 
The  man  went  his  way,  and  told  the  Jews  that  it  was  Jesus 
that  had  made  him  whole. 

EXPLANATION.  At  a  certain,  but  unknown  time,  an  angel 
came  clown  and  moved  the  water  in  the  sheep-pond,  by  which 
that  patient,  and  he  only,  who  first  descended  into  it,  was  healed 
of  his  infirmity.  The  sheep-pond  is  a  figure  of  the  holy  Sacrament 
of  Penance.  When  God  moves  your  heart  by  His  grace  to  sorrow 
for  your  sins,  then  hasten  at  once  to  the  tribunal  of  penance, 
where  not  one,  but  all  who  come,  find  healing  at  all  times.  But 
take  to  heart  the  exhortation  of  Jesus:  "Sin  no  more,  lest 
some  worse  thing  happen  to  thee." 

SATURDAY  IN  THE  FIRST  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

[Emberday.] 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Thess.v.  11—23.)  Brethren:  We  beseech 
you,  rebuke  the  unquiet,  comfort  the  feebleminded,  support 
the  weak,  be  patient  towards  all  men.  See  that  none  render 
evil  for  evil  to  any  man :  but  ever  follow  that  which  is  good 
towards  each  other,  and  towards  all  men.  Always  rejoice. 
Pray  without  ceasing.  Jn  all  things  give  thanks :  for  this  is 
the  will  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  concerning  you  all.  Extinguish 
not  the  spirit.  Despise  not  prophecies.  But  prove  all  things: 
hold  fast  that  which  is  good.  From  all  appearance  of  evil 
refrain  yourselves.  And  may  the  God  of  peace  himself  sanctify 
3rou  in  all  things:  that  your  whole  spirit  and  soul,  and  body 
may  be  preserved  blameless  in  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Christ 
Jesus. 

EXPLANATION.  Among  other  admonitions  the  apostle  ex- 
horts us  not  to  extinguish  by  sin,  levity,  and  a  distracted  life  the 
spirit  in  ourselves,  that  is,  the  graces,  the  inspirations,  and  the 


15G 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 


enlightenment  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  tells  us,  that  we  should 
not  despise  prophecies,  that  is,  the  gift  of  expounding  the  Scrip- 
tures, preaching  the  mysteries  of  faith,  but  rather  examine  if  they 
agree  with  the  teachings  of  the  Church.  Let  us  in  all  things  follow 
the  inspirations  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  teachings  of  our  holy 
Church,  and  we  will  never  go  wrong,  but  confidently  look  for  the 
day  of  Christ's  coming  in  judgment. 

[For  the  gospel  and  its  explanation  see  instruction  for  to-morrow.] 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY 
IN  LENT.  (REMINISCERE.) 


He  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass,  which  begins 
with  the  word  Reminiscere,  from  which 
this  Sunday  derives  its  name,  is  the  prayer  of 
a  soul  begging  God's  assistance,  that  she  may 
sin  no  more:  "Remember,  o  Lord,  thy 
bowels  of  compassion:  and  thy  mercies 
that  are  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world.  Let  not  our  enemies  ever  rule  over  us:  deliver 
us,  0  God  of  Israel,  from  all  our  distress.  To  thee,  0 
Lord,  have  I  lifted  up  my  soul;  in  thee,  0  my  God,  I  put 
my  trust;  let  me  not  be  ashamed."  (Ps.  xxivr)  Glory  be  to 
the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  seest  how  de- 
stitute we  are  of  all  strength,  preserve  us  both  within  and 
without,  that  our  bodies  may  be  free  from  all  adversity,  and 
our  souls  purified  from  all  evil  thoughts.  Through  our  Lord .,  &c. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Thess.  iv.  1—  7.)  Brethren:  We  pray  and 
beseech  you  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  as  you  have  received  of 
us,  how  you  ought  to  walk  and  to  please  God,  so  also  you 
would  walk,  that  you  may  abound  the  more.  For  you  know 
what  precepts  I  have  given  to  you  by  the  Lord  Jesus.  P^or 
this  is  the  will  of  God,  your  sanctification :  that  you  should 
abstain  from  fornication,  that  every  one  of  you  should  know 
how  to  possess  his  vessel  in  sanctification  and  honour :  not 
in  the  passion  of  lust,  like  the  Gentiles  that  know  not  God : 
and  that  no  man  over-reach,  nor  circumvent  his  brother  in 
business :  because  the  Lord  is  the  avenger  of  all  these  things, 
as  we  have  told  you  before,  and  have  testified.  For  God  hath 
not  called  us,  unto  uncleanness,  but  unto  sanctification. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 


157 


EXPLANATION.  From  these  words  we  see,  that  the  great 
Teacher  of  Nations  as  carefully  showed  the  Christian  congrega- 
tions the  sanctity  of  their  calling,  as  he  labored  to  lead  them  from 
the  blindness  and  abominations  of  heathenism. 

ASPIRATION.  Grant,  0  Clod,  that  I  may  live  honestly, 
chastely,  and  holily,  in  accordance  with  my  vocation,  and  go 
not  after  earthly  and  carnal  pleasures,  as  the  heathens  who 
know  Thee  not. 


GOSPEL.  (Mm.  xvii.  1—9.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  taketli 
unto  him  Peter  and  James,  and  John  his  brother,  and  bring- 
eth  them  up  into  a  high  mountain  apart:  and  he  was  trans- 
figured before  them.    And  his  face  did  shine  as  the  sun:  and 


1 58  INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 

his  garments  became  white  as  snow.  And  behold  there  ap- 
peared to  them  Moses  and  Elias  talking  with  him.  Then 
Peter  answering,  said  to  Jesus :  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
here:  if  thou  wilt,  let  us  make  here  three  tabernacles,  one 
for  thee,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias.  And  as  he  was 
yet  speaking,  behold,  a  bright  cloud  overshadowed  them.  And 
lo  a  voice  out  of  the  cloud,  saying:  This  is  my  beloved  Son, 
in  whom  I  am  well  pleased:  hear  ye  him.  And  the  disciples 
hearing,  fell  upon  their  face,  and  were  very  much  afraid. 
And  Jesus  came  and  touched  them:  and  said  to  them:  Arise, 
and  be  not  afraid.  And  when  they  lifted  up  their  eyes,  they 
saw  no  one,  but  only  Jesus.  And  as  they  came  down  from 
the  mountain,  Jesus  charged  them,  saying:  Tell  the  vision  to 
no  man,  till  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be  risen  from  the  dead. 

Why  was  Christ  transfiyured  in  presence  of  His  apostles,  on  Mount 

Tabor? 

To  permit  them  to  see  the  glorious  majesty  of  His  divinity;  to 
guard  them  from  doubts  when  they  should  afterwards  see  Him 
die  on  Mount  Calvary ;  to  encourage  because  of  the  future  glory 
the  disciples,  and  with  them  all  the  faithful,  to  be  patient  in  all 
crosses  and  afflictions,  for  the  bodies  of  the  just  at  the  resurrection 
will  be  made  like  the  glorified  body  of  Christ.  {Phil.  iii.  21.) 

Why  did  Moses  and  Elias  appear  there? 

That  they  might  testify,  that  Jesus  was  really  the  Saviour, 
announced  by  the  law  and  the  prophets,  and  that  the  law  and  the 
prophets  received  fulfilment  in  Him.  The  law  was  represented 
by  Moses,  the  prophets  by  Klias. 

Why  did  Peter  wish  to  build  three  tabernacles  there? 

The  delightful  sweetness  of  the  apparition  in  which  Jesus 
made  him  participator,  so  enraptured  him,  that  he  knew  not 
what  he  said,  not  considering  that  glory  cannot  be  attained  with- 
out labor,  the  crown  without  fight,  joy  without  crosses  and 
afflictions. 

ASPIRATION.  Draw  us,  0  Jesus,  to  Thee,  that  by  the 
contemplation  of  the  sacred  joys  awaiting  us,  we  may,  by 
Thy  grace,  be  not  defeated  in  the  spiritual  contest,  by  the 
conqueror,  and  carry  off  the  unfading  crown  of  victory. 


159 

MONDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Ban.  ix.  15—19.)  In  those  days:  Daniel  prayed 
to  the  Lord,  saying :  0  Lord  our  God,  who  hast  brought  forth 
thy  people  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  with  a  strong  hand  and 
made  thee  a  name  as  at  this  day:  we  have  sinned,  we  have 
committed  iniquity,  0  Lord,  against  all  thy  justice :  let  thy 
wrath  and  thy  indignation  he  turned  away,  I  beseech  thee, 
from  thy  city  Jerusalem,  and  from  thy  holy  mountain.  For 
by  reason  of  our  sins,  and  the  iniquities  of  our  fathers,  Je- 
rusalem and  thy  people  are  a  reproach  to  all  that  are  round 
about  us.  Now  therefore,  0  our  God,  hear  the  supplication 
of  thy  servant,  and  his  prayers:  and  shew  thy  face  upon  thy 
sanctuary  which  is  desolate,  for  thy  own  sake.  Incline,  0  my 
God,  thy  ear,  and  hear:  open  thy  eyes,  and  see  our  desola- 
tion, and  the  city  upon  which  thy  name  is  called:  for  it  is 
not  for  our  justifications  that  we  present  our  prayers  before 
thy  face,  but  for  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies.  0  Lord 
hear:  0  Lord,  be  appeased:  hearken  and  do:  delay  not  for 
thy  own  sake,  0  my  God:  because  thy  name  is  invocated 
upon  thy  city,  and  upon  thy  people,  0  Lord  our  God. 

EXPLANATION.  Under  the  reign  of  King  Joachim  in  punish- 
ment for  their  wickedness,  the  Jews  with  their  king  were  led 
into  the  Babylonian  captivity,  and  Jerusalem  and  the  temple 
destroyed.  Daniel,  also,  though  a  faithful  follower  of  the  divine 
law,  was  among  the  captives.  Because  of  his  wisdom,  he  was 
raised  to  great  dignities  by  King  Nabuchodonosor,  but  he  could 
not  forget  the  destruction  of  the  temple,  of  Jerusalem,  and  the 
sad  condition  of  the  Jews.  But  the  Jews  were  to  remain  seventy 
years  in  painful  servitude,  before  they  could  return  to  their  own 
country.  For  the  restoration  of  the  city  and  temple,  and  for  the 
speedy  return  of  his  people,  it  is  that  the  prophet  cries  to  God  in 
this  lesson;  by  which  we  are  taught,  at  the  same  time,  to  entreat 
God  for  redemption  from  the  servitude  of  sin,  and  for  the  resto- 
ration of  the  immaculate  purity  of  our  soul,  destroyed  by  sin. 

GOSPEL.  ( John  viii.  21^-29.)  At  that  time  :  Jesus  said 
to  the  multitude  of  the  Jews:  I  go  and  you  shall  seek  me, 
and  you  shall  die  in  your  sin.  Whither  1  go,  you  cannot  come. 
The  Jews  therefore  said:  Will  he  kill  himself, . because  he 
said:  Whither  T  go,  you  cannot  come?  And  he  said  to  them: 
You  are  from  beneath,  I  am  from  above.    You  are  of  this 


•160  TUESDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

world,  I  am  not  of  this  world.  Therefore  I  say  to  you,  that 
you  shall  die  in  your  sins.  For  if  you  believe  not  that  I  am 
he,  you  shall  die  in  your  sin.  They  said  therefore  to  him : 
Who  art  thou  ?  Jesus  said  to  them :  The  beginning,  who  also 
speak  unto  you.  Many  things  I  have  to  speak,  and  to  judge 
of  you.  But  he  that  sent  me  is  true :  and  the  things  I  have 
heard  of  him,  the  same  I  speak  in, the  world.  Now  they  un- 
derstood not  that  he  called  God  his  Father.  Jesus  therefore 
said  to  them:  When  you  shall  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  Man, 
then  shall  you  know  that  I  am  he,  and  that  I  do  nothing  of 
myself,  but  as  the  Father  has  taught  me,  these  things  I 
speak.  And  he  that  sent  me,  is  with  me,  and  he  hath  not  left 
me  alone :  for  I  do  always  the  things  that  please  him. 

EXPLANATION.  Christ  here  tells  the  Jews,  who,  out  of 
hatred,  intended  to  put  Him  to  death,  and  were  lying  in  wait  for 
an  opportunity  to  do  so,  that  where  He  was  going,  they  could  not 
come,  that  is,  to  His  Father  in  heaven,  because  they  were  from 
beneath,  that  is,  earthly  minded,  taken  up  with  the  riches  and 
pleasures  of  this  world  only,  and,  therefore,  did  not  believe,  that 
He  had  come  from  heaven  to  redeem  the  world,  and  so  they  die 
in  their  sins. —  Let  us  learn  from  this  how  needful  it  is,  that  we 
should  despise  the  world,  for  the  friendship  of  this  world  is  the 
enmity  of  God,  and  whoever  is  a  friend  of  this  world,  becomes  an 
enemy  of  God  (Jam.iv.  4.),  loses  his  living  faith,  and  dies  in  his  sins. 

TUESDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON,  (iii.  Kings  xviii.  8—16.)  In  those  days:  The 
word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Elias  the  Thesbite,  saying:  Arise, 
and  go  to  Sarephta  a  city  of  the  Sidonians,  and  dwell  there : 
for  I  have  commanded  a  widow  woman  there  to  feed  thee. 
He  arose,  and  went  to  Sarephta.  And  when  he  was  come  to 
the  gate  of  the  city,  he  saw  the  widow  woman  gathering 
sticks,  and  he  called  her,  and  said  to  her.  Give  me  a  little 
water  in  a  vessel,  that  I  may  drink.  And  when  she  was  going 
to  fetch  it,  he  called  after  her,  saying:  Bring  me,  also,  I 
beseech  thee,  a  morsel  of  bread  in  thy  hand.  And  she  an- 
swered: As  the  Lord  thy  God  liveth,  I  have  no  bread,  but 
only  a,  handful  of  meal  in  a  pot,  and  a  little  oil  in  a  cruse: 
behold,  I  am  gathering  two  sticks,  that  I  may  go  in  and  dress 
it  for  me  and  my  son,  that  we  may  eat  it,  and  die.  And  Elias 


TUESDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT.  \Q\ 

said  to  her:  Fear  not,  but  go,  and  do  as  thou  hast  said:  but 
first  make  for  me  of  the  same  meal  a  little  hearth  cake,  and 
bring  it  to  me :  and  after  make  for  thyself  and  thy  son.  For 
thus  saith  the  Lord  the  God  of  Israel:  The  pot  of  meal  shall 
not  waste,  nor  the  cruse  of  oil  be  diminished,  until  the  day 
wherein  the  Lord  will  give  rain  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 
She  went,  and  did  according  to  the  word  of  Elias :  and  he 
ate,  and  she,  and  her  house :  and  from  that  day  the  pot  of 
meal  wasted  not,  and  the  cruse  of  oil  was  not  diminished, 
according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  he  spoke  in  the 
hand  of  Elias. 

EXPLANATION.  In  this  lesson  the  Church  calls  our  atten- 
tion ,  by  the  example  of  the  widow  of  Sarephta  who  was  willing 
to  share  her  last  morsel  with  God's  servant,  Elias,  to  the  pleasure 
it  gives  God  to  see  charity  shown  the  poor,  which  He  rewards 
even  in  this  world.  "Almsgiving,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "is  the 
most  profitable  profession ;  and  St.  John,  Archbishop  of  Alexan- 
dria, who  on  account  of  his  charity  to  the  poor  received  the  name 
of  "Almsgiver",  often  said:  "The  more  I  give  to  the  poor,  the 
more  and  the  greater  do  I  receive  from  God."  Do  this  likewise, 
and  thou  wilt  find,  that  even  now  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  not 
shortened. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xiii.  1  — 12.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spoke 
to  the  multitudes  and  to  his  disciples,  saying,  the  Scribes 
and  the  Pharisees  have  sitten  on  the  chair  of  Moses.  All 
things  therefore,  whatsoever  they  shall  say  to  you,  observe 
and  do:  but  according  to  their  works  do  ye  not:  for  they  say, 
and  do  not.  For  they  bind  heavy  and  insupportable  burdens : 
and  lay  them  on  men's  shoulders :  but  with  a  finger  of  their 
own  they  will  not  move  them.  And  all  these  works  they  do 
to  be  seen  of  men.  For  they  make  their  phylacteries  broad 
and  enlarge  their  fringes.  And  they  love  the  first  places  at 
feasts,  and  the  first  chairs  in  the  synagogues,  and  salutations 
in  the  market-place,  and  to  be  called  by  men  Rabbi.  But  be 
not  you  called  Rabbi.  For  one  is  your  master  and  all  you 
are  brethren.  And  call  none  your  father  upon  earth:  for  one 
is  your  father,  who  is  in  heaven.  Neither  be  ye  called  mas- 
ters: for  one  is  your  master,  Christ.  He  that  is  the  greatest 
among  you,  shall  be  your  servant.  And  whosoever  shall  exalt 


11 


162  WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

himself,  shall  be  humbled:  and  he  that  shall  humble  himself, 
shall  be  exalted. 

EXPLANATION.  Christ  warns  us  against  the  hypocrisy  and 
ambition  of  the  Pharisees  who  not  seeing  how  miserable  they 
were,  sought  only  to  be  honored  and  praised.  — Fly  from  vain 
glory,  ambition,  and  hypocrisy,  for  "all  a  man's  virtues  and  ex- 
cellent qualities,  if  he  is  bloated  with  pride  and  vanity,  have  only 
the  appearance  of  good  without  inward  value,"  says  St.  Francis 
de  Sales  {Phil.  iii.  4.),  and  St.  Gregory  says,  "  All  that  we  do,  is 
lost,  if  it  is  not  founded  on  humility;"  and  St.  Bernard,  "Narrow 
is  the  door  of  heaven,  and  only  the  small  can  pass  through  it," 
that  is,  only  those  who,  like  children,  walk  simply  and  humbly. 

WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  {Esther  xiii.  8—17.)  In  those  days:  Mardochai 
besought  the  Lord,  remembering  all  his  works,  and  said:  0 
Lord,  Lord,  almighty  King,  for  all  things  are  in  thy  power, 
and  there  is  none  that  can  resist  thy  will,  if  thou  determine 
to  save  Israel.  Thou  hast  made  heaven  and  earth,  and  all 
things  that  are  under  the  cope  of  heaven.  Thou  art  Lord  of 
all,  and  there  is  none  that  can  resist  thy  majesty.  Thou 
knowest  all  things,  and  thou  knowest  that  it  was  not  out  of 
pride  and  contempt,  or  any  desire  of  glory,  that  I  refused  to 
worship  the  proud  Aman  (for  I  would  willingly  and  readily 
for  the  salvation  of  Israel  have  kissed  even  the  steps  of  his 
feet :)  but  I  feared,  lest  I  should  transfer  the  honour  of  my 
God  to  a  man,  and  lest  I  should  adore  any  one  except  my 
God.  And  now,  0  Lord,  0  King,  0  God  of  Abraham,  have 
mercy  on  thy  people,  because  our  enemies  resolve  to  destroy 
us,  and  extinguish  thy  inheritance.  Despise  not  thy  portion 
which  thou  hast  redeemed  for  thyself  out  of  Egypt.  Hear 
my  supplication,  and  be  merciful  to  thy  lot  and  inheritance, 
and  turn  our  mourning  into  joy,  that  we  may  live  and  praise 
thy  name,  0  Lord,  and  shut  not  the  mouths  of  them  that 
sing  to  thee,  0  Lord  our  God. 

EXPLANATION.  Aman,  one  of  the  favorites  of  the  Persian 
King  Assuerus,  aspired  in  his  pride  and  conceit  to  divine  honors. 
Mardochai,  a  Jew  and  fosterfather  of  Queen  Esther,  refused  them 
to  him,  because  they  are  due  only  to  God.  In  revenge  Aman 
sought  to  destroy  all  the  Jews,  and  bring  Mardochai  to  the  gal- 
lows, which  he  had  already  erected  for  him.  In  this  strait  Mar- 
dochai prayed  to  God,  and  his  prayer  was  heard.    Aman  himself, 


WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT.  163 

when  his  evil  intentions  became  known,  was  hung  on  the  very 
gallows  he  had  prepared  for  Mardochai. —  Consider  the  effect  of 
Mardochai's  prayer,  and  on  the  truth  that  God  ruins  the  proud 
{Luke  i.  52.),  and  that  he  who  diggeth  a  pit  for  his  neighbor,  ge- 
nerally falls  in  it  himself.  *$ 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xx.  17—28.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  going 
up  to  Jerusalem,  took  the  twelve  disciples  apart,  and  said 
to  them:  Behold,  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  the  Son  of  Man 
shall  be  betrayed  to  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes,  and 
they  shall  condemn  him  to  death,  and  shall  deliver  him  to 
the  Gentiles  to  be  mocked,  and  to  be  scourged,  and  to  be 
crucified,  and  the  third  day  he  shall  rise  again.  Then  came 
to  him  the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee  with  her  sons, 
adoring  and  asking  something  of  him.  Who  said  to  her: 
What  wilt  thou  ?  She  saith  to  him :  Say  that  these  my  two 
sons  may  sit,  the  one  on  thy  right  hand,  and  the  other  on 
thy  left,  in  thy  kingdom.  And  Jesus  answering,  and  said: 
You  know  not  what  you  ask.  Can  you  drink  the  chalice  that 
I  shall  drink  ?  They  say  to  him :  We  can.  He  saith  to  them : 
Of  my  chalice  indeed  you  shall  drink :  but  to  sit  on  my  right 
hand  or  left  hand,  is  not  mine  to  give  to  you,  but  to  them 
for  whom  it  is  prepared  by  my  Father.  And  the  ten  hearing 
it,  were  moved  with  indignation  against  the  two  brethren. 
But  Jesus  called  them  to  him,  and  said:  You  know  that  the 
princes  of  the  Gentile,  lord  it  over  them:  and  they  that  are 
the  greater,  exercise  power  upon  them.  It  shall  not  be  so 
among  you,  but  whosoever  will  be  the  greater  among  you, 
let  him  be  your  minister:  and  he  that  will  be  first  among 
you,  shall  be  your  servant.  Even  as  the  Son  of  Man  is  not 
come  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his 
life  a  redemption  for  many. 

EXPLANATION.  I.  For  the  last  time  the  Saviour  goes  to 
Jerusalem,  and,  on  His  way,  announces  His  death  on  the  cross  to 
the  twelve  apostles.  Of  this  St.  Chrysostom  says:  "The  salvation 
of  men  is  all  in  the  death  of  Christ,  and  there  is  nothing  for  which 
we  should  thank  God  more  than  for  the  death  of  His  Son.  There- 
fore, Christ  took  the  twelve  apostles  aside,  and  told  them  of  the 
mystery  of  His  death,  that  this  precious  treasure  might  be  en- 


IP 


164  THURSDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

closed  in  the  best  hearts,  that  is,  in  the  hearts  of  the  apostles," 
that  they  might  give  it  to  all  men. 

II.  To  the  ambitious  request  of  the  mother  of  James  andJohn, 
Jesus  replied,  that  they  must  indeed  suffer,  but  to  sit  on  His  right 
hand  He  could^iot  give.  Of  this  St.  Remigius  and  St.  Bede  write: 
"It  is  not  suitable  for  me  to  give  them  the  place  on  my  right 
hand,  because  you  are  ambitious.  This  place  is  prepared  for  the 
humble.  If  you  are  humble,  it  is  also  ready  for  you."  See  how 
necessary  is  humility,  for  even  martyrdom  is  not  rewarded 
without  it. 

THURSDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON".  (Jer.  xvii.  5—10.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord:  Cursed 
be  the  man  that  trusteth  in  man,  and  maketh  flesh  his  arm, 
and  whose  heart  departeth  from  the  Lord.  For  he  shall  be 
like  tamarick  in  the  desert,  and  he  shall  not  see  when  good 
shall  come:  but  he- shall  dwell  in  dryness  in  the  desert,  in  a 
salt  land  and  not  inhabited.  Blessed  be  the  man  that  trusteth 
in  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  shall  be  his  confidence.  And  he 
shall  be  as  a  tree  that  is  planted  by  the  waters,  and  spreadeth 
out  its  roots  towards  moisture:  and  it  shall  not  fear  when 
the  heat  cometh.  And  the  leaf  thereof  shall  be  green,  and  in 
the  time  of  drought  it  shall  not  be  solicitous,  neither  shall 
it  cease  at  any  time  to  bring  forth  fruit.  The  heart  is  per- 
verse above  all  things,  and  unsearchable,  who  can  know  it? 
I  am  the  Lord  that  search  the  heart,  and  prove  the  reins; 
who  give  to  every  one  according  to  his  way,  and  according 
to  the  fruit  of  his  devices,  saith  the  Lord  Almigthy. 

INSTRUCTION.  In  a  threefold  way  the  curse  of  God  is 
manifested  in  him  who  trusts  Him  not:  God,  angels,  and  saints 
abandon  him ;  all  divine  grace  and  assistance  in  good  works  are 
withdrawn  from  him;  all  the  merit  of  his  wrork  is  taken  away, 
and  all  his  actions  and  performances  will  bring  no  good  fruit.— 
Never  place  your  confidence,  therefore,  in  miserable,  fickle  man, 
but  in  the  omnipotent,  eternal  God,  and  you  will  always  receive 
assistance. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  xvi.  19  —  31.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  the  Pharisees:  There  was  a  certain  rich  man,  who  was 
clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen:  and  feasted  sumptuously 
every  day.  And  there  was  a  certain  beggar,  named  Lazarus, 
who  lay  at  his  gate,  full  of  sores,  desiring  to  be  fed  with  the 
crumbs  that  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table,  and  no  one  did 


FRIDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT.  165 

give  him,  moreover  the  dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores.  And 
it  came  to  pass  that  the  beggar  died,  and  was  carried  by 
the  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom.  And  the  rich  man  also 
died,  and  he  was  buried  in  hell.  And  lifting  up  his  eyes, 
when  he  was  in  torments,  he  saw  Abraham  afar  off,  and 
Lazarus  in  his  bosom.  And  he  cried,  and  said:  Father  Abra- 
ham, have  mercy  on  me,  and  send  Lazarus  that  he  may  dip 
the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water,  to  cool  my  tongue,  for  I  am 
tormented  in  this  flame.  And  Abraham  said  to  him:  Son, 
remember  that  thou  didst  receive  good  things  in  thy  life- 
time, and  likewise  Lazarus  evil  things':  but  now  he  is  com- 
forted, and  thou  art  tormented.  And  besides  all  this,  between 
us  and  you  there  is  fixed  a  great  chaos:  so  that  they  who 
would  pass  from  hence  to  you,  cannot,  nor  from  thence  come 
hither.  And  he  said:  Then  father,  1  beseech  thee  that  thou 
wouldst  send  him  to  my  father's  house.  For  I  have  five 
brethren,  that  he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest  they  also  come 
into- this  place  of  torments.  And  Abraham  said  to  him:  They 
have  Moses  and  the  prophets:  let  them  hear  them.  But  he 
said:  No,  Father  Abraham,  but  if  any  one  went  to  them 
from  the  dead,  they  will  do  penance.  And  he  said  to  him: 
If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they 
believe,  if  one  rise  again  from  the  dead. 

EXPLANATION.  Christ,  in  this  parable,  teaches  that  those 
who  make  bad  use  of  earthly  riches,  and  only  abuse  them  by  vain 
luxuries,  will  be  deprived  of  eternal  good  and  punished  with 
eternal  torments,  while  those,  who  following  Christ's  example, 
lead  a  poor,  toilsome,  but  virtuous  life,  will  be  eternally  rewarded. 
"It  is  difficult,  even  impossible,"  writes  St.  Jerome,  "for  those 
who  here  enjoy  present  riches,  should  enjoy  eternal  ones  in  fu- 
ture; impossible  for  one  here  to  fill  his  stomach,  and  in  the  next 
world  his  soul,  passing  over  from  earthly  pleasures  to  heavenly 
joys,  receiving  honor  on  earth  and  honor  also  in  heaven." 

FRIDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  {Gen.  xxxvii.  6—22.)  In  those  days:  Joseph  said 
to  his  brethren:  Hear  my  dream  which  I  have  dreamed:  I 
thought,  we  were  binding  sheaves  in  the  field:  and  my  sheaf 


166  FKIDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

arose  as  it  were,  and  stood,  and  your  sheaves  standing  about 
bowed  down  before  my  sheaf.  His  brethren  answered:  Shalt 
thou  be  our  king?  or  shall  we  be  subject  to  thy  dominion? 
Therefore  this  matter  of  his  dreams  and  words  ministered 
nourishment  to  their  envy  and  hatred.  He  dreamed  also 
another  dream  which  he  told  his  brethren,  saying:  I  saw  in 
a  dream,  as  it  were  the  sun,  and  the  moon,  and  eleven  stars, 
worshipping  me.  And  when  he  had  told  this  to  his  father, 
and  brethren,  his  father  rebuked  him,  and  said:  What  mean- 
eth  this  dream  that  thou  hast  dreamed?  shall  I  and  thy 
mother,  and  thy  brethren,  worship  thee  upon  the  earth?  His 
brethren  therefore  envied  him:  but  his  father  considered  the 
thing  with  himself.  And  when  his  brethren  abode  in  Sichem, 
feeding  their  father's  flocks,  Israel  said  to  him:  Thy  brethren 
feed  the  sheep  in  Sichem:  come,  I  will  send  thee  to  them. 
And  when  he  answered:  I  am  ready:  he  said  to  him:  Go, 
and  see  if  all  things  be  well  with  thy  brethren,  and  the 
cattle:  and  bring  me  word  again  what  is  doing.  So  being 
sent  from  the  vale  of  Hebron,  he  came  to  Sichem.  And  a 
man  found  him  there  wandering  in  the  field,  and  asked  him 
what  he  sought.  But  he  answered:  I  seek  my  brethren:  tell 
me  where  they  feed  their  flocks.  And  the  man  said  to  him: 
They  are  departed  from  this  place:  for  I  heard  them  say:  let 
us  go  to  Dothain.  And  Joseph  went  forward  after  his  breth- 
ren, and  found  them  in  Dothain.  And  when  they  saw  him 
afar  off,  before  he  came  nigh  them,  they  thought  to  kill  him: 
and  said  one  to  another:  Behold,  the  dreamer  cometh,  come 
let  us  kill  him,  and  cast  him  into  some  old  pit;  and  we  will 
say:  some  evil  beast  hath  devoured  him;  and  then  it  shall 
appear  what  his  dreams  avail  him.  And  Ruben  hearing  this, 
endeavoured  to  deliver  him  out  of  their  hands,  and  said:  Do 
not  take  away  his  life,  nor  shed  his  blood :  but  cast  him  into 
this  pit  that  is  in  the  wilderness,  and  keep  your  hands  harm- 
less: now  he  said  this,  being  desirous  to  deliver  him  out  of 
their  hands  and  restore  him  to  his  father. 

INSTRUCTION.  This  history  shows  us  to  what  great  crimes 
men  may  be  led  by  envy.  "Envy,"  says  St.  Cyprian,  "is  the  root 
of  all  evil,  the  foundation  of  war,  the  seed  of  crime,"  and  St. 
Chrysostom,  "The  envious  are  worse  than  wild  beasts,  and  equal 
to  the  devils,  even  still  worse  than  they ;  for  the  devils  injure 
neither  themselves  nor  their  kind,  while  the  envious  honor  not 


FRIDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT.  167 

the  ties  of  nature,  nor  spare  even  themselves."  The  Christian, 
therefore,  should  guard  and  take  care  against  nothing  more  than 
the  snares  of  envy. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  VICE  OF  ENVY,  AND  THE 
CURE  FOR  IT. 

ENvy  is  either  a  pain,  a  kind  of  sadness  because  of  another's 
prosperity,  or  joy  at  his  misfortunes.  He  is  envious  who  is 
inwardly  disturbed,  grieved,  and  sad,  if  his  neighbor  possesses 
more,  is  more  honored,  or  gains  more  than  he,  or  who  rejoices  if 
his  neighbor  is  injured,  if  shame  falls  upon  him,  or  if  he  loses  his 
reputation.  Envy' is  felt  towards  those  who  occupy  a  higher  posi- 
tion, because  the  envious  one  cannot  become  their  equal ;  towards 
those  of  inferior  condition,  because  he  fears  they  will  become 
equal  to  him;  and  to  his  equals,  because  he  possesses  no  more 
than  they.  Such  envy  had  Saul  on  account  01  David,  the  Phari- 
sees of  Christ. 

Envy  is  one  of  the  most  detestable  of  vices,  because  it  is  so 
frequently  found  on  earth,  and  because  none  so  destroys  indivi- 
dual happiness,  as  well  as  the  welfare  of  whole  nations.  Its  con- 
sequences are  often  enmity,  vengeance,  murder.  It  at  once  opposes 
the  love  of  our  neighbor,  and  is  therefore  hated  by  God. 

To  exterminate  the  roots  of  this  vice  as  soon  as  they  germi- 
nate in  the  heart,  it  is  well  to  consider  often: 

I.  that  envious  people  are  like  the  devil  whom  our  good  works 
make  dissatisfied,  and  who  feels  the  greatest  pain  at  them  be- 
cause of  the  eternal  reward  promised,  which  we  can  obtain,  for 
he  has  lost  it  and  can  never  regain  it.  "Would  that  God,"  writes 
St.  Augustine,  "turn  away  the  pest  of  envy  out  of  all  Christian 
souls,  for  envy  is  a  diabolical  crime,  the  only  one  of  which  the 
devil  is  in  an  unforgiving  manner  properly  guilty,  because  as  a 
fallen  spirit,  he  feels  the  most  furious  envy  of  man  who  remains 
standing;" 

II.  that  nothing  is  gained  by  envy,  but  the  envious  one  im- 
bitters  his  own  life;  the  peace  of  heart  abandons  him,  whether 
he  sees  his  neighbor  in  prosperity  or  in  adversity; 

III.  that  the  envious  loses  the  benefit  of  all  his  neighbor's 
good  works,  because  he  has  no  love  for  him,  and  is  not  in  the 
state  of  grace.  The  envious  becomes  constantly  poorer  and  more 
corrupt  the  more  his  neighbor  increases  in  good  works.  This  St. 
Gregory  indicates,  when  he  says:  "Love,  by  its  love,  has  a  share 
in  the  ^ood  deeds  of  its  neighbor,  but  envy  turns  them,  by  its 
hatred,  into  so  many  heart  sores ;" 

IV.  that  envy  devours  the  heart,  consumes  the  body,  tortures 
the  spirit  and  frightens  away  all  joy  from  the  soul.  The  Scriptures 
call  envy  the  rottenness  of  the  bones  (Prov.  xiv.  30.) ;  some  fathers 


168  FRIDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

of  the  Church  call  it  the  judge  and  executioner  of  man,  because 
the  envious  destroys  himself  by  his  own  selftorments ;  finally, 

V.  that  envy  is  generally  born  from  the  mother  of  all  sins: 
Pride.  The  proud  cannot  endure,  that  any  one  of  higher  standing 
should  be  made  his  equal  or  possess  more  than  he,  so  envy  springs 
up  in  his  heart  towards  those  who  excel  him,  who  gain  or  possess 
more  than  he.  Strive,  therefore,  to  practise  the  virtue  of  humi- 
lity, and  consider  that  God  regards  not  the  dignity,  nor  the 
wealth,  or  honor  of  man,  but  the  humble,  meek,  and  loving  heart, 
which  he  makes  still  richer  with  His  blessings. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Jesus  who  wast  made  to  suffer  so  much 
by  the  envy  of  the  Pharisees,  grant,  that  I  may  despise  this 
vice,  and  always  love  my  neighbor,  thus  imitating  Thee  who 
didst  shed  Thy  blood  for  love  of  us. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xxi.  33—46.)  At  that  time  Jesus  spoke 
to  the  multitude  of  the  Jews,  and  to  the  chief  priests  this 
parable:  There  was  a  householder  who  planted  a  vineyard, 
and  made  a  hedge  round  about  it,  and  dug  in  it  a  press,  and 
built  a  tower,  and  let  it  out  to  husbandmen:  and  went  into 
a  strange  country.  And  when  the  time  of  the  fruits  drew 
nigh,  he  sent  his  servants  to  the  husbandmen,  that  they 
might  receive  the  fruits  thereof.  And  the  husbandmen  lay- 
ing hands  on  his  servants,  beat  one,  and  killed  another,  and 
stoned  another.  Again  he  sent  other  servants  more  than  the 
former:  and  they  did  to  them  in  like  manner.  And  last  of 
all  he  sent  them  his  Son,  saying:  They  will  reverence  my 
Son:  But  when  the  husbandmen  seeing  the  Son,  they  said 
among  themselves:  This  is  the  heir,  come,  let  us  kill  him, 
and  we  shall  have  his  inheritance.  And  taking  him  they 
cast  him  forth  out  of  the  vineyard,  and  killed  him.  When 
therefore  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  shall  come,  what  will  he 
do  to  those  husbandmen?  They  say  to  him:  He  will  bring 
those  evil  men  to  an  evil  end:  and  will  let  out  his  vineyard 
to  other  husbandmen,  that  shall  render  him  the  fruit  in  due 
season.  Jesus  saith  to  them:  Have  you  never  read  in  the 
Scriptures:  "The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same 
is  become  the  head  of  the  corner?  By  the  Lord  this  hath 
been  done,  and  it  is  wonderful  in  our  eyes.'1  Therefore  I  say 


SATURDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT.  \ 69 

to  you,  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and 
shall  be  given  to  a  nation  yielding  the  fruits  thereof.  And 
whosoever  shall  fall  on  this  stone,  shall  be  broken :  but  on 
whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  it  shall  grind  him  to  powder.  And 
when  the  chief  priests  and  pharisees  had  heard  his  parables, 
they  knew  that  he  spoke  of  them.  And  seeking  to  lay  hands 
on  him,  they  feared  the  multitude:  because  they  held  him 
as  a  prophet. 

EXPLANATION.  The  householder  in  this  parable,  is  God; 
the  vineyard  is  the  Church  before  and  after  Christ;  the  hedge 
the  protection  of  God's  providence  and  His  angels;  the  winepress 
is  the  word  of  God,  which  exhorts  man  to  good ;  the  tower  the 
earthly  protection  of  the  superiors;  the  husbandmen,  who  are 
the  priests,  the  kings,  the  judges,  and  the  learned;  the  going 
away  of  the  householder  represents  the  invisibility  of  God;  the 
time  of  the  fruits,  that  is,  of  good  works,  should  always  be  at 
hand,  because  we  should  be  always  serving  God,  and  producing 
the  fruit  of  good  works;  the  servants  are  the  prophets,  the 
apostles;  the  son  Christ  Jesus,  whom  the  Jews  crucified,  and 
whom  sinners  and  the  enemies  of  Christianity  still  crucify.  The 
kingdom  of  God  was,  therefore,  taken  away  from  the  Jews,  and 
will  be  taken  from  sinners  and  Christ's  enemies,  because  they 
despise  and  persecute  the  Lord,  and  by  their  sins  crucify  Him 
anew.  Woe  to  you,  if  you  acknowledge  not  the  truth,  and  if  you 
bring  not  forth  good  fruits ! 

SATURDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Gen.  xxvii.  6 — 40.)  In  those  days:  Rebecca  said 
to  her  son  Jacob:  I  heard  thy  father  talking  with  Esau  thy 
brother,  and  saying  to  him:  Bring  me  of  thy  hunting,  and 
make  me  meats  that  I  may  eat,  and  bless  thee  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord,  before  I  die.  Now  therefore,  my  son,  follow  my 
counsel:  and  go  thy  way  to  thy  flock,  bring  me  two  kids  of 
the  best,  that  I  may  make  of  them  meat  for  thy  father, 
such  as  he  gladly  eateth:  which  when  thou  hast  brought  in, 
and  he  hath  eaten,  he  may  bless  thee  before  he  die.  And  he 
answered  her:  Thou  knowest  that  Esau  my  brother  is  a  hairy 
man,  and  I  am  smooth:  if  my  father  shall  feel  me,  and  per- 
ceive it,  I  fear  lest  he  will  think,  I  would  have  mocked  him, 
and  I  shall  bring  upon  me  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing.  And 
his  mother  said  to  him :    Upon  me  be  this  curse ,  my  son : 


170  SATURDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

only  hear  thou  my  voice,  and  go,  fetch  me  the  things  which 
I  have  said.  He  went,  and  brought,  and  gave  them  to  his 
mother.  She  dressed  meat  such  as  she  knew  his  father  liked. 
And  she  put  on  him  very  good  garments  of  Esau,  which  she 
had  at  home  with  her:  and  the  little  skins  of  the  kids  she 
put  about  his  hands,  and  covered  the  bare  of  his  neck.  And 
she  gave  him  the  savoury  meat,  and  delivered  him  bread 
that  she  had  baked.  Which  when  he  had  carried  in,  he  said: 
My  father?  But  he  answered:  I  hear.  Who  art  thou  my  son? 
And  Jacob  said:  I  am  Esau  thy  first-born:  I  have  done  as 
thou  didst  command  me,  arise,  sit  and  eat  of  my  venison, 
that  thy  soul  may  bless  me.  And  Isaac  said  to  his  son:  How 
couldst  thou  find  it  so  quickly,  my  son?  He  answered:  It 
was  the  will  of  God  that  what  I  sought  came  quickly  in  my 
way.  And  Isaac  said:  Come  hither,  that  I  may  feel  thee  my 
son,  and  may  prove  whether  thou  be  my  son  Esau  or  no:  He 
came  near  to  his  father,  and  when  he  had  felt  him,  Isaac 
said:  The  voice  indeed  is  the  voice  of  Jacob,  but  the  hands, 
are  the  hands  of  Esau.  And  he  knew  him  not,  because  his 
hairy  hands  made  him  like  to  the  elder.  Then  blessing  him, 
he  said:  Art  thou  my  son  Esau?  He  answered:  I  am.  Then 
he  said:  Bring  me  the  meats  of  thy  hunting,  my  son,  that 
my  soul  may  bless  thee.  And  when  they  were  brought  and 
he  had  eaten,  he  offered  him  wine  also,  which  after  he  had 
drunk,  he  said  to  him:  Come  near  me,  and  give  me  a  kiss, 
my  son.  He  came  near,  and  kissed  him.  And  immediately 
as  he  smelled  the  fragrant  smell  of  his  garments,  blessing 
him,  he  said:  Behold,  the  smell  of  my  son  is  as  the  smell  of  a 
plentiful  field,  which  the  Lord  hath  blessed.  God  give  thee 
of  the  dew  of  heaven,  and  of  the  fatness  of  the  earth,  abun- 
dance of  corn  and  wine.  And  let  peoples  serve  thee,  and 
tribes  worship  thee:  be  thou  lord  of  thy  brethren,  and  let 
thy  mother's  children  bow  down  before  thee.  Cursed  be  he 
that  curseth  thee :  and  let  him  that  blesseth  thee,  be  filled 
with  blessings.  Isaac  had  scarce  ended  his  words,  when,  Jacob 
being  now  gone  out  abroad,  Esau  came,  and  brought  in  to 
his  father  meats  made  of  what  he  had  taken  in  hunting, 
saying:  Arise,  my  father,  and  eat  of  thy  son's  venison:  that 
thy  soul  may  bless  me.  And  Isaac  said  to  him:  Why!  who 
art  thou?  He  answered:  I  am  thy  first-born  son  Esau.  Isaac 


SATURDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT.  171 

was  struck  with  fear,  and  astonished  exceedingly:  and  won- 
dering beyond  what  can  be  believed,  said :  Who  is  he  that 
even  now  brought  me  venison  that  he  had  taken,  and  I  ate 
of  all  before  thou  earnest?  and  I  have  blessed  him,  and  he 
shall  be  blessed.  Esau  having  heard  his  father's  words,  roared 
out  with  a  great  cry:  and  being  in  a  consternation,  said: 
Bless  me  also,  my  father.  And  he  said:  Thy  brother  came 
deceitfully  and  got  thy  blessing.  But  he  said  again:  Rightly 
is  his  name  called  Jacob:  for  he  hath  supplanted  me  lo  this 
second  time:  my  first  birth-right  he  took  away  before,  and 
now  this  second  time  he  hath  stolen  away  my  blessing.  And 
again  he  said  to  his  father:  Hast  thou  not  reserved  me  also 
a  blessing?  Isaac  answered:  I  have  appointed  him  thy  lord, 
and  have  made  all  his  brethren  his  servants:  I  have  esta- 
blished him  with  corn  and  oil,  and  after  this,  what  shall  I 
do  more  for  thee  my  son?  And  Esau  said  to  him:  Hast  thou 
only  one  blessing,  father?  I  beseech  thee,  bless  me  also.  And 
when  he  wept  with  a  loud  cry,  Isaac  being  moved,  said  to 
him:  In  the  fat  of  the  earth,  and  in  the  dew  of  heaven  from 
above  shall  thy  blessing  be. 

INSTRUCTION.  The  two  sons  of  Isaac  so  esteemed  their 
father's  blessing,  that  one  of  them  even  strove  to  gain  it  by  a 
fraud,  and  the  other  wept  and  lamented  in  grief  at  losing  it.  Let 
us  not  disregard  the  blessing  of  our  parents,  because,  as  the  Bible 
says,  it  builds  houses  for  the  children,  while  their  curse  uproots 
their  foundations.  (Eccl.  iii.  11.)  If  the  holy  Patriarch  Jacob  sin- 
ned by  a  lie,  we  must  bear  in  mind,  that  we  are  not  to  imagine 
ourselves  secure,  and  that  we  should  never  let  ourselves  be  led 
into  even  the  smallest  sin  to  gain  any  good  however  great. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  xv.  11 — 32.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spoke 
to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  this  parable:  A  certain  man 
had  two  sons:  and  the  younger  of  them  said  to  his  father: 
Father,  give  me  the  portion  of  substance  that  falleth  to  me. 
And  he  divided  unto  them  his  substance.  And  not  many 
days  after,  the  younger  son  gathering  all  together,  went 
abroad  into  a  far  country:  and  there  wasted  his  substance 
with  living  riotously.  And  after  he  had  spent  all,  there  came 
a  mighty  famine  in  that  country,  and  he  began  to  be  in  want. 
And  he  went  and  cleaved  to  one  of  the  citizens  of  that  coun- 
try. And  he  sent  him  into  his  farm  to  feed  swine.   And  he 


172  SATURDAY  IN  THE  SECOND  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

would  fain  have  filled  his  belly  with  the  husks  the  swine  did 
eat:  and  no  man  gave  unto  him.  And  returning  to  himself 
he  said:  How  many  hired  servants  in  my  father's  house 
abound  with  bread,  and  I  here  perish  with  hunger?  I  will 
arise,  and  will  go  to  my  father,  and  say  to  him :  Father,  I 
have  sinned  against  heaven,  and  before  thee:  I  am  not  now 
worthy  to  be  called  thy  son:  make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired 
servants.  And  rising  up  he  came  to  his  father.  And  when  he 
was  yet  a  great  way  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  was  moved 
with  compassion,  and  running  to  him  fell  upon  his  neck  and 
kissed  him.  And  the  son  said  to  him:  Father,  I  have  sinned 
against  heaven,  and  before  thee,  I  am  not  now  worthy  to 
be  called  thy  son.  But  the  father  said  to  his  servants :  Bring 
forth  quickly  the  first  robe,  and  put  it  on  him,  and  put  a 
ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet:  and  bring  hither  the 
fatted  calf,  and  kill  it,  and  let  us  eat,  and  make  merry:  be- 
cause this  my  son  was  dead,  and  is  now  come  to  life  again: 
was  lost,  and  is  found.  And  they  began  to  be  merry.  Now 
his  eldest  son  was  in  the  field:  and  when  he  came  and  drew 
nigh  to  the  house,  he  heard  music  and  dancing:  and  he  cal- 
led one  of  the  servants,  and  asked  what  these  things  meant. 
And  he  said  to  him:  Thy  brother  is  come,  and  thy  father 
hath  killed  the  fatted  calf,  because  he  hath  received  him 
safe.  And  he  was  angry,  and  would  not  go  in.  His  father 
therefore  coming  out  began  to  entreat  him.  And  he  an- 
swering, said  to  his  father :  Behold,  for  so  many  years  do  I 
serve  thee,  and  I  have  never  transgressed  thy  commandments, 
and  yet  thou  hast  never  given  me  a  kid  to  make  merry 
with  my  friends:  but  as  soon  as  this  thy  son  is  come,  who 
hath  devoured  his  substance  with  harlots,  thou  hast  killed 
for  him  the  fatted  calf.  But  he  said  to  him:  Son,  thou  art 
always  with  me,  and  all  I  have  is  thine.  But  it  was  fit,  we 
should  make  merry  and  be  glad,  for  this  thy  brother  was 
dead,  and  is  come  to  life  again;  he  was  lost  and  is  found. 

EXPLANATION.    This  parable  was  spoken  principally  for 
the  Pharisees,  who  reproached  our  Saviour's  loving  behavior 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 


173 


towards  publicans  and  sinners,  at  the  same  time  it  is  a  trust- 
worthy testimony,  for  all  sinners,  to  the  willingness  of  God,  the 
best  Father,  to  receive  at  all  times,  and  with  most  compassionate 
love,  every  one,  even  the  greatest  sinner,  who  truly  repents,  for- 
giving and  forgetting  all  his  misdeeds.  "The  food  of  the  Heavenly 
Father  is  our  salvation,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "and  His  joy  is  our 
redemption  from  our  sins."  Should  not  this  unspeakable  love  and 
goodness  of  God  move  you  to  conversion,  when,  like  the  prodigal 
son,  you  have  seen  it? 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  IN 
LENT,  called  OCULI. 


He  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass,  which  begins 
with  the  word  Oculi,  is  the  prayer  of  a  soul 
imploring  deliverance  from  the  snares  of  the 
devil:  My  eyes  are  ever  towards  the 
Lord:  for  he  shall  pluck  my  feet  out 
of  the  snare:  look  thou  upon  me,  and 
»  have  mercy  on  me;  for  I  am  alone  and 
poor.  To  thee,  0  Lord,  have  I  lifted  up  my  soul:  in  thee, 
0  my  God,  I  put  my  trust,  let  me  not  be  ashamed.  (Ps. 
xxiv.)  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Be  attentive,  we  beseech 
Thee,  0  Almighty  God,  to  the  prayers  of  Thy  servants:  and 
stretch  forth  the  arm  of  Thy  divine  majesty  in  our  defence. 
Through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  {Ephes.  v.  1—9.)  Brethren:  Be  ye  therefore 
followers  of  God,  as  most  dear  children,  and  walk  in  love, 
as  Christ  also  loved  us,  and  hath  delivered  himself  for  us, 
an  oblation  and  a  sacrifice  to  God,  for  an  odour  of  sweetness. 
But  fornication  and  all  uncleannes,  or  covetousness,  let  it 
not  so  much  as  be  named  among  you,  as  becometh  saints, 
or  obscenity,  or  foolish  talking,  or  scurrility,  which  is  to  no 
purpose :  but  rather  giving  of  thanks.  For  know  ye  this  and 
understand,  that  no  fornicator,  or  unclean,  or  covetous  per- 
son, (which  is  serving  of  idols)  hath  inheritance  in  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  and  of  God.  Let  no  man  deceive  you  with  vain 
words.  For  because  of  these  things  cometh  the  anger  of  God 
upon  the  children  of  unbelief.  Be  ye  not  therefore  partakers 
with  them.  For  you  were  heretofore  darkness,  but  now  light 


174  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 

in  the  Lord.  Walk  ye  as  children  of  the  light. — For  the  fruit 
of  the  light  is  in  all  goodness,  and  justice,  and  truth. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  requires  us  to  imitate  God,  as 
good  children  their  father,  in  well  doing  and  in  well  wishing;  be- 
sides which  he  declares  that  all  covetousness,  fornication,  all 
disgraceful  talk  and  equivocal  jokes  should  he  banished  from 
Christian  meetings,  even  that  such  things  should  not  be  so  much 
as  mentioned  among  us ;  because  these  vices  unfailingly  deprive 
us  of  heaven.  He  also  admonishes  us,  not  to  let  ourselves  be  de- 
ceived by  the  seducing  words  of  those  who  seek  to  make  these 
vices  appear  small,  nothing  more  than  pardonable  human  weak- 
nesses ;  those  who  speak  thus,  are  the  children  of  darkness  and 
of  the  devil,  and  bring  down  the  wrath  of  God  upon  themselves, 
and  all  who  assent  to  their  words.  A  Christian,  a  child  of  light, 
that  is,  of  faith,  should  regard  as  a  sin  that  which  faith  and  con- 
science tell  him,  is  such,  and  must  live  by  the  line  they  place,  and 
not  by  the  rash  judgment  of  the  wicked.  Should  any  one  seek  to 
lead  you  away,  ask  yourself,  my  Christian,  whether  you  would 
dare  appear  with  such  a  deed  before  the  judgment  seat  of  God. 
Listen  to  the  voice  of  your  conscience,  and  let  it  decide,  whether 
that  which  you  are  expected  to  do,  is  good  or  bad,  lawful  or 
unlawful. 

ASPIRATION.  Place  Thy  fear,  0  God,  before  my  mouth, 
that  I  may  utter  no  vain,  careless,  much  less  improper  and 
scandalous  words,  which  may  be  the  occasion  of  sin  to  my 
neighbor.  Strengthen  me,  that  I  may  not  be  deceived  by 
nattering  words,  and  become  faithless  to  Thee. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  xi.  14 — 28.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  was 
casting  out  a  devil,  and  the  same  was  dumb,  and  when  he 
had  cast  out  the  devil,  the  dumb  spoke:  and  the  multitude 
were  in  admiration  at  it.  But  some  of  them  said :  he  casteth 
out  devils,  by  Belzebub  the  prince  of  devils.  And  others 
tempting,  asked  of  him  a  sign  from  heaven.  But  he  seeing 
their  thoughts,  said  to  them:  Every  kingdom  divided  against 
itself,  shall  be  brought  to  desolation,  and  house  upon  house 
shall  fall.  And  if  Satan  also  be  divided  against  himself,  how 
shall  his  kingdom  stand,  because  you  say,  that  through  Bel- 
zebub I  cast  out  devils?  Now  if  I  cast  out  devils  by  Belze- 
bub: by  whom  do  your  children  cast  them  out?  Therefore 
they  shall  be  your  judges.  But  if  I  by  the  finger  of  God  cast 
out  devils:  doubtless  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  upon  you. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 


175 


When  a  strong  man  armed  keepeth  his  court,  those  things 
are  in  peace  which  he  possesseth.  But  if  a  stronger  than  he 
come  upon  him  and  overcome  him,  he  will  take  away  all  his 
armour  wherein  he  trusted,  and  will  distribute  his  spoils. 
He  that  is  not  with  me,  is  against  me:  and  he  that  gathereth 
not  with  me,  scattereth.  When  the  unclean  spirit  is  gone 
out  of  a  man,  he  walketh  through  places  without  water, 
seeking  rest:  and  not  finding,  he  saith:  I  will  return  into  my 
house  whence  I  came  out.  And  when  he  is  come,  he  findeth 
it  swept  and  garnished.  Then  he  goeth  and  taketh  with  him 
seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than  himself,  and  entering 


176  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  LEN.T. 

in,  they  dwell  there.  And  the  last  state  of  that  man  becometh 
worse  than  the  first.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  spoke  these 
things,  a  certain  woman  from  the  crowd  lifting  up  her  voice, 
said  to  him:  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bore  thee,  and  the 
paps  that  gave  thee  suck.  But  he  said:  Yea,  rather,  blessed 
are  they  who  hear  the  word  of  God,  and  keep  it. 

Can  the  devil  really  possess  a  man? 

It  is  the  faith  of  the  Catholic  Church,  that  the  evil  spirit  most 
perniciously  influences  man  in  a  twofold  manner:  by  enticing  his 
soul  to  sin,  and  then  influencing  his  body  which  he  often  entirely 
or  partially  possesses,  manifesting  himself  through  it  by  madness, 
convulsions,  insanity,  <fcc.  Many  texts  of  Scripture,  and  the  writ- 
ings of  the  fathers,  speak  of  this  possession.  St.  Cyprian  writes : 
"We  can  expel  the  swarms  of  impure  spirits,  who  for  theruin 
of  the  soul,  enter  into  the  bodies  of  men,  and  compel  them 
to  acknowledge  tbemselves,  by  the  force  of  powerful  words."  Pos- 
session takes  place  partly  by  the  permission  of  God  for  a  trial, 
and  partly  as  a  punishment  for  sins  committed  (i.  Cor.  v.  5.),  and 
the  Church  from  her  head,  Jesus,  who  expelled  so  many  devils, 
has  received  the  power  of  casting  them  out  as  He  did.  (Mark  xvi. 
17.;  Acts  v.  16.,  viii.  6.  7.,  xvi.  18.,  $c.)  She  however  warns  her 
ministers,  the  priests,  who  by  their  ordination  have  received  the 
power  to  expel  the  evil  spirits,  to  distinguish  carefully  between 
possession  and  natural  sickness,  that  they  may  not  be  deceived 
{Bit.  Bom.  §.  3.  §.  5—10.),  and  the  faithful  should  guard  against 
looking  upon  every  unusual,  unhealthy  appearance  as  an  influence 
of  Satan,  and  should  give  no  ear  to  impostors,  but  in  order  not 
to  be  deceived,  should  turn  to  an  experienced  physician  or  to 
their  pastor. 

What  is  understood  by  a  dumb  devil? 
The  literal  meaning  of  this  is  the  evil  enemy,  who  sometimes 
so  torments  those  whom  he  possesses,  that  they  lose  the  power 
of  speech;  in  a  spiritual  sense,  we  may  understand  it  to  mean 
the  shame  which  the  devil  takes  away  from  the  sinner,  when  he 
commits  the  sin,  but  gives  back  again,  as  false  shame,  before 
confession,  so  that  he  conceals  the  sin,  and  thereby  commits  a 
greater  one. 

How  does  Christ  now  cast  out  dumb  devils? 

By  His  grace  with  which  He  inwardly  enlightens  the  sinner, 
so  that  he  becomes  keenly  aware,  that  the  sins  which  he  has 
concealed  in  confession,  will  one  day  be  known  to  the  whole  world, 
and  encourages  him  to  overcome  his  false  shame.  — "Be  not  a- 
shamed  to  confess  to  one  man,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "that  which 
you  were  not  ashamed  to  do  with  one,  perhaps,  with  many." 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  LENT.  177 

Consider  these  words  of  the  same  saint:  "Sincere  confession  sub- 
dues vice,  conquers  the  evil  one,  shuts  the  door  of  hell,  and  opens 
the  gates  of  paradise." 

How  did  Christ  prove,  that  He  did  not  cast  out  devils  by  Beelzebub? 

By  showing  that  the  kingdom  of  the  devil  could  not  stand,  if 
one  evil  spirit  were  cast  out  by  another;  that  they  thus  re- 
proached their  own  sons,  who  also  cast  out  devils,  and  had  not 
been  accused  of  doing  so  by  power  from  Beelzebub ;  by  His  own 
life  and  works  which  were  in  direct  opposition  to  the  devil,  and 
by  which  the  devil's  works  were  destroyed.— There  is  no  better 
defence  against  calumny  than  an  innocent  life,  and  those  who  are 
slandered,  find  no  better  consolation  than  the  thought  of  Christ, 
who,  in  spite  of  His  sanctity  and  His  miracles,  was  not  secure 
against  calumniation. 

What  is  meant  by  the  finyer  of  God? 

The  power  of  God,  by  which  Christ  expelled  the  evil  spirits, 
and  proved  Himself  God,  and  the  promised  Rede  mer,  who  com- 
menced the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 

Who  is  the  strony  man  armed? 
The  evil  one  is  so  called,  because  he  still  retains  the  power 
and  intellect  of  the  angels,  and,  practised  by  long  experience, 
seeks  in  different  ways,  urged  by  continual  hatred  of  God  and 
man,  to  injure  men,  if  God  permits. 

How  is  the  devil  armed? 
With  the  evil  desires  of  men,  with  the  perishable  riches, 
honors,  and  pleasures  of  this  world,  with  which  he  entices  us  to 
evil,  deceives  us,  and  throws  us  into  eternal  fire. 

Who  is  the  strony  er  one  who  took  away  the  devil's  armor? 
Christ  the  Lord,  who  came  into  this  world,  that  He  might 
destroy  the  works  and  the  kingdom  of  the  devil  {John  iii.  8.),  to 
expel  the  prince  of  darkness  {John  xii.  31.),  and  to  redeem  us  from 
his  power.  "The  devil,"  says  St.  Anthony,  "is  like  a  dragon 
caught  by  the  Lord  with  the  fishing-hook  of  the  cross,  tied  with 
a  halter,  like  a  beast  of  burden,  chained  like  a  fugitive  slave,  and 
his  lips  pierced  through  with  a  ring,  so  that  he  may  not  devour 
one  of  the  faithful.  Now  he  sighs,  like  a  miserable  sparrow, 
caught  by  Christ  and  turned  to  derision,  and  thrown  under  the 
feet  of  the  Christians.  He  who  flattered  himself,  that  he  would 
possess  the  whole  orbit  of  the  earth,  behold,  he  has  to  yield !" 

Why  does  Christ  say :  He  who  is  not  with  me,  is  ayainst  me? 
These  words  were  intended  in  the  first  place  for  the  Phari- 
sees, who  did  not  acknowledge  Christ  as  the  Messiah,  would  not 
fight  with  Him  against  Satan's  power,  but  rather  held  the  people 
back  from  reaching  unity  of  faith  through  love  of  Christ.  Like 
the  Pharisees,  all  heretical  teachers  who,  by  their  false  doctrines, 


12 


178  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 

draw  the  faithful  from  communion  with  Christ  and  His  Church, 
are  similar  to  the  devil,  the  father  of  heresy  and  of  lies.  May  all 
those,  therefore,  who  think  they  can  serve  at  the  same  time  Christ 
and  the  world,  consider  that  between  truth  and  falsehood,  between 
Christ  and  the  world,  there  is  no  middle  path;  that  Christ  re- 
quires decision,  either  with  Him,  or  against  Him,  either  with  and 
through  Him  happy,  or  without  Him  eternally  lost. 

Who  are  understood  by  the  dry  places  through  which  the  evil  spirit 
wanders  and  finds  no  rest  ? 

"The  dry  places  without  water,"  says  St.  Gregory,  "are  the 
hearts  of  the  just,  who  by  the  force  of  penance  have  drained 
away  the  dampness  of  carnal  desires."  In  such  places  the  evil  one 
indeed  finds  no  rest,  because  there  his  malice  finds  no  sympathy, 
and  his  wicked  will  no  satisfaction. 

Why  does  the  evil  spirit  say:  I  will  return  into  my  house? 

Because  he  is  only  contented  there  where  he  is  welcomed  and 
received:  with  those  who  have,  it  is  true,  purified  their  heart  by 
confession,  and  driven  Satan  from  it,  but  laboring  not  to  amend, 
lose  the  grace  of  the  Sacraments  by  sin,  and  thus  devoid  of  virtue 
and  grace,  offer  a  beautiful  and  pleasant  dwelling  to  the  devil. 

Why  is  it  said:    The  last  state  becometh  worse  than 
the  first? 

Because  a  relapse  generally  draws  more  sins  with  it,  and  so 
it  is  said:  the  devil  will  return  with  seven  other  spirits  more 
wicked  than  himself,  by  which  may  be  understood  the  seven 
deadly  sins,  because  after  a  relapse  into  sin  return  to  God  be- 
comes more  difficult,  as  a  repeated  return  of  the  same  sickness 
makes  it  harder  to  regain  health ;  because  by  repetition  sin  easily 
becomes  a  habit  and  renders  conversion  almost  impossible;  be- 
cause repeated  relapses  are  followed  by  blindness  of  intellect, 
hardness  of  heart,  and  then-eternal  damnation. 

Why  did  the  woman  lift  up  her  voice? 
This  was  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  shame  the 
Pharisees,  who,  blinded  by  pride,  neither  professed  nor  acknow- 
ledged the  divinity  of  Christ,  whilst  this  humble  woman  not  only 
confessed  Jesus  as  God,  but  praised  her  who  carried  Him,  whom 
heaven  and  earth  cannot  contain,  under  her  heart.  Consider  the 
great  dignity  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  Mother  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  hear  her  praises  from  the  holy  fathers.  St.  Cyril  thus  salutes 
her:  "Praise  to  thee,  blessed  Mother  of  God:  for  thou  art  vir- 
ginity itself,  the  scepter  of  the  true  faith !"  and  St.  Chrysostom : 
''Hail,  o  Mother,  the  throne,  the  glory,  the  heaven  of  the  Church!" 
St.  Ephrem:  "Hail,  only  hope  of  the  fathers,  herald  of  the  apost- 
les, glory  of  the  martyrs,  joy  of  the  saints,  and  crown  of  the 
virgins,  because  of  thy  vast  glory,  and  inaccessible  light!" 


MONDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT.  179 

Why  did  Christ  praise  those  happy  ones  who  hear  the  word  of  God 

and  keep  it? 
Because,  as  has  been  already  said,  it  is  not  enough  for  salva- 
tion to  hear  the  word  of  God,"  but  it  must  also  be  fulfilled  in 
action.  Because  Mary,  the  tender  Mother  of  Jesus,  did  this  most 
perfectly,  Christ  praised  her  as  more  happy  in  it,  than  in  having 
conceived,  borne,  and  nursed  Him. 

SUPPLICATION.  0  Lord  Jesus!  true  Light  of  the  world, 
enlighten  the  eyes  of  my  soul,  that  I  may  never  be  induced 
by  the  evil  one  to  conceal  a  sin,  from  false  shame,  in  the 
confessional,  that  on  the  day  of  general  judgment  my  sins 
may  not  be  published  to  the  whole  world.  Strengthen  me, 
0  Jesus,  that  I  may  resist  the  arms  of  the  devil  by  a  penitent 
life,  and  especially  by  scorning  the  fear  of  man  and  worldly 
considerations,  and  guard  against  lapsing  into  sin,  that  I 
may  not  be  lost,  but  through  Thy  merits  may  be  delivered 
from  all  dangers  and  obtain  heaven. 

MONDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON,  (iv.  Kings  v.  1  — 15.)  In  those  days:  Naaman, 
general  of  the  army  of  the  King  of  Syria,  was  a  great  man 
with  his  master,  and  honorable :  for  by  him  the  Lord  gave 
deliverance  to  Syria:  and  he  was  a  valiant  man  and  rich, 
but  a  leper.  Now  there  had  gone  out  robbers  from  Syria, 
and  had  led  away  captive  out  of  the  land  of  Israel  a  little 
maid,  and  she  waited  upon  Naaman's  wife.  And  she  said  to 
her  mistress :  I  wish  my  master  had  been  with  the  prophet 
that  is  in  Samaria:  he  would  certainly  have  healed  him  of 
the  leprosy  which  he  hath.  Then  Naaman  went  in  to  his 
lord,  and  told  him,  saying:  Thus  and  thus  saith  the  girl, 
that  came  from  the  land  of  Israel.  And  the  King  of  Syria 
said  to  him:  Go,  and  I  will  send  a  letter  to  the  King  of 
Israel.  And  he  departed,  and  took  with  him  ten  talents  of 
silver,  and  six  thousand  pieces  of  gold,  and  ten  changes  of 
raiment,  and  brought  the  letter  to  the  King  of  Israel,  in  these 
words :  When  thou  shalt  receive  this  letter,  know  that  I  have 
sent  to  thee  Naaman  my  servant,  that  thou  mayest  heal 
him  of  his  leprosy.  And  when  the  King  of  Israel  had  read 
the  letter,  he  rent  his  garments,  and  said:  Am  I  God,  to  be 
able  to  kill  and  to  give  life,  that  this  man  hath  sent  to  me. 
to  heal  a  man  of  his  leprosy?  mark,  and  see  how  he  seeketh 


12s1 


180  MONDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

occasions  against  me.  And  when  Eliseus  the  man  of  God  had 
heard  this,  to  wit,  that  the  King  of  Israel  had  rent  his 
garments,  he  sent  to  him,  saying:  Why  hast  thou  rent  thy 
garments?  let  him  come  to  me  and  let  him  know  that  there 
is  a  prophet  in  Israel.  So  Naaman  came  with  his  horses  and 
chariots,  and  stood  at  the  door  of  the  house  of  Eliseus:  and 
Eliseus  sent  a  messenger  to  him,  saying:  Go  and  wash  seven 
times  in  the  Jordan,  and  thy  flesh  shall  recover  health,  and 
thou  shalt  be  clean.  Naaman  was  angry,  and  went  away, 
saying :  I  thought  he  would  have  come  out  to  me,  and  stand- 
ing would  have  invoked  the  name  of  the  Lord  his  God,  and 
touched  with  his  hand  the  place  of  the  leprosy,  and  healed 
me.  Are  not  the  Abana,  and  the  Pharphar,  rivers  of  Da- 
mascus, better  than  all  the  waters  of  Israel,  that  I  may 
wash  in  them,  and  be  made  clean?  So  as  he  turned,  and 
was  going  away  with  indignation,  his  servants  came  to  him, 
and  said  to  him:  Father,  if  the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do 
some  great  thing,  surely  thou  shouldst  have  done  it:  how 
much  rather  what  he  now  hath  said  to  thee:  Wash,  and 
thou  shalt  be  clean?  Then  he  went  down,  and  washed  in  the 
Jordan  seven  times,  according  to  the  word  of  the  man  of 
God,  and  his  flesh  was  restored,  like  the  flesh  of  a  little 
child,  and  was  made  clean.  And  returning  to  the  man  of 
God  with  all  his  train,  he  came  and  stood  before  him,  and 
said:  In  truth  I  know  there  is  no  other  God  in  all  the  earth, 
but  only  in  Israel. 

INSTRUCTION.  The  bath,  which,  as  required  by  the  Prophet 
Eliseus,  the  leper  Naaman  took  in  the  river  Jordan,  and  by  which 
he  was  cleansed,  is  a  type  of  the  holy  Sacraments  of  Penance  and 
Baptism,  "by  which,"  as  St.  Ambrose  says,  "the  leprosy  of  the 
soul,  sin,  is  removed."  Make  frequent  use  of  the  holy  Sacrament 
of  Penance,  that  your  soul  may  become  always  cleaner  and  more 
agreeable  to  God. 

GOSPEL.  (Lukeir.  23 — 30.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  the  Pharisees:  Doubtless  you  will  say  to  me  this  simili- 
tude: Physician  heal  thyself:  as  great  things  as  we  have 
heard  done  in  Capharnaum,  do  also  here  in  thy  own  country. 
And  he  said:  Amen  I  say  to  you,  that  no  prophet  is  accepted 
in  his  own  country.  In  truth  I  say  to  you,  there  were  many 
widows  in  the  days  of  Elias  in  Israel,  when  heaven  was  shut 


TUESDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT.  181 

up  three  years  and  six  months:  when  there  was  a  great  fa- 
mine throughout  all  the  land;  and  to  none  of  them  was 
Elias  sent,  but  to  Sarephta  of  Sidon  to  a  widow  woman.  And 
there  were  many  lepers  in  Israel  in  the  time  of  Eliseus  the 
prophet :  and  none  of  them  was  cleansed  but  Naaman  the 
Syrian.  And  all  they  in  the  synagogue,  hearing  these  things, 
were  filled  with  anger.  And  they  rose  up  and  thrust  him 
out  of  the  city :  and  they  brought  him  to  the  brow  of  the 
hill,  whereon  their  city  was  built,  that  they  might  cast  him 
down  headlong.  But  he  passing  through  the  midst  of  them, 
went  his  way. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Nazarenes  despised  our  Saviour  be- 
cause of  His  humble  birth,  but  when  they  learned  of  His  miracles, 
they  asked  that  He  would  also  heal  the  sick  and  injured  of  His 
native  place.  But  He  refused  their  request,  because  they  were 
without  faith.— See  from  this  how  important  it  is,  if  you  desire 
not  to  be  given  up  by  God,  as  were  the  Nazarenes,  but  to  be 
aided  by  Him,  that  you  should  have  an  active  faith,  which  i$  a 
gift  of  God,  for  which  you  should  daily  pray,  and  which  you  should 
each  day  renew. 

TUESDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON,  (iv.  Kings  iv.  1 — 7.)  In  those  days:  A  certain 
woman  of  the  wives  of  the  prophets  cried  to  Eliseus,  saying : 
Thy  servant  my  husband  is  dead,  and  thou  knowest  that  thy 
servant  was  one  that  feared  God,  and  behold,  the  creditor  is 
come  to  take  away  my  two  sons  to  serve  him.  And  Eliseus 
said  to  her:  What  wilt  thou  have  me  do  for  thee?  Tell  me 
what  hast  thou  in  thy  house?  And  she  answered:  I  thy 
handmaid  have  nothing  in  my  house  but  a  little  oil,  to  an- 
oint me.  And  he  said  to  her:  Go,  borrow  of  all  thy  neigh- 
bours empty  vessels  not  a  few.  And  go  in,  and  shut  thy 
door,  when  thou  art  within,  with  thy  sons:  and  pour  out 
thereof  into  all  those  vessels;  and  when  they  are  full,  take 
them  away.  So  the  woman  went,  and  shut  the  door  upon 
her,  and  upon  her  sons;  they  brought  her  the  vessels,  and 
she  poured  in.  And  when  the  vessels  were  full,  she  said  to 
her  son :  Bring  me  yet  a  vessel.  And  he  answered :  I  have 
no  more.  And  the  oil  stood.  And  she  came  and  told  the  man 


182  TUESDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

of  God.   And  he  said:  Go,  sell  the  oil,  and  pay  the  creditor: 
and  thou  and  thy  sons  live  of  the  rest. 

INSTRUCTION.  As  Eliseus  the  Prophet,  by  increasing  her 
small  quantity  of  oil,  aided  the  widow  to  pay  her  debts,  so  Jesus, 
says  St.  Augustine,  the  true  Eliseus,  by  His  grace  and  mercy, 
and  with  the  oil  of  love,  aids  the  Church  to  pay  the  debt  of  sin.— 
Use  this  grace  as  a  child  of  the  Church,  to  liquidate  your  debt  of 
sin,  by  sorrow  for  them,  and  by  beseeching  Him  because  of  the 
love  and  merits  of  His  Son,  to  cancel  your  debt.  To  Mary  Mag- 
dalen much  was  forgiven,  because  she  loved  much. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt,  xviii.  15—22.)  At  that  time:  Jesus 
said  to  his  disciples:  If  thy  brother  shall  offend  against  thee, 
go  and  rebuke  him  between  thee  and  him  alone.  If  he  shall 
hear  thee,  thou  shalt  gain  thy  brother.  But  if  he  will  not 
hear  thee,  take  with  thee  one  or  two  more:  that  in  the 
mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses  every  word  may  stand.  And 
if  he  will  not  hear  them,  tell  the  Church.  And  if  he  will  not 
hear  the  Church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen  and 
publican.  Amen  I  say  to  you,  whatsoever  you  shall  bind 
upon  earth,  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven;  and  whatsoever 
you  shall  loose  upon  earth,  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven. 
Again,  I  say  to  you,  that  if  two  of  you  shall  consent  upon 
earth,  concerning  any  thing  whatsoever  they  shall  ask,  it 
shall  be  done  to  them  by  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  For 
where  there  are  two  or  three  gathered  together  in  my  name; 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them.  Then  came  Peter  unto  him 
and  said:  Lord,  how  often  shall  my  brother  offend  against 
me,  and  I  forgive  him?  till  seven  times?  Jesus  saith  to  him: 
I  say  not  to  thee  till  seven  times;  but  till  seventy  times 
seven  times. 

EXPLANATION.  In  the  fraternal  correction  of  your  neigh- 
bor, when  he  has  scandalized  you  by  some  wrong  act,  there  are, 
as  Jesus  teaches,  four  degrees  or  steaps  to  be  observed:  First, 
speak  to  him  gently  before  no  other  eyes  than  his  and  your  own; 
secondly,  if  he  will  not  listen  to  this,  take  with  you  two  or  three 
well  disposed,  impartial  witnesses,  that  they  may  unite  with  you 
in  warning  and  exhorting  him ;  thirdly,  if  still  he  will  not  listen, 
refer  it  to  the  pastors,  the  bishops,  and  priests  of  the  Church, 
that  they  may  interfere  and  remove  the  scandal;  fourthly,  it  he 
will  not  hear  even  these,  then  let  him  be  excluded  from  the  com- 


WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT.  183 

munion  of  the  faithful,  which  Jesus  leaves  with  the  pastors  of 
the  Church  to  do,  for  to  them  He  gives  the  power  to  bind  and  to 
loose.  Such  a  one  must  then  be  avoided,  and  no  communication 
held  with  him,  but  he  is  to  be  prayed  for,  that  God  may  open  his 
eyes.  For  prayer,  especially  when  one  voice  mingles  with  another 
in  praying  for  the  same  thing,  if  several  persons  unite  in  it,  is 
always  heard  by  the  Heavenly  Father.  To  the  words  of  Jesus, 
that  we  should  seventy  times  seven  times  forgive  one  who  has 
offended  us,  "I  venture  to  add,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "if  your 
brother  has  offended  you  seventy  eight,  even  a  hundred  times, 
forgive  him;  yes,  forgive  him  as  often  as  he  offends  you;  for  if 
Christ  found  thousands  of  sins,  and  yet  forgives  them  all,  so  do 
you  also  not  refuse  mercy." 

WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Exod.  xx.  12—24.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God: 
Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thou  may  est  be 
long  lived  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  will  give 
thee.  Thou  shalt  not  kill.  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery. 
Thou  shalt  not  steal.  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness 
against  thy  neighbour.  Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbour's 
nouse,  neither  shalt  thou  desire  his  wife,  nor  his  servant, 
nor  his  hand-maid,  nor  his  ox,  nor  his  ass,  nor  any  thing 
that  is  his.  And  all  the  people  saw  the  voices  and  the  fla- 
mes, and  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  and  the  mount  smok- 
ing: and  being  terrified  and  struck  with  fear,  they  stood 
afar  off,  saying  to  Moses:  Speak  thou  to  us,  and  we  will 
hear:  let  not  the  Lord  speak  to  us,  lest  we  die.  And  Moses 
said  to  the  people:  Fear  not;  for  God  is  come  to  prove  you, 
and  that  the  dread  of  him  might  be  in  you,  and  you  should 
not  sin.  And  the  people  stood  afar  off.  But  Moses  went  to 
the  dark  cloud  wherein  God  was.  And  the  Lord  said  to 
Moses :  Thus  shalt  thou  say  to  the  children  of  Israel :  You 
have  seen  that  I  have  spoken  to  you  from  heaven.  You  shall 
not  make  gods  of  silver,  nor  shall  you  make  to  yourselves 
gods  of  gold.  You  shall  make  an  altar  of  earth  unto  me,  and 
you  shall  offer  upon  it  your  holocausts  and  peace-offerings, 
your  sheep  and  oxen,  in  every  place  where  the  memory  of 
my  name  shall  be. 

EXPLANATION.  God  gave  the  commandments,  which  are 
written  in  the  heart  of  every  human  being  {Rom.  ii.  xv.),  to  the 
Jews  in  thunder  and  lightning,  that,  as  they  were  a  hardened 


184  WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

people,  they  might  be  urged  by  fear  to  keep  them.  But  the  true 
Christian  keeps  the  commandments  for  love  of  God,  for  Christ 
says:  "Who  keeps  my  commandments,  he  it  is,  that  loves  me" 
(Mm  xiv.  21.);  and  St.  Augustine  writes:  "He  who  has  my  com- 
mandments in  his  memory,  and  keeps  them  on  his  way;  who  has 
them  in  his  words,  and  keeps  them  in  his  deeds;  who  so  has 
them,  that  he  hears  them  and  keeps  them;  so  that  he  fulfils 
them  and  perseveres  in  them,  he  it  is  that  loves  me."  Say  never, 
that  you  love  God,  if  you  keep  not  His  commandments. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xv.  1  —  20.)  At  that  time:  The  Scribes 
and  Pharisees  came  from  Jerusalem  to  Jesus,  and  saying  to 
him:  Why  do  thy  disciples  transgress  the  tradition  of  the 
ancients'?  For  they  wash  not  their  hands  when  they  eat 
bread.  But  he  answering,  said  to  them:  Why  do  you  also 
transgress  the  commandment  of  God  for  your  tradition  ?  For 
God  said:  "Honour  thy  father  and  mother:"  and,  "he  that 
shall  curse  father  or  mother,  let  him  die  the  death."  But 
you  say:  Whosoever  shall  say  to  his  father  or  mother,  The 
gift  whatsoever  proceedeth  from  me,  shall  profit  thee.  And 
he  shall  not  honour  his  father  or  mother:  and  you  have  made 
void  the  commandment  of  God  for  your  tradition.  Hypocrites, 
well  has  Isaias  prophesied  of  you,  saying:  "This  people 
honoureth  me  with  their  lips,  but  their  heart  is  far  from  me. 
And  in  vain  do  they  worship  me,  teaching  doctrines  and 
commandments  of  men."  And  having  called  together  the 
multitudes  unto  him,  he  said  to  them:  Hear  ye  and  under- 
stand. Not  that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth,  defileth  a  man: 
but  what  cometh  out  of  the  mouth,  this  defileth  a  man. 
Then  came  his  disciples,  and  said  to  him :  Dost  thou  know 
that  the  Pharisees,  when  they  heard  this  word,  were  scan- 
dalized? But  he  answering,  said:  Every  plant  which  my 
heavenly  Father  hath  not  planted,  shall  be  rooted  up.  Let 
them  alone:  they  are  blind,  and  leaders  of  the  blind.  And  if 
the  blind  lead  the  blind,  both  fall  into  the  pit.  And  Peter 
answering,  said  to  him:  Expound  to  us  this  parable.  But  he 
said :  Are  you  also  yet  without  understanding  ?  Do  you  not 
understand,  that  whatsoever  entereth  into  the  mouth,  goeth 
into  the  belly,  and  is  cast  out  into  the  privy?  But  the  things 


THUESDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT.  185 

which  proceed  out  of  the  mouth,  come  forth  from  the  heart, 
and  those  things  defile  a  man.  For  out  of  the  heart  come 
forth  evil  thoughts,  murders,  adulteries,  fornications,  thefts, 
false  testimonies,  blasphemies.  These  are  the  things  that 
defile  a  man.  But  to  eat  with  unwashed  hands,  doth  not  de- 
file a  man. 

INSTRUCTION.  Unbelievers,  and  also  lukewarm  Catholics, 
reproach  the  Church  among  other  things  for  imposing  upon  the 
faithful  commands  not  made  by  Christ,  such  as  abstinence  from 
meat  on  fastdays,  quoting  the  words:  Not  that  which  goeth 
into  the  mouth,  defileth  a  man.  It  is  true,  no  food  taken  in 
moderation  and  with  the  pure  intention  of  strengthening  and  pre- 
serving physical  strength,  defiles  a  man,  but  the  interior  bad 
disposition,  the  disobedience  to  the  Church  which  Christ  has  com- 
manded us  to  hear,  this  denies  a  man,  and  makes  him  commit  sin. 
Be  obedient  to  your  holy  Church  which,  directed  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God,  as  a  good  mother,  seeks  always  what  is  best  for  you. 

THURSDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON".  (Jer.  vii.  1—7.)  In  those  days^  The  word  that 
came  to  Jeremias  from  the  Lord,  saying:  Stand  in  the  gate 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  proclaim  there  this  word,  and 
say:  Hear  ye  the  word  of  the  Lord,  all  ye  men  of  Juda,  that 
enter  in  at  these  gates,  to  adore  the  Lord.  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel:  Make  your  ways  and  your 
doings  good;  and  I  will  dwell  with  you  in  this  place.  Trust 
not  in  lying  words ,  saying :  The  temple  of  the  Lord ,  the 
temple  of  the  Lord,  it  is  the  temple  of  the  Lord.  For  if  you 
will  order  well  your  ways  and  your  doings;  if  you  will  exe- 
cute judgment  between  a  man  and  his  neighbour,  if  you 
oppress  not  the  stranger,  the  fatherless  and  the  widow,  and 
shed  not  innocent  blood  in  this  place,  and  walk  not  after 
strange  gods  to  your-  own  hurt:  I  will  dwell  with  you  in  this 
place;  in  the  land  which  I  gave  to  your  fathers  from  the 
beginning  and  for  evermore,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Jews  believed  themselves  pleasing  to 
God,  because  they  had  in  Jerusalem  the  temple  of  the  true  God, 
and  kept  the  rules,  prescribed  for  the  external  service  of  the 
temple.  This  mistake  is  removed  by  the  prophet  who,  by  the  com- 
mand of  God,  shows  them,  that  he  only  finds  favor  in  the  eyes  of 
God,  who  unites  with  this  outward  observance,  the  intention  of 


186 


THURSDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 


pleasing  God  only,  and  practises  works  of  justice  and  mercy. 
Thus  many  Catholics  observe  everything  belonging  to  the  ex- 
ternal worship  and  the  customs  of  the  Church,  but  at  the  same 
time  pay  no  attention  to  real  conversion  of  the  heart.  Therefore, 
being  a  member  of  the  Church,  and  showing  yourself  outwardly 
such,  will  not  make  you  holy  and  save  you,  but  you  must  live 
piously  and  sacredly  according  to  the  spirit  of  the  Church. 


GOSPEL.  {Luke  iv.  38 — 44.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  rising 
up  out  of  the  synagogue,  went  into  Simon's  house.  And 
Simon's  wife's  mother  was  taken  with  a  great  fever,  and 
they  besought  him  for  her.  And  standing  over  her,  he  com- 
manded the  fever,  and  it  left  her.   And  immediately  rising, 


FRIDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT.  187 

she  ministered  to  them.  And  when  the  sun  was  down,  all 
they  that  had  any  sick  with  divers  diseases,  brought  them 
to  him.  But  he  laying  his  hands  on  every  one  of  them,  healed 
them.  And  devils  went  out  from  many,  crying  out  and  say- 
ing: Thou  art  the  Son  of  God.  And  he  rebuking  them,  suf- 
fered them  not  to  speak,  for  they  knew  that  he  was  Christ. 
And  when  it  was  day,  going  out  he  went  into  a  desert  place; 
and  the  multitude  sought  him,  and  came  to  him ;  and  they 
prayed  him  that  he  should  not  depart  from  them.  To  whom 
he  said:  To  other  cities  I  must  preach  the  kingdom  of  God: 
for  therefore  am  I  sent.  And  he  was  preaching  in  the  syna- 
gogues of  Galilee. 

INSTRUCTION.  By  the  fever  of  St.  Peter's  mother  in  law, 
which  Christ  cured,  St.  Ambrose  understands  the  fever-heat  of 
impure  lust.  If  you,  my  Christian,  suffer  from  this  dangerous  fever, 
bring  Christ  into  the  house  of  your  soul,  that  is,  receive  Him 
often  in  holy  Communion,  for  holy  Communion  is  the  crown  of  the 
elect,  the  wine  from  which  the  virgins  spring.  {Zach.  ix.)  The 
virginal  flesh  of  the  Lord  extinguishes  the  heat  of  lust,  and  en- 
kindles the  fire  of  the  pure  love  of  God;  this  the  Scriptures  teach, 
and  daily  experience  proves. 

FRIDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  {Num.  xx.  2 — 13.)  In  those  days:  The  children 
of  Israel  came  together  against  Moses  and  Aaron ;  and  mak- 
ing a  sedition,  they  said :  Give  us  water  to  drink.  And  Moses 
and  Aaron  leaving  the  multitude,  went  into  the  tabernacle 
of  the  covenant,  and  fell  flat  upon  the  ground,  and  cried  to 
the  Lord  and  said:  0  Lord  God,  hear  the  cry  of  this  people, 
and  open  to  them  thy  treasure,  a  fountain  of  living  water, 
that  being  satisfied,  they  may  cease  to  murmur.  And  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  over  them.  And  the  Lord  spoke 
to  Moses,  saying:  Take  the  rod  and  assemble  the  people 
together,  thou  and  Aaron  thy  brother,  and  speak  to  the  rock 
before  them,  and  it  shall  yield  waters.  And  when  thou  hast 
brought  forth  water  out  of  the  rock,  all  the  multitude  and 
their  cattle  shall  drink.  Moses  therefore  took  the  rod,  which 
was  before  the  Lord,  as  he  had  commanded  him,  and  having 
gathered  together  the  multitude  before  the  rock,  he  said  to 
them :  Hear,  ye  rebellious  and  incredulous :  can  we  bring  you 


18g  FRIDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

forth  water  out  of  this  rock  ?  And  when  Moses  had  lifted  up 
his  hand,  and  struck  the  rock  twice  with  the  rod,  there  came 
forth  water  in  great  abundance,  so  that  the  people  and  their 
cattle  drank.  And  the  Lord  said  to  Moses  and  Aaron :  Be- 
cause you  have  not  believed  me,  to  sanctify  me  before  the 
children  of  Israel,  you  shall  not  bring  these  people  into  the 
land  which  I  will  give  them.  This  is  the  water  of  contra- 
diction, where  the  children  of  Israel  strove  with  words  against 
the  Lord,  and  he  was  sanctified  in  them. 

INSTRUCTION.  Great  and  innumerable  were  the  graces  God 
had  already  given  to  the  people  of  Israel,  and  small  their  grati- 
tude for  them.  How  many  graces  for  body  and  soul,  God  has  also 
given  you,  and  where  are  the  thanks  you  owe  Him?  Will  you  be 
worse  than  the  beasts  who  have  not  reason?  "Whose  face,"  says 
St.  Ambrose,  "will  not  flush,  that  he  has  not  thanked  his  bene- 
factor, when  he  sees,  that  even  the  animals  fly  from  the  name  of 
the  ungrateful? 

GOSPEL.  {John  iv.  5 — 42.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  came 
to  a  city  of  Samaria  which  is  called  Sichar;  near  the  land 
which  Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph.  Now  Jacob's  well  was 
there.  Jesus  therefore  being  wearied  with  his  journey,  sat 
thus  on  the  well.  It  was  about  the  sixth  hour.  There  cometh 
a  woman  of  Samaria  to  draw  water.  Jesus  saith  to  her: 
Give  me  to  drink.  (For  his  disciples  were  gone  into  the  city 
to  buy  meats.)  Then  that  Samaritan  woman  saith  to  him : 
How  dost  thou,  being  a  Jew,  ask  of  me  to  drink,  who  am  a 
Samaritan  woman1?  For  the  Jews  do  not  communicate  with 
the  Samaritans.  Jesus  answered,  and  said  to  her :  If  thou 
didst  know  the  gift  of  God,  and  who  he  is  that  saith  to  thee, 
Give  me  to  drink,  thou  perhaps  wouldst  have  asked  of  him, 
and  he  would  have  given  thee  living  water.  The  woman  saith 
to  him:  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  wherein  to  draw,  and  the  well 
is  deep:  from  whence  then  hast  thou  living  water?  Art  thou 
greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  who  gave  us  the  well,  and 
drank  thereof  himself,  and  his  children,  and  his  cattle?  Jesus 
answered  and  said  to  her:  Whosoever  drinketh  of  this  water, 
shall  thirst  again:  but  he  that  shall  drink  of  the  water  that 
I  shall  give  him,  shall  not  thirst  for  ever.    But  the  water 


FRIDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT.  189 

that  I  shall  give  him,  shall  become  in  him  a  fountain  of 
water  springing  up  into  life  everlasting.  The  woman  saith 
to  him :  Sir,  give  me  this  water,  that  I  may  not  thirst,  nor 
come  hither  to  draw.  Jesus  saith  to  her:  Go,  call  thy  hus- 
band, and  come  hither.  The  woman  answered,  and  said:  I 
have  no  husband.  Jesus  saith  to  her:  Thou  hast  said  well, 
I  have  no  husband:  for  thou  hast  had  five  husbands:  and  he 
whom  thou  now  hast,  is  not  thy  husband.  This  thou  hast 
said  truly.  The  woman  saith  to  him :  Sir,  I  perceive  that 
thou  art  a  prophet.  Our  fathers  adored  on  this  mountain, 
and  you  say,  that  at  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men  must 
adore.  Jesus  saith  to  her:  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour 
cometh,  when  you  shall  neither  on  this  mountain,  nor  in  Je- 
rusalem, adore  the  Father.  You  adore  that  which  you  know 
not;  we  adore  that  which  we  know:  for  salvation  is  of  the 
Jews.  But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  true  ad- 
orers shall  adore  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  For  the 
Father  also  seeketh  such  to  adore  him.  God  is  a  spirit,  and 
they  that  adore  him,  must  adore  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
The  woman  saith  to  him :  I  know  that  the  Messias  cometh 
(who  is  called  Christ),  therefore  when  he  is  come,  he  will  tell 
us  all  things.  Jesus  saith  to  her:  I  am  he,  who  am  speaking 
with  thee.  And  immediately  his  disciples  came :  and  they 
wondered  that  he  talked  with  the  woman.  Yet  no  man  said: 
What  seekest  thou,  or  why  talkest  thou  with  her?  The 
woman  therefore  left  her  water-pot,  and  went  her  way  into 
the  city,  and  saith  to  the  men  there:  Come,  and  see  a  man 
who  hath  told  me  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  done.  Is  not 
he  the  Christ?  They  went  therefore  out  of  the  city,  and 
came  unto  him.  In  the  mean  time  the  disciples  prayed  him, 
saying :  Rabbi,  eat.  But  he  said  to  them :  I  have  meat  to 
eat  which  you  know  not  of.  The  disciples  therefore  said  one 
to  another:  Hath  any  man  brought  him  to  eat?  Jesus  saith 
to  them:  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that 
I  may  perfect  his  work.  Do  not  you  say,  there  are  yet  four 
months,  and  then  the  harvest  cometh?  Behold,  I  say  to  you, 


190  SATUEDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

lift  up  your  eyes,  and  see  the  countries,  for  they  are  white 
already  to  harvest.  And  he  that  reapeth,  receiveth  wages, 
and  gathereth  fruit  unto  life  everlasting :  that  both  he  that 
soweth,  and  he  that  reapeth,  may  rejoice  together.  For  in 
this  is  that  saying  true:  that  it  is  one  man  that  soweth,  and 
it  is  another  that  reapeth.  I  have  sent  you  to  reap  that  in 
which  you  did  not  labour:  others  have  laboured,  and  you 
have  entered  into  their  labours.  Now  of  that  city  many  of 
the  Samaritans  believed  in  him,  for  the  word  of  the  woman 
giving  testimony :  he  told  me  all  things  whatsoever  I  have 
done.  So  when  the  Samaritans  were  come  to  him,  they  de- 
sired him  that  he  would  tarry  there.  And  he  abode  there 
two  days.  And  many  more  believed  in  him  because  of  his 
own  word.  And  they  said  to  the  woman :  We  now  believe, 
not  for  thy  saying:  for  we  ourselves  have  seen  him,  and  know 
that  he  is  indeed  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 

EXPLANATION.  The  living  water  which  Jesus  says,  quenches 
the  thirst  forever,  is  the  stream  of  grace,  continually  flowing 
through  the  Sacraments  of  the  Church,  from  the  inexhaustible 
merits  of  Christ,  which  purifies  from  sin,  puts  out  the  fire  of  evil 
desires,  quiets  the  thirst  for  eternal  joys,  and  renders  our  will 
fertile  in  the  performance  of  good  works.  As  often  as  we  receive 
the  holy  Sacraments  with  lively  faith  in  Jesus,  and  with  the 
ardent  desire  fo.-  His  graces,  so  often  do  we  drink  from  this 
stream,  to  which  we  are  invited  by  the  Church  also,  in  these 
words:  "Come  and  draw  water  with  joy,  out  of  the  Savi- 
our's fountain."  {Isai  xii.  13.)  When  saying  that  God  is  a 
spirit,  who  must  therefore  be  adored  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  Jesus 
rebukes  the  Jews  who,  as  has  been  already  observed,  directed 
their  attention  only  to  the  external  ceremonies  and  customs  of 
the  Church,  and  forgot  the  true  conversion  of  their  hearts,  as 
well  as  the  Samaritans  who  built  a  temple  on  Mount  Garizim, 
arbitrarily  arranged  their  form  of  worship,  and  frequently  mixed 
it  with  heathen  superstition.  The  will  of  His  Father,  to  redeem 
and  sanctify  man,  was  the  food  of  Jesus.  So  you  also  let  your 
nourishment  be  the  will  of  God,  who  requires  of  you  to  love  Him 
with  all  your  heart,  and  to  keep  His  commandments. 

SATURDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Dan.  xiii.  1  —  62.)  In  those  days:  There  was  a 
man  that  dwelt  in  Babylon,  and  his  name  was  Joakim :  and 


SATURDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT.  191 

he  took  a  wife  whose  name  was  Susanna,  the  daughter  of 
Helcias,  a  very  beautiful  woman,  and  one  that  feared  God. 
For  her  parents  being  just,  had  instructed  their  daughter 
according  to  the  law  of  Moses.  Now  Joakim  was  very  rich, 
and  had  an  orchard  near  his  house;  and  the  Jews  resorted 
to  him,  because  he  was  the  most  honourable  of  them  all. 
And  there  were  two  of  the  ancients  of  the  people,  appointed 
judges  that  year,  of  whom  the  Lord  said :  Iniquity  came  out 
from  Babylon  from  the  ancient  judges,  that  seemed  to  govern 
the  people.  These  men  frequented  the  house  of  Joakim,  and 
all  that  had  any  matters  of  judgment,  came  to  them.  And 
when  the  people  departed  away  at  noon,  Susanna  went  in, 
and  walked  in  her  husband's  orchard.  And  the  old  men  saw 
her  going  in  every  day,  and  walking:  and  they  were  in- 
flamed with  lust  towards  her:  and  they  perverted  their  own 
mind,  and  turned  away  their  eyes  that  they  might  not  look 
unto  heaven,  nor  remember  just  judgments.  So  they  were 
both  wounded  with  the  love  of  her,  yet  they  did  not  make 
known  their  grief  one  to  the  other :  for  they  were  ashamed 
to  declare  to  one  another  their  lust,  being  desirous  to  have 
to  do  with  her :  and  they  watched  carefully  every  day  to  see 
her.  And  one  said  to  the  other:  Let  us  now  go  home,  for  it 
is  dinner  time.  So  going  out,  they  departed  one  from  another. 
And  turning  back  again,  they  came  both  to  the  same  place : 
and  asking  one  another  the  cause,  they  acknowledged  their 
lust:  and  then  they  agreed  together  upon  a  time  when  they 
might  find  her  alone.  And  it  fell  out,  as  they  watched  a  fit 
day,  she  went  in  on  a  time,  as  yesterday  and  the  day  before, 
with  two  maids  only,  and  was  desirous  to  wash  herself  in 
the  orchard :  for  it  was  hot  weather.  And  there  was  nobody 
there,  but  the  two  old  men  that  had  hid  themselves  and 
were  considering  her.  So  she  said  to  the  maids:  Bring  me 
oil,  and  washing  balls,  and  shut  the  doors  of  the  orchard, 
that  I  may  wash  me.  And  they  did  as  she  bade  them:  and 
they  shut  the  doors  of  the  orchard,  and  went  out  by  a  back 
door  to  fetch  what  she  had  commanded  them,  and  they  knew 
not  that  the  elders  were  hid  within.  Now  when  the  maids 
were  gone  forth,  the  two  elders  arose,  and  ran  to  her,  and 
said:  Behold,  the  doors  of  the  orchard  are  shut,  and  nobody 
seeth  us,  and  we  are  in  love  with  thee,  wherefore  consent  to 


192  SATURDAY  IN  THD  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

us,  and  lie  with  us.  But  if  thou  wilt  not,  we  will  bear 
witness  against  thee,  that  a  young  man  was  with  thee,  and 
therefore  thou  didst  send  away  thy  maids  from  thee.  Susanna 
sighed,  and  said:  I  am  straitened  on  every  side:  for  if  I  do 
this  thing,  it  is  death  to  me :  and  if  I  do  it  not,  I  shall  not 
escape  your  hands.  But  it  is  better  for  me  to  fall  into  your 
hands  without  doing  it,  than  to  sin  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord. 
With  that  Susanna  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice:  and  the 
elders  also  cried  out  against  her.  And  one  of  them  ran  to  the 
door  of  the  orchard,  and  opened  it.  So  when  the  servants  of 
the  house  heard  the  cry  in  the  orchard,  they  rushed  in  by 
the  back  door  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  But  after  the  old 
men  had  spoken,  the  servants  were  greatly  ashamed,  for 
never  had  there  been  any  such  word  said  of  Susanna.  And 
on  the  next  day,  when  the  people  were  come  to  Joakim  her 
husband,  the  two  elders  also  came,  full  of  their  wicked  de- 
vice against  Susanna,  to  put  her  to  death.  And  they  said 
before  the  people :  Send  to  Susanna,  daughter  of  Helcias,  the 
wife  of  Joakim.  And  they  presently  sent.  And  she  came  with 
her  parents,  and  children,  and  all  her  kindred.  Now  Susanna 
was  exceeding  delicate,  and  beautiful  to  behold.  But  those 
wicked  men  commanded  that  her  face  should  be  uncovered 
(for  she  was  covered),  that  so  at  least  they  might  be  satisfied 
with  her  beauty.  Therefore  her  friends  and  all  her  acquain- 
tance wept.  But  the  two  elders,  rising  up  in  the  midst  of 
the  people,  laid  their  hands  upon  her  head.  And  she  weep- 
ing looked  up  to  heaven,  for  her  heart  had  confidence  in  the 
Lord.  And  the  elders  said:  As  we  walked  in  the  orchard 
alone,  this  woman  came  in  with  two  maids,  and  shut  the 
doors  of  the  orchard,  and  sent  away  the  maids  from  her. 
Then  a  young  man  that  was  there  hid,  came  to  her,  and  lay 
with  her.  But  we  that  were  in  the  corner  of  the  orchard, 
seeing  this  wickedness,  ran  up  to  them,  and  we  saw  them  lie 
together.-  And  as  for  him  we  could  not  take  him,  because  he 
was  stronger  than  we,  and  opening  the  doors  he  leaped  out, 
but  having  taken  this  woman,  we  asked  who  the  young  man 
was,  but  she  would  not  tell  us :  of  this  thing  we  are  wit- 
nesses. The  multitude  believed  them,  as  being  the  elders  and 
judges  of  the  people,  and  they  condemned  her  to  death.  Then 
Susanna  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice,  and  said:  0  eternal 


SATURDAY  IN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT.  193 

God,  who  knowest  hidden  things,  who  knowest  all  things 
before  they  come  to  pass,  thou  knowest  that  they  have  borne 
false  witness  against  me:  and  behold,  I  must  die,  whereas  I 
have  done  none  of  these  things,  which  these  men  have  mali- 
ciously forged  against  me.  And  the  Lord  heard  her  voice. 
And  when  she  was  led  to  be  put  to  death,  the  Lord  raised 
up  the  holy  spirit  of  a  young  boy,  whose  name  was  Daniel: 
and  he  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice:  I  am  clear  from  the 
blood  of  this  woman.  Then  all  the  people  turning  towards 
him,  said:  What  meaneth  this  word  that  thou  hast  spoken1? 
But  he  standing  in  the  midst  of  them,  said:  Are  ye  so  foolish, 
ye  children  of  Israel,  that  without  examination  or  knowledge 
of  the  truth ,  ye  have  condemned  a  daughter  of  Israel  ? 
Return  to  judgment,  for  they  have  borne  false  witness 
against  her.  So  all  the  people  turned  again  in  haste,  and 
the  old  men  said  to  him:  Come  and  sit  thou  down  among 
us,  and  shew  it  us:  seeing  God  hath  given  thee  the  honor 
of  old  age.  And  Daniel  said  to  the  people:  Separate  these 
two  far  from  one  another,  and  I  will  examine  them.  So  when 
they  were  put  asunder  one  from  the  other,  he  called  one  of 
them  and  said  to  him:  0  thou  that  art  grown  old  in  evil 
days,  now  are  thy  sins  come  out  which  thou  hast  committed 
before :  in  judging  unjust  judgments,  oppressing  the  inno- 
cent, and  letting  the  guilty  go  free,  whereas  the  Lord  saith : 
the  innocent  and  the  just  thou  shalt  not  kill.  Now  then,  if 
thou  sawest  her,  tell  me  under  what  tree  thou  sawest  them 
conversing  together.  He  said :  under  a  mastick  tree.  And 
Daniel  said :  Well  hast  thou  lied  against  thy  own  head :  for 
behold,  the  angel  of  God  having  received  the  sentence  of  him, 
shall  cut  thee  in  two.  And  having  put  him  aside,  he  com- 
manded that  the  other  should  come,  and  he  said  to  him : 
0  thou  seed  of  Chanaan,  and  not  of  Juda,  beauty  hath  de- 
ceived thee  and  lust  hath  perverted  thy  heart:  thus  did  you 
do  as  to  the  daughters  of  Israel,  and  they  for  fear  conversed 
with  you;  but  a  daughter  of  Juda  would  not  abide  your 
wickedness.  Now,  therefore,  tell  me  under  what  tree  didst 
thou  take  them  conversing  together?  And  he  answered: 
under  a  holm  tree.  And  Daniel  said  to  him :  Well  hast  thou 
also  lied  against  thy  own  head;  for  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
waiteth  with  a  sword  to  cut  thee  in  two,  and  to  destroy  thee. 


13 


194  SATURDAY  EN  THE  THIRD  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

With  that  all  the  assembly  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice,  and 
they  blessed  God,  who  saveth  them  that  trust  in  him.  And 
they  rose  up  against  the  two  elders  (for  Daniel  had  con- 
victed them  of  false  witness  by  their  own  mouth)  and  they 
did  to  them  as  they  had  maliciously  dealt  against  their 
neighbor,  to  fulfil  the  law  of  Moses :  and  they  put  them  to 
death,  and  innocent  blood  was  saved  in  that  day. 

INSTRUCTION.  All  the  impious  who  walk  as  did  these  two 
lustinflamed  judges,  say:  Who  seeth  me?  Darkness  com- 
passeth  me  about,  and  the  walls  cover  me,  and  no  man 
seeth  me:  whom  do  I  fear?  The  Most  High  will  not 
remember  my  sins  (Eccl.  xxiii.  25.  26.),  and  St.  Bernard  an- 
swers them:  "Be  it  so,  no  man  sees  you,  not  one.  You  are  seen 
by  the  evil  angel;  you  are  seen  by  the  good  angel.  You  are  seen 
by  Him  who  is  greater  than  good  or  evil  angel,  God.  You  are 
seen  by  the  accuser,  the  multitude  of  witnesses  see  you;  the  judge 
Himself  at  whose  judgment-seat  you  will  one  day  stand,  sees  you; 
to  be  willing  to  do  wrong  under  His  eyes,  is  as  insane  as  it  is 
terrible  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God."  Take  these 
words  earnestly  to  heart,  0  Christian,  and  like  Susanna  let  not 
the  fear  of  God  ever  depart  from  your  heart,  for  it  is  ever  better 
to  lose  all,  even  life,  than  a  single  soul  by  one  grievous  sin. 

GOSPEL.  ( John  viii.  1  — 11.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  went 
to  mount  Olivet.  And  early  in  the  morning  he  came  again 
into  the  temple,  and  all  the  people  came  to  him,  and  sitting 
down  he  taught  them.  And  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  bring 
unto  him  a  woman  taken  in  adultery;  and  they  set  her  in 
the  midst,  and  said  to  him :  Master,  this  woman  was  even 
now  taken  in  adultery.  Now  Moses  in  the  law  commanded 
us  to  stone  such  a  one.  But  what  sayest  thou?  And  this 
they  said  tempting  him,  that  they  might  accuse  him.  But 
Jesus  bowing  himself  down,  wrote  with  his  finger  on  the 
ground.  When  therefore  they  continued  asking  him,  he  lifted 
up  himself,  and  said  to  them:  He  that  is  without  sin  among 
you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her.  And  again  stooping 
down,  he  wrote  on  the  ground.  But  they  hearing  this,  went 
out  one  by  one,  beginning  at  the  eldest,  and  Jesus  alone 
remained,  and  the  woman  standing  in  the  midst.  Then  Jesus 
lifting  up  himself,  said  to  her:  Woman,  where  are  they  that 
accused  thee?  Hath  no  man  condemned  thee?  Who  said:  No 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT.      195 

man,  Lord.    And  Jesus  said:  Neither  will  I  condemn  thee. 
Go,  and  now  sin  no  more. 

EXPLANATION.  In  the  preceding  lesson  the  example  of  a 
pious,  chaste  woman,  whom  God  wonderfully  rescued  from  the 
hands  of  her  malicious  enemies,  is  placed  before  us:  in  the  gospel 
is  shown  a  great,  but  penitent  sinner,  whom  Christ  rescued  from 
eternal  death  by  forgiving  her  sins.  0  how  merciful  is  Jesus,  and 
how  unmerciful  are  the  Christians,  who,  like  the  Pharisees,  con- 
demn every  sinner  at  once,  not  considering,  they  themselves  are 
sinners  and  in  need  of  mercy,  and  the  greatest  of  sinners  even,  if 
he  truly  repents,  may  become  the  greatest  of  saints.  "What  does 
God  more  hate  and  abominate,"  says  St.  Dorotheus,  "than  rash 
judgments,  as  all  our  forefathers  declare?  Indeed,  they  counted 
nothing  worse,  nothing  more  hateful,  than  the  condemnation  of 
one's  neighbor."  Remember,  0  Christian,  that  to  Him  only 
belongs  judgment,  to  whom  the  Father  has  given  all  judgment,  to 
the  Son  of  God,  and  do  not  forget  the  words  of  the  Apostle :  H  e 
that  thinketh  himself  to  stand,  let  him  take  heed,  lest 
he  fall.  (i.  Cor.x.  12.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY 
IN  LENT.  (L^TARE.) 

THe  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass  which  begins  with  the  word 
Laetare,  is  as  follows:  Rejoice,  Jerusalem,  and  meet 
together  all  you  who  love  her;  rejoice  exceedingly,  you 
who  have  been  in  sorrow,  that  you  may  leap  for  joy, 
and  be  satiated  with  comfort  from  her  breast.  (Isai. lxvii. 
10.  11.)  I  rejoiced  at  the  things  that  were  said  to  me: 
we  will  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.  (Ps.  cxxi.)  Glory  be 
to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee, 
0  Almighty  God,  that  we,  who  are  justly  afflicted  according 
to  our  demerits,  may  be  relieved  by  Thy  comforting  grace. 
Through,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Gal  iv.  22—31.)  Brethken:  It  is  written 
that  Abraham  had  two  sons :  the  one  by  a  bond- woman,  and 
the  other  by  a  free-woman.  But  he  who  was  of  the  bond- 
woman, was  born  according  to  the  flesh:  but  he  by  the  free- 
woman,  was  by  promise.  Which  things  are  said  by  an  alle- 
gory. For  these  are  the  two  testaments.  The  one  from 
Mount  Sina,  engendering  unto  bondage;  which  is  Agar:  foi- 


ls* 


1%      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 

Sina  is  a  mountain  in  Arabia,  which  hath  affinity  to  that 
Jerusalem  which  now  is,  and  is  in  bondage  with  her  children. 
But  that  Jerusalem,  which  is  above,  is  free;  which  is  our 
mother.  For  it  is  written:  "Rejoice,  thou  barren,  that  bear- 
est  not:  break  forth  and  cry,  thou  that  travailest  not:  for 
many  are  the  children  of  the  desolate,  more  than  of  her  that 
hath  a  husband."  Now  we,  brethren,  as  Isaac  was,  are  the 
children  of  promise.  But  as  then,  he  that  was  born  accord- 
ing to  the  flesh,  persecuted  him  that  was  after  the  spirit :  so 
also  it  is  now.  But  what  saith  the  scripture?  "Cast  out  the 
bond-woman  and  her  son:  for  the  son  of  the  bond-woman 
shall  not  be  heir  with  the  son  of  the  free-woman.'"  So  then, 
brethren,  we  are  not  children  of  the  bond-woman,  but  of  the 
free,  by  the  freedom  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us  free. 

EXPLANATION.  It  was  the  common  custom,  in  the  days  of 
the  patriarchs,  among  the  nations,  for  a  man  to  have  more  than 
one  wife.  This  was  permitted  by  God,  partly  because  they  and 
their  descendants  would  hardly  have  been  satisfied  with  one  mar- 
riage {Matt.  xix.  8.),  partly  because  bigamy  was  a  means  of  promot- 
ing the  increase  of  the  people  of  Israel,  "typical  of  the  future  in- 
crease of  the  children  of  God.  Thus  Abraham  had  two  wives, 
who  had  each  a  son;  of  these  Ismael  was  born  to  Abraham  from 
his  bond-woman  Agar,  in  the  natural  way ;  the  other,  Isaac,  the 
son  of  the  free  wife  Sara,  was  born  in  a  supernatural  manner  ac- 
cording to  the  promise  {Gen.  xviii.  11.  14.),  that  she  although 
aged  would,  by  the  grace  of  God,  give  birth  to  a  son.  These  two 
women  with  their  sons  were  types,  as  St.  Paul  says,  of  the  two 
Testaments :  Agar  the  bond-woman,  the  Old,  Sara,  the  free  wo- 
man, the  New  Testament;  the  son  of  Agar,  the  Jews,  the  son  of 
Sara,  the  Christians;  for  the  Jews,  like  Ismael,  are  descendants 
of  Abraham  by  natural  descent,  but  the  Christians,  like  Isaac,  by 
grace.  The  Old  Testament  gave  birth  only  to  servants ;  for  the 
Jews,  the  Jewish  Church,  obeyed  the  commandments  of  God  only 
from  fear  of  punishment,  and  hope  of  temporal  reward;  the  New 
Testament,  the  Jerusalem  from  above,  that  is,  the  Christian 
Church,  gives  birth  to  children,  who  willingly  and  from  love  obey 
God's  commandments.  And  although  the  Christian  Church,  the 
New  Jerusalem,  chosen  from  heathenism,  was  in  the  beginning 
barren,  as  Sara,  she  gives  birth,  by  the  grace  of  God  and  through 
His  apostles,  to  more  children  than  the  Jewish  Church,  so  long 
the  Church  of  God,  that  is,  more  were  converted  to  Christianity 
from  the  gentiles  than  from  the  Jews,  who  even  hated  and  per- 
secuted the  Christians,  as  did  Ismael  his  brother  Isaac.  For  their 
hardness  of  heart  they  were  cast  out  by  God,  like  Agar  and  her 
son;  that  is,  after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  the  Jews  were 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 


197 


dispersed  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Let  us,  therefore,  give  God 
thanks,  that  through  Jesus  we  have  become  the  free  children  of 
God,  who  from  love  fulfil  His  holy  will,  by  which  we  will  be  saved. 

ASPIRATION.  Give  me  the  grace,  0  Jesus,  that  by 
prayer  and  fasting,  and  patience  in  all  adversities  and  per- 
secutions, I  may  be  made  less  unworthy  of  Thy  passion,  and 
like  to  Thee,  that  I  may  not,  one  day,  as  an  ill  behaved 
child  be  cast  out  by  Thee,  but  become  worthy  of  Thy  divine 
promise  and  Thy  eternal  'consolation  in  the  heavenly  Jeru- 
salem. 


mm 


GOSPEL.    (John  vi.  1  — 15.)    At  that  time:    Jesus  went 
over  the  sea  of  Galilee,  which  is  that  of  Tiberias :  and  a 


198       INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 

great  multitude  followed  him,  because  they  saw  the  miracles 
which  he  did  on  them  that  were  diseased.  Jesus  therefore 
went  up  into  a  mountain,  and  there  he  sat  with  his  disciples. 
Now  the  pasch,  the  festival  day  of  the  Jews,  was  near  at 
hand.  When  Jesus  therefore  had  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  seen 
that  a  very  great  multitude  cometh  to  him,  he  said  to  Phi- 
lip :  Whence  shall  we  buy  bread  that  these  may  eat  ?  And 
this  he  said  to  try  him :  for  he  himself  knew  what  he  would 
do.  Philip  answered  him:  Two  hundred  penny-worth  of 
bread  is  not  sufficient  for  them,  that  every  one  may  take  a 
little.  One  of  his  disciples,  Andrew,  the  brother  of  Simon 
Peter,  saith  to  him:  There  is  a  boy  here' that  hath  five  bar- 
ley loaves,  and  two  fishes;  but  what  are  they  among  so 
many  ?  Then  Jesus  said :  Make  the  men  sit  down.  Now  there 
was  much  grass  in  the  place.  The  men  therefore  sat  down, 
in  number  about  five  thousand.  And  Jesus  took  the  loaves ; 
and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he  distributed  to  them  that 
were  sat  down.  In  like  manner  also  of  the  fishes,  as  much 
as  they  would,  and  when  they  were  filled,  he  said  to  his  dis- 
ciples :  Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain,  lest  they  be 
lost.  They  gathered  up  therefore,  and  filled  twelve  baskets 
with  the  fragments  of  the  five  barley  loaves,  which  remained 
over  and  above  to  them  that  had  eaten.  Now  these  men, 
when  they  had  seen  what  a  miracle  Jesus  had  done,  said: 
This  is  of  a  truth  the  prophet  that  is  to  come  into  the  world. 
Jesus  therefore  when  he  knew  that  they  would  come  to  take 
him  by  force  and  make  him  king,  fled  again  into  the  moun- 
tain himself  alone. 

Why  did  Christ  try  St.  Philip? 

To  test  his  faith  and  trnst;  to  instruct  us  that  before  seeking 
supernatural  means,  we  should  first  look  for  natural  ways  of 
providing;  that  the  miracle  of  the  multiplying  of  the  loaves  should 
be  more  marvellous  to  the  people  from  their  having  seen  there 
was  no  provision  there ;  and  that  we  may  learn  to  trust  in  God, 
who  is  a  helper  in  due  time  in  tribulation.  (Ps.  ix.  10.) 

Of  what  signs  did  Christ  make  use  in  this  miracle,  and  why? 

According  to  St.  Matthew  (xiv.  19.)  He  lifted  up  His  eyes  to 
heaven,  by  which  He  showed,  that  all  good  gifts  come  from  above, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT.      iyy 

and  that  it  is  God  who  opens  His  hands  and  fills  us  with  all  bless- 
ings; He  gave  thanks,  thus  teaching  us  to  give  God  thanks  for 
all  His  blessings.  "The  table,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "that  is  met 
and  is  left  with  prayer,  will  never  know  want,  but  the  more  richly 
yield  its  gifts."  He  blessed  the  bread,  showing  us  that  the  divine 
blessing  increases  all. 
Why  did  Christ  require  them  to  gather  up  the  fragments  that 

were  left? 
That  they  should  not  be  stepped  upon  and  destroyed;  that 
the  greatness  of  the  miracle  should  be  evidenced  by  the  quantity 
of  the  fragments;  and  that  we  might  learn  to  honor  the  gifts  of 
God,  even  the  most  insignificant,  and  if  we  do  not  ourselves  need 
them,  to  save  them  for  the  poor. 

Why  did  Christ,  after  this  miracle,  fly  from  the  people? 

Because  after  this  miracle  the  people  recognized  the  Messiah 
in  Him,  and  would  have  made  Him  king,  and  He  wished  to  teach 
us,  that  we  should  fly  from  praise  and  honor,  and  in  all  our  actions 
should  seek  not  our  own  glory,  but  God's. 

CONSOLATION  IN  POVERTY. 

THis  gospel  which  relates  the  provision  Christ  unasked  makes 
for  those  who  follow  and  listen  to  Him,  is  indeed  consoling 
for  the  poor.  God,  from  the  world's  beginning,  has  always  cared 
for  His  own.  For  the  aid  and  comfort  of  His  chosen  people  in 
time  of  famine,  God  sent  Joseph,  the  son  of  the  Patriarch  Jacob, 
in  advance  into  Egypt  (Gen.  xlv.  5.);  for  forty  years  He  fed  the 
children  of  Israel  in  the  desert  with  bread  from  heaven  (Deut. 
viii.) ;  He  fed  the  Prophet  Elias  by  a  raven  (iii.  Kings  xviii.  6.) ; 
and  thought  of  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den.  [Dan.  xiv.  37.)  And  in 
the  New  Testament  God  shows  His  merciful  care  for  His  own, 
because  in  their  sorest  need,  by  angel,  man,  or  animal,  He  fed 
them  in  marvellous  ways,  as  we  see  also  frequentlyjn  the  lives  of 
the  saints.  Truly  has  David  therefore  said :  God  forsakes  not  the 
just  (I  have  been  young  and  am  now  old;  and  I  have  not 
seen  the  just  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  seeking  bread  (Ps. 
xxxvi.  25.),  that  is,  one  who  sincerely  serves  Him,  and  who,  as 
Christ  commands,  seeks  before  all  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  His  justice.  (Luke  xiii.  31.)  But  those  who  do  not  this, 
need  not  promise  themselves  much  from  God,  for  he  who  aban- 
dons God,  will  be  abandoned  by  God,  who  provides  only  for  His 
own  true  children.  Strive  to  be  a  good  child,  and  you  will  have 
God  for  your  father,  and  with  King  David  can  cast  the  care 
upon  the  Lord,  and  He  will  sustain  thee.  At  the  same  time 
to  receive  help,  you  must  not  think  it  enough  for  you  to  pray 
and  trust  in  God,  He  demands  that  you  should  use  your  strength 
to  work,  for  if  any  man  will  not  work,  neither  let  him  eat. 
(ii.  Thess.  iii.  10.) 


:    ; 


200  MONDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

ASPIRATION.   In  Thy  omnipotence  and  goodness  alone, 

0  my  God,  I  put  my  trust,  firmly  believing  that  if  I  fear 
Thee,  serve  Thee  faithfully,  and  avoid  evil,  I  shall  not  be 
abandoned  in  poverty,  but  receive  many  good  things.  Amen. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  PREPARATION  FOR  EASTER. 

Now  the  pasch,  the  festival  day  of  the  Jews,  was  near 
at  hand.  (John  vi.  4.) 

IF  we  would  sing  a  joyful  Alleluia  with  the  Church  on  the 
festival  of  Easter,  we  must  fulfil  her  desire,  and  prepare  our- 
selves for  its  worthy  celebration.  Therefore,  Ave  should  shun 
improper,  noisy  meetings,  and  go  often  into  solitude  to  pray, 
especially  to  meditate  on  the  bitter  sufferings  of  the  Savior,  for 
when  man  is  alone,  God  speaks  to  his  heart  (Osee  ii.  14.); 
we  should  carefully  examine  our  conscience,  and  consider  how 
we  stand  before  God,  for  upon  this  day  shall  be  the  ex- 
piation for  you,  and  the  cleansing  from  all  your  sins: 
you  shall  be  cleansed  before  the  Lord:  for  it  is  a  Sab- 
bath of  rest,  and  you  shall  afflict  your  souls,  that  is,  by 
fasting,  watching,  and  praying  prepare  them.  (Lev.  xvi.  30 — 31.) 
From  now  until  Easter  we  should  fast  more  strictly,  give  more 
alms  to  the  poor  if  we  are  able,  or  if  poor  ourselves,  bear  our 
poverty  more  patiently,  offering  it  to  Christ  in  union  with  His 
poverty,  His  hunger  and  thirst,  &c. ;  we  should  make  a  sincere 
and  contrite  confession,  and  purify  our  heart  from  the  old  leaven 
of  iniquity,  that  we  may  keep  the  Easter  meal  with  Christ  in  the 
unleavened  bread  of  purity  and  truth,  (i.  Cor.  v.  7.  8.)  For  this 
end  we  should  incite  ourselves  to  holy  desires,  to  rise  spiritually 
with  Christ  from  sin,  which  is  the  death  of  the  soul. 

MONDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON,  (iii.  Kings  i.  16  —  28.)  In  those  days:  Two 
women  that  were  harlots,  came  to  king  Solomon,  and  stood 
before  him:  and  one  of  them  said:  I  beseech  thee,  my  Lord, 

1  and  this  woman  dwelt  in  one  house,  and  I  was  delivered 
of  a  child  with  her  in  the  chamber.  And  the  third  day  after 
that  I  was  delivered,  she  also  was  delivered;  and  we  were 
together  and  no  other  person  with  us  in  the  house,  only  we 
two.  And  this  woman's  child  died  in  the  night.  For  in  her 
sleep  she  overlaid  him.  And  rising  in  the  dead  time  of  the 
night,  she  took  my  child  from  my  side,  while  thy  handmaid 
was  asleep,  and  laid  it  in  her  bosom:  and  laid  her  dead  child 
in  my  bosom.    And  when  I  rose  in  the  morning  to  give  my 


MONDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  201 

child  suck,  behold,  it  was  dead ;  but  considering  him  more 
diligently  when  it  Was  clear  day,  I  found  that  it  was  not 
mine  which  I  bore.  And  the  other  woman  answered:  It  is 
not  so  as  thou  sayest,  but  thy  child  is  dead,  and  mine  is 
alive.  On  the  contrary  she  said:  Thou  liest:  for  my  child 
liveth,  and  thy  child  is  dead.  And  in  this  manner  they  strove 
before  the  king.  Then  said  the  king:  The  one  saith,  my 
child  is  alive,  and  thy  child  is  dead.  And  the  other  an- 
swer eth,  Nay,  but  thy  child  is  dead,  and  mine  liveth.  The 
king  therefore  said:  Bring  me  a  sword.  And  when  they  had 
brought  a  sword  before  the  king:  Divide,  said  he,  the  living 
child  in  two,  and  give  half  to  the  one,  and  half  to  the  other. 
But  the  woman,  whose  child  was  alive,  said  to  the  king  (for 
her  bowels  were  moved  upon  her  child),  I  beseech  thee,  my 
Lord,  give  her  the  child  alive  and  do  not  kill  it.  But  the 
other  said :  Let  it  be  neither  mine  nor  thine,  but  divide  it. 
The  king  answered  and  said:  Give  the  living  child  to  this 
woman,  and  let  it  not  be  killed,  for  she  is  the  mother  thereof. 
And  all  Israel  heard  the  judgment  which  the  king  had  judged, 
and  they  feared  the  king,  seeing  that  the  wisdom  of  God 
was  in  him  to  do  judgment. 

INSTRUCTION.  When  a  sinful  life  is  led,  one  sin  usually 
gives  rise  to  another.  Thus  one  of  these  wretched  women  was 
not  afraid  to  lie  impudently,  and  to  propose  the  death  of  her 
companion's  child,  not  thinking  that  we  can  lie  to  man,  but  cannot 
deceive  God.  Guard,  0  Christian,  against  the  first  step  to  sin, 
and  consider  that  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of 
wisdom  (Prov.  i.  7.),  the  foundation  of  a  pious,  godly  life. 

GOSPEL.  (John  il  13—25.)  At  that  time:  The  pasch  of 
the  Jews  was  at  hand,  and  Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem,  and 
he  found  in  the  temple  them  that  sold  oxen,  and  sheep,  and 
doves,  and  the  changers  of  money  sitting.  And  when  he  had 
made  as  it  were  a  scourge  of  little  cords,  he  drove  them  all 
out  of  the  temple,  the  sheep  also  and  the  oxen,  and  the 
money  of  the  changers  he  poured  out,  and  the  tables  he  over- 
threw. And  he  said  to  them  that  sold  doves:  Take  these 
things  hence,  and  make  not  the  house  of  my  Father  a  house 
of  traffic.  And  his  disciples  remembered  that  it  was  written: 
"The  zeal  of  thy  house  hath  eaten  me  up.'1    Then  the  Jews 


202  TUESDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

answered,  and  said  to  him:  What  sign  dost  thou  shew  us 
seeing^thou  dost  these  things'?  Jesus  answered,  and  said  to 
them:  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it 
up.  The  Jews  then  said :  Six  and  forty  years  was  this  temple 
in  building,  and  wilt  thou  raise  it  in  three  days?  But  he 
spoke  of  the  temple  of  his  body.  When  therefore  he  was 
risen  again  from  the  dead,  his  disciples  remembered  that  he 
had  said  this,  and  they  believed  the  scripture,  and  the  word 
that  Jesus  had  said.  Now  when  he  was  at  Jerusalem,  at  the 
pasch,  upon  the  festival  day,  many  believed  in  his  name  see- 
ing his  signs  which  he  did.  But  Jesus  did  not  trust  himself 
to  them,  because  he  knew  all  men,  and  because  he  needed 
not  that  any  should  give  testimony  of  man,  for  he  knew 
what  was  in  man. 

INSTRUCTION.  Like  Jesus  we  also  should  be  eaten  up  by 
zeal  for  the  house  of  God,  that  is,  we  should  endeavor  always  to 
appear  in  Church,  before  the  face  of  God,  with  a  heart  purified 
from  all  worldly,  revengeful,  envious,  proud,  and  sensual  thoughts; 
giving  ourselves  to  God  with  all  reverence  in  devotion,  aiding 
with  all  our  power  to  keep  the  house  of  God  always  neat,  and  the 
necessary  decorations  for  the  services  properly  provided.  What- 
ever is  done  with  good  motives  for  the  adornment  of  the  Church, 
is  done  for  Christ  Himself,  who,  day  and  night,  dwells  there,  in 
the  most  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Altar. 

TUESDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Exod,  xxxii.  7  —  14.)  In  those  days:  The  Lord 
spoke  to  Moses,  saying:  Go,  get  thee  down:  thy  people,  which 
thou  hast  brought  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  has  sinned. 
They  have  quickly  strayed  from  the  way  which  thou  didst 
shew  them,  and  they  have  made  to  themselves  a  molten  calf, 
and  have  adored  it,  and  sacrificing  victims  to  it,  have  said: 
These  are  thy  gods,  0  Israel,  that  have  brought  thee  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt.  And  again  the  Lord  said  to  Moses :  I  see 
that  this  people  is  stiff-necked:  let  me  alone,  that  my  wrath 
may  be  kindled  against  them,  and  that  I  may  destroy  them, 
and  1  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation.  But  Moses  besought 
the  Lord  his  God,  saying:  Why,  0  Lord,  is  thy  indignation 
enkindled  against  thy  people,  whom  thou  hast  brought  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  with  great  power,  and  with  a  mighty 


TUESDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  203 

hand  ?  Let  not  the  Egyptians  say,  I  beseech  thee :  He  craftily 
brought  them  out,  that  he  might  kill  them  in  the  mount- 
ains, and  destroy  them  from  the  earth :  let  thy  anger  cease, 
and  be  appeased  upon  the  wickedness  of  thy  people.  Re- 
member Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Israel,  thy  servants,  to  whom 
thou  sworest  by  thy  own  self,  saying:  I  will  multiply  your 
seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven :  and  this  whole  land  that  I  have 
spoken  of,  I  will  give  to  your  seed,  and  you  shall  possess  it 
for  ever.  And  the  Lord  was  appeased  from  doing  the  evil 
which  he  had  spoken  against  his  people. 

INSTRUCTION.  This  lesson  caused  St.  Ambrose  to  marvel 
at  the  great  meekness  of  Moses  who,  forgetting  all  the  wrongs 
done  to  him  by  the  people  of  Israel,  declined  God's  offer  to  make 
him  the  leader  of  another  great  people,  and  so  fervently  prayed 
for  the  Israelites,  that  they  loved  him  for  his  meekness  more  than 
they  wondered  at  his  great  deeds.  Practise  always  this  virtue, 
0  Christian,  to  which  Jesus  Himself  invites  us:  Learn  from 
me,  because  I  am  meek,  and,  Blessed  are  the  meek,  for 
they  shall  possess  the  land,  that  is,  they  shall  win  the  hearts 
of  their  fellow  men. 

GOSPEL.  {John  vii.  14 — 31.)  At  that  time:  About  the 
midst  of  the  feast,  Jesus  went  up  into  the  temple  and  taught. 
And  the  Jews  wondered,  saying:  How  doth  this  man  know 
letters,  having  never  learned?  Jesus  answered  them,  and 
said :  My  doctrine  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me.  If  any 
man  will  do  the  will  of  him,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine 
whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself.  He  that 
speaketh  of  himself,  seeketh  his  own  glory:  but  he  that 
seeketh  the  glory  of  him  that  sent  him,  he  is  true,  and  there 
is  no  injustice  in  him.  Did  not  Moses  give  you  the  law?  and 
yet  none  of  you  keepeth  the  law.  Why  seek  you  to  kill  me  ? 
The  multitude  answered  and  said:  Thou  hast  a  devil:  Who 
seeketh  to  kill  thee  ?  Jesus  answered,  and  said  to  them :  One 
work  I  have  done:  and  you  all  wonder:  therefore  Moses  gave 
you  circumcision :  (not  because  it  is  of  Moses ,  but  of  the 
fathers,)  and  on  the  Sabbath-day  you  circumcise  a  man.  If 
a  man  receive  circumcision  on  the  Sabbath-day,  that  the 
law  of  Moses  may  not  be  broken;  are  you  angry  at  me,  be- 
cause I  have  healed  the  whole  man  on  the  Sabbath-day? 


204  WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

Judge  not  according  to  the  appearance,  but  judge  just  judg- 
ment. Some  therefore  of  Jerusalem  said:  Is  not  this  he 
whom  they  seek  to  kill  ?  And  behold,  he  speaketh  openly,  and 
they  say  nothing  to  him.  Have  the  rulers  known  for  a  truth 
that  this  is  the  Christ  1  But  we  know  this  man  whence  he 
is ;  but  when  the  Christ  cometh,  no  man  knoweth  whence 
he  is.  Jesus  therefore  cried  out  in  the  temple,  teaching  and 
saying:  You  both  know  me,  and  you  know  whence  I  am: 
and  I  am  not  come  of  myself;  but  he  that  sent  me  is  true, 
whom  you  know  not,  I  know  him,  because  I  am  from  him, 
and  he  hath  sent  me.  They  sought  therefore  to  apprehend 
him:  and  no  man  laid  hands  on  him,  because  his  hour  was 
not  yet  come.  But  of  the  people  many  believed  in  him. 

EXPLANATION.  He  who  has  always  faithfully  followed  it, 
has  always  experienced  in  himself  the  truth  of  Jesus'  words,  that 
His  doctrine  is  from  God,  for  it  alone  contents  the  desire  of  the 
soul  for  knowledge,  peace,  and  happiness.  The  Savior  further 
proves  the  divinity  of  His  doctrine  by  saying,  He  sought  not  His 
own  glory,  but  His  Father's.  All  the  inventors  of  error's  new 
doctrines  are  usually  impelled  by  the  spirit  of  pride,  seeking  only 
their  own  glory,  thus  plainly  showing  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
works  not  with  them.  Had  the  Jews  but  taken  these  words  of 
Christ  to  heart,  they  would  not  have  judged  Him  so  unjustly,  nor 
have  reproached  Him  for  healing  the  sick  on  the  Sabbath,  since 
they  even  circumcised  on  that  day.  But  hatred,  prejudice,  and 
envy  blinded  the  Jews,  so  that  they  did  not  recognize  Christ's 
divine  mission,  and  even  sought  to  kill  Him.  0  how  happy  is  the 
man  who  believes  in  Jesus,  and  walks  by  His  doctrine,  sweet 
peace  is  his  here,  and  nameless  glory  there! 

WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  {Isai.  i.  16—19.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God: 
Wash  yourselves,  be  clean,  take  away  the  evil  of  your  de- 
vices from  my  eyes:  cease  to  do  perversely,  learn  to  do  well: 
seek  judgment,  relieve  the  oppressed,  judge  for  the  father- 
less, defend  the  widow.  And  then  come,  and  accuse  me, 
saith  the  Lord :  if  your  sins  be  as  the  scarlet,  they  shall  be 
made  as  white  as  snow :  and  if  they  be  red  as  crimson,  they 
shall  be  white  as  wool.  If  you  be  willing,  and  will  hearken 
to  me,  you  shall  eat  the  good  things  of  the  land,  saith  the 
Lord  Almighty. 


WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 


205 


EXPLANATION.  In  this  lesson  God  by  the  prophet  plainly 
shows,  that  He  forgives  and  forgets  all  the  sins  of  the  man  who 
firmly  resolves  to  depart  from  his  perverse  ways,  to  purify  his 
heart,  and  turn  penitently  to  God.  Grace  and  forgiveness  follow 
only  the  sincere  change  of  heart.  This  should  be  borne  in  mind 
by  all  those  who  think,  that  all  is  accomplished  when  the  forms 
of  sorrow  are  complied  with  without  devotion,  and  a  careless  re- 
lation of  the  sins  in  confession,  like  the  Jews  who  fancied,  that 
by  frequently  washing  their  hands,  they  would  be  pure. 


GOSPEL.  (John  ix.  1 — 38.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  passing 
by,  saw  a  man  that  was  blind  from  his  birth;  and  his  dis- 
ciples asked  him:  Rabbi,  who  hath  sinned,  this  man,  or  his 
parents,  that  he  should  be  born  blind?     Jesus  answered: 


206       WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

Neither  hath  this  man  sinned,  nor  his  parents;  but  that  the 
works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest  in  him.  I  must  work 
the  works  of  him  that  sent  me,  whilst  it  is  day :  the  night 
cometh  when  no  man  can  work.  As  long  as  I  am  in  the 
world,  I  am  the  light  of  the  world.  When  he  had  said  these 
things,  he  spat  on  the  ground,  and  made  clay  of  the  spittle, 
and  spread  the  clay  upon  his  eyes,  and  said  to  him:  Go, 
wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloe,  which  is  interpreted,  Sent.  He 
went  his  way  therefore,  and  washed,  and  he  came  seeing. 
The  neighbors  therefore,  and  they  who  had  seen  him  before, 
that  he  was  a  beggar,  said :  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and  beg- 
ged? Some  said:  This  is  he.  But  others  said:  No,  but  he  is 
like  him.  But  he  said:  I  am  he.  They  said  therefore  to  him: 
How  were  thine  eyes  opened?  He  answered:  That  man  that 
is  called  Jesus,  made  clay,  and  anointed  mine  eyes,  and  said 
to  me :  Go  to  the  poo]  of  Siloe,  and  wash.  And  I  went,  I 
washed,  and  I  see.  And  they  said  to  him:  Where  is  he?  He 
saith :  I  know  not.  They  bring  him  that  had  been  blind  to 
the  Pharisees.  Now  it  was  the  Sabbath,  when  Jesus  made 
the  clay,  and  opened  his  eyes.  Again  therefore  the  Pharisees 
asked  him  how  he  had  received  his  sight.  But  he  said  to 
them:  He  put  clay  upon  my  eyes,  and  I  washed,  and  I  see. 
Some  therefore  of  the  Pharisees  said :  This  man  is  not  of  God 
who  keepeth  not  the  Sabbath.  But  others  said:  How  can  a 
man  that  is  a  sinner,  do  such  miracles  ?  And  there  was  a  di- 
vision among  them.  They  say  therefore  to  the  blind  man 
again:  What  sayest  thou  of  him  that  hath  opened  thy  eyes? 
And  he  said :  He  is  a  prophet.  The  Jews  then  did  not  be- 
lieve concerning  him,  that  he  had  been  blind,  and  had  re- 
ceived his  sight,  until  they  called  the  parents  of  kim  that  had 
received  his  sight,  and  asked  them,  saying:  Is  this  your  son, 
who  you  say  was  born  blind?  How  then  doth  he  now  see? 
His  parents  answered  them,  and  said:  We  know  that  this  is 
our  son,  and  that  he  was  born  blind :  but  how  he  now  seeth, 
we  know  not:  or  who  hath  opened  his  eyes,  we  know  not:  ask 
himself;  he  is  of  age;  let  him  speak  for  himself.  These  things 


WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OP  LENT.       207 

his  parents  said,  because  they  feared  the  Jews :  for  the  Jews 
had  already  agreed  among  themselves,  that  if  any  man 
should  confess  him  to  be  Christ,  he  should  be  put  out  of  the 
synagogue.  Therefore  did  his  parents  say:  He  is  of  age,  ask 
him.  They  therefore  called  the  man  again  that  had  been 
blind,  and  said  to  him:  Give  glory  to  God,  We  know  that 
this  man  is  a  sinner.  He  said  then  to  them:  If  he  be  a  sin- 
ner, I  know  not:  one  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind, 
now  I  see.  Then  they  said  to  him:  What  did  he  to  thee? 
How  did  he  open  thy  eyes?  He  answered  them:  I  have  told 
you  already,  and  you  have  heard:  why  would  you  hear  it 
again:  will  you  also  become  his  disciples?  They  reviled  him, 
therefore,  and  said:  Be  thou  his  disciple;  but  we  are  the 
disciples  of  Moses.  We  know  that  God  spoke  to  Moses:  but 
as  to  this  man,  we  know  not  from  whence  he  is.  The  man 
answered,  and  said  to  them:  Why,  herein  is  a  wonderful 
thing,  that  you  know  not  from  whence  he  is,  and  he  hath 
opened  my  eyes.  Now  we  know  that  God  doth  not  hear  sin- 
ners ;  but  if  a  man  be  a  server  of  God,  and  doth  his  will,  him 
he  heareth.  From  the  beginning  of  the  world  it  hath  not 
been  heard,  that  any  man  hath  opened  the  eyes  of  one  born 
blind.  Unless  this  man  were  of  God,  he  could  not  do  any 
thing.  They  answered,  and  said  to  him :  Thou  wast  wholly 
born  in  sins,  and  dost  thou  teach  us?  And  they  cast  him  out. 
Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out;  and  when  he  had 
found  him,  he  said  to  him:  Dost  thou  believe  in  the  Son  of 
God?  He  answered,  and  said:  Who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  may 
believe  in  him?  And  Jesus  said  to  him:  Thou  hast  both  seen 
him :  and  it  is  he  that  talketh  with  thee.  And  he  said :  I  be- 
lieve, Lord.  And  falling  down,  he  adored  him. 

EXPLANATION.  It  was  the  universal  opinion  of  the  Jews, 
that  bodily  disease  was  the  consequence  of  the  sins  either  of  the 
sufferer  or  of  his  parents;  although  this  is  often,  it  is  not  always 
the  truth,  as  in  the  case  of  this  blind  man,  in  whom  Christ  was  to 
manifest  His  divine  power  and  His  mission  to  save  man.  The  day 
in  which  Christ  was  to  do  the  work  of  His  Father,  was  the  day 
of  His  life  on  earth ;  in  the  night,  after  death,  no  one  can  longer 
do  anything  meritorious  for  the  honor  of  God  and  for  the  salvation 


208  THURSDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

of  his  own  soul.  The  healing  of  the  blind  man  showed  Jesus  to  be 
the  light  of  the  world,  which  dispels  physical  and  spiritual  dark- 
ness; for  with  light  to  his  eyes,  the  poor  beggar  received  the 
light  of  faith  in  Christ,  as  well.  For  the  Pharisees  their  eyes  were 
not  opened,  pride  kept  them  closed.  In  their  sight  Jesus  was  a 
sinner,  and  because  they  could  in  no  other  way  deny  the  miracle, 
they  made  the  loveless  declaration,  that  Grod  hears  not  the 
prayers  of  a  sinner,  and  this,  when  God  never  casts  away  the 
repenting  prayer  of  the  sinner,  and  when  Christ  was  sinless  and 
could  not  be  accused  of  a  sin.-- Learn  from  this,  0  Christian,  to 
scorn  the  terrible  malice  of  sin,  and  to  emulate  the  poor  blind 
man,  who  so  readily  received  the  light  of  faith,  and  from  the 
profession  of  which  he  could  be  deterred  by  no  persecution  on 
the  part  of  Christ'  enemies. 

THURSDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON,  (iv.  Kings  iv.  25—38.)  In  those  days:  A  Sun- 
amitess  came  to  Eliseus  on  mount  Carmel;  and  when  the 
man  of  God  saw  her  coming  towards  him,  he  said  to  Giezi 
his  servant:  Behold  that  Sunamitess.  Go  therefore  to  meet 
her,  and  say  to  her:  Is  all  well  with  thee,  and  with  thy  hus- 
band, and  with  thy  son?  And  she  answered:  Well.  And  when 
she  came  to  the  man  of  God  to  the  mount,  she  caught  hold 
on  his  feet :  and  Giezi  came  to  remove  her.  And  the  man  of 
God  said:  Let  her  alone,  for  her  soul  is  in  anguish,  and  the 
Lord  hath  hid  it  from  me,  and  hath  not  told  me.  And  she 
said  to  him :  Did  I  ask  a  son  of  my  Lord  %  Did  I  not  say  to 
thee:  Do  not  deceive  me1?  Then  he  said  to  Giezi:  Gird  up  thy 
loins,  and  take  up  my  staff  in  thy  hand,  and  go.  If  any  man 
meet  thee,  salute  him  not:  and  if  any  man  salute  thee,  an- 
swer him  not :  and  lay  my  staff  upon  the  face  of  the  child.. 
But  the  mother  of  the  child  said:  As  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as 
my  soul  liveth,  I  will  not  leave  thee.  He  arose,  therefore, 
and  followed  her.  But  Giezi  was  gone  before  them  and  laid 
the  staff  upon  the  face  of  the  child,  and  there  was  no  voice 
nor  sense:  and  he  returned  to  meet  him,  and  told  him,  say- 
ing: The  child  ib  not  risen.  Eliseus  therefore  went  into  the 
house,  and  behold,  the  child  lay  dead  on  his  bed.  And  going 
in,  he  shut  the  door  upon  him,  and  upon  the  child,  and  prayed 
to  the  Lord.  And  he  went  up,  and  lay  upon  the  child:  and 
he  put  his  mouth  upon  his  mouth,  and  his  eyes  upon  his 
eyes,  and  his  hands  upon  his  hands :  and  he  bowed  himself 


THURSDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  209 

upon  him,  and  the  child's  flesh  grew  warm.  Then  he  returned 
and  walked  in  the  house,  once  to  and  fro :  and  he  went  up 
and  lay  upon  him:  and  the  child  gaped  seven  times,  and 
opened  his  eyes.  And  he  called  Giezi,  and  said  to  him:  Call 
this  Sunamitess.  And  she  being  called,  went  in  to  him.  And 
he  said:  Take  up  thy  son.  She  came  and  fell  at  his  feet,  and 
worshipped  upon  the  ground,  and  took  up  her  son,  and  went 
out.     And  Eliseus  returned  to  Galgal. 

EXPLANATION.  The  raising  to  life,  by  the  Prophet  Eliseus, 
of  the  widow's  dead  son,  says  St.  Augustine,  was  a  prototype  of 
the  redemption  of  mankind  by  Jesus  from  the  death  of  sin.  "Eli- 
seus," he  writes,  "came,  and  went  up  to  the  chamber,  Christ 
came,  and  ascended  the  cross;  Eliseus  bowed  down  to  raise  the 
boy,  Christ  humbled  Himself  to  raise  the  world  lying  in  sin ;  Eli- 
seus laid  his  eyes  and  mouth  on  the  eyes  and  mouth  of  the  boy. 
How  that  man  of  ripe  age,  beloved  brethren,  contracted  himself, 
that  he  might  conform  himself  to  the  boy  lying  there!  That  which 
Eliseus  prototyped  in  this  boy,  Christ  fulfilled  for  the  whole  of 
mankind.  As  the  apostle  says:  He  humbled  Himself,  and 
became  obedient  even  unto  death."-- 0  let  us  be  grateful 
to  Jesus  who  has  raised  us  from  sin  to  eternal  life;  and  made  us 
God's  children! 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  vii.  11  — 16.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  went 
into  a  city  called  Nairn:  and  there  went  with  him  his  dis- 
ciples, and  a  great  multitude.  And  when  he  came  nigh  to 
the  city,  behold,  a  dead  man  was  carried  out,  the  only  son  of 
his  mother;  and  she  was  a  widow:  and  much  people  of  the 
city  were  with  her.  And  when  the  Lord  saw  her,  he  had 
compassion  on  her,  and  said  to  her:  Weep  not.  And  he  came 
near  and  touched  the  bier.  And  they  that  carried  it,  stood 
still.  And  he  said:  Young  man,  I  say  to  thee,  arise.  And  he 
that  was  dead,  sat  up,  and  began  to  speak.  And  he  delivered 
him  to  his  mother.  And  there  came  a  fear  on  them  all:  and 
they  glorified  God,  saying:  A  great  prophet  is  risen  up 
amongst  us,  and  God  hath  visited  his  people. 

INSTRUCTION.  St.  Ambrose  and  St.  Augustine  by  the  widow, 
mother  of  the  dead  3'outh,  understand  in  a  spiritual  sense,  the 
Church  mourning  for  her  children,  who  by  a  grievous  sin  have 
lost  the  life  of  the  soul,  that  is,  the  grace  of  God,  and  entreating 
the  Lord  with  prayers  and  tears,  to  come  again  and  give  grace 
and  life  to  them.   And  Jesus  comes,  touches  the  sinner  with  His 


14 


210  FRIDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

cross,  that  is,  by  external  and  internal  sufferings  exhorts  him  to 
penance,  assists  him  to  subdue  his  evil  passions,  takes  away  his 
sin,  gives  him  grace  once  more,  and  the  sinner  lives  again,  does 
good,  so  that  all  who  see  his  conversion,  praise  and  glorify  God. 
Thank  God,  that  you  are  a  child  of  His  holy  Church,  by  whose 
intercession  Christ  even  now  raises  the  spiritually  dead  to  life. 

FRIDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON,  (iii.  Kings  xvii.  17  —  24.)  In  those  days:  The  son 
of  the  woman,  the  mistress  of  the  house,  fell  sick,  and  the 
sickness  was  very  grievous,  so  that  there  was  no  breath  left 
in  him.  And  she  said  to  Elias :  What  have  I  to  do  with  thee, 
thou  man  of  God?  Art  thou  come  to  me,  that  my  iniquities 
should  be  remembered,  and  that  thou  shouldst  kill  my  son? 
And  Elias  said  to  her:  Give  me  thy  son.  And  he  took  him 
out  of  her  bosom,  and  carried  him  into  the  upper  chamber 
where  he  abode,  and  laid  him  upon  his  own  bed.  And  he 
cried  to  the  Lord  and  said:  0  Lord,  my  God,  hast  thou  af- 
flicted also  the  widow,  with  whom  I  am  after  a  sort  main- 
tained, so  as  to  kill  her  son?  And  he  stretched,  and  measured 
himself  upon  the  child  three  times,  and  cried  to  the  Lord 
and  said:  0  Lord  my  God,  let  the  soul  of  this  child,  I  beseech 
thee,  return  into  his  body.  And  the  Lord  heard  the  voice  of 
Elias :  and  the  soul  of  the  child  returned  unto  him,  and  he 
revived.  And  Elias  took  the  child,  and  brought  him  down 
from  the  upper  chamber  to  the  house  below,  and  delivered 
him  to  his  mother,  and  said  to  her:  Behold,  thy  son  liveth. 
And  the  woman  said  to  Elias:  Now,  by  this  I  know  thou 
art  a  man  of  God,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  in  thy  mouth 
is  true. 

INSTRUCTION.  St.  Theodoret  ascribes  the  grace  of  the  re- 
storation of  her  boy  to  life  by  the  Prophet  Elias,  to  the  humility 
and  penance  with  which  the  widow  accused  herself  as  the  cause 
of  the  child's  death.  Remember  that  God  despises  not  an  humble 
and  contrite  heart,  and  bear  the  afflictions  with  which  He  visits 
you,  in  humble  patience  and  in  the  spirit  of  penance,  until  it 
pleases  Him  to  take  them  from  you. 

GOSPEL.  {John  xi.  1  —  45.)  At  that  time:  There  was  a 
certain  man  sick,  named  Lazarus,  of  Bethania,  of  the  town 
of  Mary,  and  of  Martha  her  sister.  (And  Mary  was  she  that 
anointed  the  Lord  with  ointment,  and  wiped  his  feet  with 


FRIDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  211 

her  hair,  whose  brother  Lazarus  was  sick.)  His  sisters  there- 
fore sent  to  him,  saying:  Lord,  behold,  he  whom  thou  lovest 
is  sick.  And  Jesus  hearing  it,  said  to  them:  This  sickness  is 
not  unto  death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God :  that  the  Son  of 
God  may  be  glorified  by  it.  Now  Jesus  loved  Martha,  and 
her  sister  Mary,  and  Lazarus.  When  he  had  heard  therefore 
that  he  was  sick,  he  still  remained  in  the  same  place  two 
days.  Then  after  that  he  said  to  his  disciples:  Let  us  go  into 
Judea  again.  The  disciples  say  to  him :  Rabbi,  the  Jews  but 
now  sought  to  stone  thee,  and  goest  thou  thither  again? 
Jesus  answered :  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  of  the  day  ?  If 
a  man  walk  in  the  day,  he  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seeth 
the  light  of  this  world:  but  if  he  walk  in  the  night,  he 
stumbleth,  because  the  light  is  not  in  him.  These  things  he 
said:  and  after  that  he  said  to  them:  Lazarus  our  friend 
sleepeth ;  but  I  go  that  I  may  awake  him  out  of  his  sleep. 
His  disciples  therefore  said:  Lord,  if  he  sleep,  he  shall  do  well. 
But  Jesus  spoke  of  his  death;  and  they  thought  that  he  spoke 
of  the  repose  of  sleep.  Then  therefore  Jesus  said  to  them 
plainly:  Lazarus  is  dead;  and  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes,  that 
I  was  not  there,  that  you  may  believe:  but  let  us  go  to  him. 
Thomas  therefore,  who  is  called  Didymus,  said  to  his  fellow 
disciples:  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with  him.  Jesus 
therefore  came,  and  found  that  he  had  been  four  days  al- 
ready in  the  grave.  (Now  Bethania  was  near  Jerusalem, 
about  fifteen  furlongs  off.)  And  many  of  the  Jews  were  come 
to  Martha  and  Mary,  to  comfort  them  concerning  their  bro- 
ther. Martha,  therefore,  as  soon  as  she  heard  that  Jesus  was 
come,  went  to  meet  him;  but  Mary  sat  at  home.  Martha, 
therefore,  said  to  Jesus :  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my 
brother  had  not  died;  but  now  also  I  know,  that  whatsoever 
thou  wilt  ask  of  God,  God  will  give  it  thee.  Jesus  saith  to 
her:  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again.  Martha  saith  to  him:  I 
know  that  he  shall  rise  again  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last 
day.  Jesus  said  to  her:  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life; 
he  that  believeth  in  me,  although  he  be  dead,  shall  live:  and 


14* 


212  FRIDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

every  one  that  liveth,  and  believeth  in  me,  shall  not  die  for 
ever.  Believest  thou  this?  She  saith  to  him:  Yea,  Lord,  I 
have  believed  that  thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God,  who  art  come  into  this  world.  And  when  she  had  said 
these  things,  she  went,  and  called  her  sister  Mary  secretly, 
saying :  The  Master  is  come,  and  calleth  for  thee.  She,  as 
soon  as  she  heard  this,  riseth  quickly,  and  cometh  to  him; 
for  Jesus  was  not  yet  come  into  the  town;  but  he  was  still 
in  that  place  where  Martha  had  met  him.  The  Jews  there- 
fore, who  were  with  her  in  the  house,  and  comforted  her, 
when  they  saw  Mary  that  she  rose  up  speedily,  and  went 
out,  followed  her  saying:  She  goeth  to  the  grave,  to  weep 
there.  When  Mary  therefore  was  come  where  Jesus  was, 
seeing  him,  she  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and  saith  to  him :  Lord, 
if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died.  Jesus  there- 
fore, when  he  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews  that  were 
come  with  her,  weeping,  he  groaned  in  the  spirit,  ad  troub- 
led himself.  And  said :  Where  have  you  laid  him  ?  They  say 
to  him:  Lord,  come  and  see.  And  Jesus  wept.  The  Jews 
therefore  said:  Behold,  how  he  loved  him.  But  some  of  them 
said :  Could  not  he,  that  opened  the  eyes  of  the  man  born 
blind,  have  caused  that  this  man  should  not  die?  Jesus 
therefore  again  groaning  in  himself,  cometh  to  the  sepulchre ; 
now  it  was  a  cave,  and  a  stone  was  laid  over  it.  Jesus  saith : 
Take  away  the  stone.  Martha,  the  sister  of  him  that  was 
dead,  saith  to  him:  Lord,  by  this  time  he  stinketh,  for  it  is 
now  the  fourth  day.  Jesus  saith  to  her :  Did  not  I  say  to 
thee,  that  if  thou  believe,  thou  shalt  see  the  glory  of  God  ? 
They  took  therefore  the  stone  away.  And  Jesus  lifting  up  his 
eyes,  said :  Father,  I  give  thee  thanks  that  thou  hast  heard 
me.  And  I  know  that  thou  hearest  me  always,  but  because 
of  the  people  who  stand  about,  have  I  said  it,  that  they  may 
believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  When  he  had  said  these 
things,  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice:  Lazarus,  come  forth.  And 
presently  he  that  had  been  dead,  came  forth,  bound  feet  and 
hands  with  winding  bands,  and  his  face  was  bound  about 


SATURDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  213 

with  a  napkin.    Jesus  said  to  them :  Loose  him  and  let  him 

go.    Many  therefore  of  the  Jews,  who  were  come  to  Mary 

and  Martha,  and  had  seen  the  things  that  Jesus  did,  believed 

in  him. 

INSTRUCTION.  By  the  marvellous  raising  up  of  Lazarus, 
Christ  shows  His  divinity,  and  strengthens  our  belief  in  a  future 
resurrection  of  the  body,  as  St.  Ambrose  writes:  "Why  did  Jesus 
go  to  the  grave  and  with  a  loud  voice  cry  out:  Lazarus,  come 
forth,  if  He  did  not  wish  to  give  testimony  of  the  future  resur- 
rection?" The  holy  fathers  also  regard  the  raising  of  Lazarus  as 
a  type  of  the  raising  of  the  sinner  from  the  sleep  of  sin,  which 
takes  place  when  he  confesses  his  sins  with  contrition,  and  is 
loosened  by  the  priests  from  their  bonds.  Beseech  the  Lord  that 
with  a  lond  voice  He  may  cry  to  all  sinners  and  to  you:  "Come 
forth,  awake  from  the  sleep  of  sin,  confess  your  sins,  and  live 
forever ! " 

SATURDAY  IN  THE  FOUETH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Isai.  xlix.  8—15.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord:  In  an 
acceptable  time  I  have  heard  thee,  and  in  the  day  of  salva- 
tion I  have  helped  thee:  and  I  have  preserved  thee,  and 
given  thee  to  be  a  covenant  of  the  people,  that  thou  mightest 
raise  up  the  earth,  and  possess  the  inheritances  that  were 
destroyed;  that  thou  mightest  say  to  them  that  are  bound: 
Come  forth :  and  to  them  that  are  in  darkness :  Shew  your- 
selves. They  shall  feed  in  the  ways,  and  their  pastures  shall 
be  in  every  plain.  They  shall  not  hunger  nor  thirst,  neither 
shall  the  heat  nor  the  sun  strike  them;  for  he  that  is  merci- 
ful to  them,  shall  be  their  shepherd,  and  at  the  fountains  of 
waters  he  shall  give  them  drink.  And  I  will  make  all  my 
mountains  a  way,  and  my  paths  shall  be  exalted.  Behold, 
these  shall  come  from  afar,  and  behold,  these  from  the  north 
and  from  the  sea,  and  these  from  the  south  country.  Give 
praise,  0  ye  heavens,  and  rejoice,  0  earth,  ye  mountains  give 
praise  with  jubilation;  because  the  Lord  hath  comforted  his 
people,  and  will  have  mercy  on  his  poor  ones.  And  Sion 
said :  The  Lord  hath  forsaken  me,  and  the  Lord  hath  for- 
gotten me.  Can  a  woman  forget  her  infant,  so  as  not  to  have 
pity  on  the  son  of  her  womb  ?  And  if  she  should  forget,  yet 
will  I  not  forget  thee,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 

EXPLANATION.  These  words  of  the  prophet  are  prophecies 
of  Christ  and  His  Church,  and  point  to  that  happy  condition  ob- 


214  SATURDAY  IN  THE  FOURTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

tained  for  the  whole  world  by  the  passion  and  death  of  Jesus  and 
the  foundation  of  His  holy  Church.  All  who  enter  the  Church  of 
Christ,  are  led  by  Christ,  their  hunger  and  thirst  are  appeased 
by  the  Sacraments,  and  the  practice  of  difficult  virtues  which 
before  was  like  the  ascending  of  steep  mountains,  is  made  easy 
for  them  through  Jesus.  0  what  happiness  is  ours,  that  we  are 
members  of  this  holy  Church,  wherein  Jesus  acts  so  mercifully 
Avith  us,  and  bestows  so  many  graces  upon  us ! 

GOSPEL.  (John  viii.  12 — 20.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spoke 
to  the  multitude  of  the  Jews,  saying :  I  am  the  light  of  the 
world:  he  that  followeth  me,  walketh  not  in  darkness,  but 
shall  have  the  light  of  life.  The  Pharisees  therefore  said  to 
him:  Thou  givest  testimony  of  thyself:  thy  testimony  is  not 
true.  Jesus  answered,  and  said  to  them :  Although  I  give 
testimony  of  myself,  my  testimony  is  true;  for  I  know  whence 
I  came,  and  whither  I  go:  but  you  know  not  whence  I  come, 
or  whither  I  go.  You  judge  according  to  the  flesh:  I  judge  not 
any  man.  And  if  I  do  judge,  my  judgment  is  true:  because 
1  am  not  alone;  but  I  and  the  Father  that  sent  me.  And  in 
your  law  it  is  written,  that  the  testimony  of  two  men  is  true. 
I  am  one  that  give  testimony  of  myself:  and  the  Father  that 
sent  me,  giveth  testimony  of  me.  They  said  therefore  to 
him:  Where  is  thy  father?  Jesus  answered:  Neither  me  do 
you  know,  nor  my  Father :  if  you  did  know  me,  perhaps  you 
would  know  my  Father  also.  These  words  Jesus  spoke  in  the 
treasury,  teaching  in  the  temple :  and  no  man  laid  hands  on 
him,  because  his  hour  was  not  yet  come. 

EXPLANATION.  Christ  calls  Himself  the  light  of  the  world, 
because  by  His  teachings  and  example,  He  brings  man  to  the 
knowledge  of  truth  and  virtue,  if  he  will  only  listen  to  His  voice, 
and  is  willing  to  follow  His  example,  to  eternal  happiness.  The 
Pharisees  would  have  a  proof  of  this,  but  Jesus  pointed  them 
to  the  testimony  of  His  Father,  that  is,  to  the  great  miracles 
which  He  wrought  in  His  Father's  name.  When  Christ  says:  I 
judge  no  man,  He  means  He  judges  not  the  Pharisees  according 
to  the  flesh,  that  is,  falsely  and  wrongly,  or,  as  St.  Chrysostom 
says:  He  now  judged  no  man,  because  He  had  come  into  the 
world  to  redeem  and  save;  the  time  of  judgment  was  not  now, 
but  at  the  end  of  the  world. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 


215 


PETITION.  0  Jesus,  Light  of  the  world!  Grant,  that  I 
may  follow  Thee  always,  acknowledge  Thee  always  as  the 
true  Son  of  God,  and  one  day  receive  a  merciful  judgment 
from  Thee. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY 
IN  LENT.  (JUDICA.) 


His  Sunday,  called  Judica  from  the  first  word 
of  the  Introit,  is  also  called  Passion  Sun- 
day, because  from  this  day  the  Church  oc- 
cupies herself  exclusively  with  the  contempla- 
tion of  the  passion  and  death  of  Christ,  The 
pictures  of  Christ  crucified  are  covered  to  day 
in  memory  of  Christ  having  hidden  Himself 
from  the  Jews  until  His  entrance  into  Jerusalem,  no  longer  show- 
ing Himself  in  public.  {John  xi.  54.)  In  the  Mass  the  Glory  be  to 
the  Father,  &c,  is  omitted,  because  in  the  person  of  Christ  the 
Holy  Trinity  was  dishonored.  The  psalm  Judica  is  not  said  to- 
day, because  on  this  day  the  high  priests  held  council  about  our 
Lord,  for  which  reason  the  Church  uses  at  the  Introit,  in  the 
name  of  the  suffering,  these  words:  Judge  me,  0  Lord,  and 
distinguish  my  cause  from  the  nation  that  is  not  holy: 
deliver  me  from  the  unjust  and  deceitful  men.  Send 
forth  thy  light  and  thy  truth:  for  they  have  conducted 
me,  and  brought  me  to  thy  holy  mount,  and  into  thy 
tabernacles.  (Ps.  xlii.) 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Mercifully  look  down  upon 
thy  people,  we  beseech  Thee,  0  Almighty  God,  that,  by  thy 
bounty  and  protection,  they  may  be  governed  and  guarded 
both  in  body  and  soul.  Through,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Hebr.ix.  11  —  15.)  Brethren:  Christ  being 
come  an  high  priest  of  the  good  things  to  come,  by  a  greater 
and  more  perfect  tabernacle  not  made  with  hands,  that  is, 
not  of  this  creation:  neither  by  the  blood  of  goats,  or  of 
calves,  but  by  his  own  blood,  entered  once  into  the  Holies, 
having  obtained  eternal  redemption.  For  if  the  blood  of  goats 
and  of  oxen,  and  the  ashes  of  an  heifer  being  sprinkled, 
sanctify  such  as  are  defiled,  to  the  cleansing  of  the  flesh: 
how  much  more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ  (who  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  offered  himself  unspotted  unto  God)  cleanse  our  con- 


216  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 

science  from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God?  And  there- 
fore he  is  the  mediator  of  the  new  testament:  that  by  means 
of  his  death,  for  the  redemption  of  those  transgressions  which 
were  under  the  former  testament,  they  that  are  called,  may 
receive  the  promise  of  eternal  inheritance. 

EXPLANATION.  Paul  here  teaches,  that  Christ  as  the  true 
high  priest  of  the  New  Testament,  through  His  precious  blood  on 
the  altar  of  the  cross  has  indeed  perfectly  made  satisfaction  for 
sins,  but  that  the  sinner  must  also  do  his  own  part,  by  cooperat- 
ing with  Christ  to  make  himself  less  unworthy  of  participation  in 
the  passion  of  Christ  and  His  merits,  and  to  appropriate  to  himself 
its  fruits.  This  is  done,  when  he  diligently  and  devoutly  assists 
at  the  unbloody  Sacrifice  of  Mass,  by  which  the  fruits  of  the  death 
on  the  cross  are  attributed  to  us;  and  when  according  to  the 
will  of  the  Church,  he  purifies  his  conscience  by  true  contrition 
and  confession,  and  when  he  seeks  by  trust  in  Christ's  merits  to 
render  some  satisfaction  for  his  sins  through  voluntary  penance 
and  faithful  following  of  Christ. 

ASPIRATION.  Grant  us,  0  meekest  Jesus,  Thy  grace, 
that  we  through  perfect  contrition  for  our  sins  and  the  exer- 
cise of  good  works,  may  make  ourselves  participators  in  the 
merits  of  Thy  bitter  passion. 

GOSPEL.  {John  viii.  46  —  59.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  the  multitude  of  the  Jews:  Which  of  you  shall  convince 
me  of  sin?  If  I  say  the  truth  to  you,  why  do  you  not  believe 
me?  He  that  is  of  God,  heareth  the  words  of  God.  Therefore 
you  hear  them  not,  because  you  are  not  of  God.  The  Jews 
therefore  answered,  and  said  to  him:  Do  not  we  say  well 
that  thou  art  a  Samaritan  and  hast  a  devil?  Jesus  answered: 
I  have  not  a  devil :  but  I  honor  my  Father,  and  you  have 
dishonored  me.  But  I  seek  not  my  own  glory:  there  is  one 
that  seeketh  and  judgeth.  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you :  If 
any  man  keep  my  word,  he  shall  not  see  death  for  ever. 
The  Jews  therefore  said:  Now  we  know  that  thou  hast  a 
devil.  Abraham  is  dead,  and  the  prophets:  and  thou  sayest: 
If  any  man  keep  my  word,  he  shall  not  taste  death  for  ever. 
Art  thou  greater  than  our  Father  Abraham,  who  is  dead  ? 
and  the  prophets  are  dead.  Whom  dost  thou  make  thyself? 
Jesus  answered :  If  I  glorify  myself,  my  glory  is  nothing.    It 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 


217 


is  my  Father  that  glorifieth  me.  of  whom  you  say  that  he 
is  your  God.  And  you  have  not  known  him,  but  I  know 
him.  And  if  I  should  say  that  I  know  him  not,  I  should  be 
like  to  you,  a  liar.  But  I  do  know  him,  and  do  keep  his 
word.  Abraham  your  father  rejoiced  that  he  might  see  my 
day :  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad.  The  Jews  then  said  to  him : 
Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and  hast  thou  seen  Abra- 
ham? Jesus  said  to  them:  Amen,  amen,  I  say  toj^ou,  before 
Abraham  was  made,  I  am.  They  took  up  stones  therefore 
to  cast  at  him.  But  Jesus  hid  himself,  and  went  out  of  the 
temple. 


2 1 8  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT. 

Why  did  Christ  ask  the  Jews,  which  of  them  should  convince 

Him  of  sin? 

To  show  us  that  he  who  would  teach  and  punish  others,  should 
himself,  as  much  as  is  in  him,  be  without  blame;  and  to  manifest 
that  He,  being  without  sin,  must  necessarily  be  more  than  man, 
therefore  the  Saviour,  the  Son  of  God,  as  He  so  often  and  es- 
pecially in  this  gospel  announced,  and  proved  Himself  by  His 
miracles. 

Why  did  He  say:  He  that  is  of  God,  heareth  the  words 

of  God? 

To  show  that  the  Jews,  who  would  not  believe  His  divine 
teachings,  because  the  devil  kept  their  hearts  blinded  by  envy 
and  hatred,  could  not  therefore  be  the  children  of  God,  but  of  the 
devil.  "Therefore,"  says  St.  Gregory,  "let  every  one  when  he 
hears  the  words  of  God,  ask  himself,  whence  he  comes.  Eternal 
truth  demands,  that  we  are  desirous  of  the  heavenly  fatherland, 
that  we  tame  the  desires  of  the  flesh,  are  indifferent  to  the  world's 
praises,  covet  not  our  neighbor's  goods,  and  give  alms  according 
to  our  means.  Therefore,  let  every  one  examine  himself,  and 
when  in  his  heart  he  attends  to  this  voice  of  God,  he  will  know, 
if  he  is  of  God," 

CONSOLATION  IN  CALUMNIATION. 

WHen  Christ  told  the  Jews  the  truth,  He  received,  as  is 
the  custom  in  this  world,  no  other  reward  than  insults 
and  calumnies,  for  they  called  Him  a  Samaritan,  that  is,  an  un- 
believer, a  heretic,  one  possessed  "by  the  devil.  This  was  a  hard 
slander  for  Christ,  and  it  must  have  greatly  pained  Him;  this  is 
a  great  consolation  to  those  who  are  innocently  calumniated,  for 
they  can  consider,  that  Christ  Himself  received  nothing  better. 
St.  Augustine  consoles  such  by  saying:  "0  friend,  what  is  there 
can  happen  to  you  that  your  Saviour  did  not  suffer  before  you? 
Is  it  slander?  He  heard  it,  when  He  was  called  a  glutton,  a 
drunkard,  a  heretic,  and  a  rebel,  a  companion  of  sinners,  one  pos- 
sessed by  the  devil,  even  to  hear,  when  driving  out  devils,  that 
He  did  so  by  Beelzebub,  prince  of  devils.  {Matt.  ix.  34.)  He  there- 
fore comforts  His  apostles,  saying,  If  they  have  called  the 
good  man  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  them 
of  his  household?"  {Matt.  x.  25.)  Are  the  pains  bitter?  There 
is  no  pain  so  bitter,  that  He  has  not  endured  it;  for  what  is  more 
painful,  and  at  the  same  time  more  ignominious  than  the  death 
of  the  cross?  For  think,  says  St.  Paul,  diligently  upon  him 
who  endureth  such  opposition  from  sinners  against 
himself;  that  you  be  not  wearied  (by  all  contempt  and 
calumny),  fainting  in  your  minds.  (Heor.  xii.  3.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  IN  LENT.  219 

How  and  why  did  Christ  defend  Himself  against  the  slanders  of 

the  Jews? 
Only  by  denying  with  the  greatest  modesty  the  tilings  with 
which 'they  reproached  Him,  saying,  that  He  had  not  a  devil, 
that  He  was  not  a  Samaritan,  because  He  honored  His  Father  not 
in  their  manner,  but  in  His  own.  Christ  repelled  this  calumny, 
while  He  left  the  rest  unanswered,  because  to  permit  this  to  rest 
upon  Him,  would  be  to  have  suffered  His  divine  mission  to  be 
doubted,  and,  consequently,  the  honor  of  God  and  the  salvation 
of  man  would  have  been  injured.  Christ  thus  teaches  us  by  His 
own  conduct  to  defend  ourselves  only  against  those  detractions 
and  insults  which  endanger  the  honor  of  God  and  the  salvation 
of  man,  and  then  to  defend  ourselves  with  all  modesty;  by  no 
means  to  do  it,  however,  if  they  injure  only  our  own  good  name, 
for  we  should  leave  the  restoration  of  that  to  God,  as  exempli- 
fied by  Christ,  who  knows  better  than  we  how  to  preserve  and 
restore  it. 

[See  the  Instruction  on  the  Epistle  of  the  third  Sunday  after 
Epiphany  J 

How  had  Abraham  seen  Christ's  day? 

In  spirit,  that  is,  he  had  by  divine  revelation  while  yet  in  life, 
known  the  coming  of  Christ,  and  had  rejoiced  in  advance;  also, 
he  heard,  by  revelation  from  God,  with  the  other  just  in  limbo, 
that  Christ's  coming  had  taken  place,  and  drew  the  greatest  com- 
fort from  it. 

Why  did  Christ  conceal  Himself  from  the  Jews,  instead  of  taking 
vengeance  on  them? 

Because  the  time  for  His  death  had  not  come;  because  He 
would  show  His  meekness  and  patience,  and  teach  us,  that  we 
should  go  out  of  our  enemies'  way  rather  than  resist  them  or  take 
vengeance  upon  them ;  Christ  wished  to  instruct  us  to  avoid  pas- 
sionate and  quarrelsome  people,  for  it  is  an  honor  for  a  man 
to  separate  from  quarrels,  but  all  fools  are  meddling 
with  reproaches.  (Pror.  xx.  3.) 

PETITION.  When  Thine  enemies  calumniated  Thee, 
most  meek  Jesus ,  Thou  didst  answer  them  with  tender 
words,  and  when  they  were  about  to  stone  Thee,  Thou  didst 
depart  from  them,  while  we  can  scarcely  bear  a  hard  word, 
and  then  will  not  yield  to  our  neighbor,  but  defend  ourselves 
most  passionately  and  avenge  ourselves.  Ah!  pardon  us  for 
our  impatience,  and  grant  us  the  grace  patiently  to  bear 
the  wrongs  done  us,  answering,  when  necessary,  with  gent- 
leness, for  Thy  glory  and  the  salvation  of  our  neighbor. 


220 

MONDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Jonas  in.  1  — 10.)  In  those  days:  The  word  of 
the  Lord  came  to  Jonas  the  second  time,  saying:  Arise  and 
go  to  Ninive  the  great  city:  and  preach  in  it  the  preaching 
that  I  bid  thee.  And  Jonas  arose,  and  went  to  Mnive  ac- 
cording to  the  word  of  the  Lord:  now  Ninive  was  a  great 
city  of  three  days  journey.  And  Jonas  began  to  enter  into 
the  city  one  day's  journey:  and  he  cried  and  said:  Yet  forty 
days  and  Ninive  shall  be  destroyed.  And  the  men  of  Ninive 
believed  in  God:  and  they  proclaimed  a  fast,  and  put  on 
sackcloth  from  the  greatest  to  the  least.  And  the  word  came 
to  the  King  of  Ninive:  and  he  rose  up  out  of  his  throne,  and 
cast  away  his  robe  from  him,  and  was  clothed  with  sack- 
cloth, and  sat  in  ashes.  And  he  caused  it  to  be  proclaimed 
and  published  in  Ninive  from  the  mouth  of  the  king  and  of 
his  princes,  saying:  Let  neither  men  nor  beasts,  oxen  nor 
sheep,  taste  any  thing :  let  them  not  feed,  nor  drink  water. 
And  let  men  and  beasts  be  covered  with  sackcloth,  and  cry 
to  the  Lord  with  all  their  strength,  and  let  them  turn  every 
one  from  his  evil  way,  and  from  the  iniquity  that  is  in  their 
hands.  Who  can  tell  if  God  will  turn,  and  forgive:  and  will 
turn  away  from  his  fierce  anger,  and  we  shall  not  perish? 
And  God  saw  their  works,  that  they  were  turned  from  their 
evil  way:  and  the  Lord  our  God  had  mercy  on  the  people. 

INSTRUCTION.  In  this  lesson  is  plainly  shown  the  great 
effects  produced  by  true  penance ;  it  took  away  so  many  and  such 
great  vices  from  a  great  city,  subdued  the  wrath  of  God,  turned 
aside  His  scourge,  yes,  even  gained  grace  and  reconciliation,  so 
that  the  Ninivites  from  slaves  of  the  devil  were  made  friends  of 
God,  from  an  unjust,  godless,  infidel,  vicious  people  were  changed 
to  a  just,  pious,  faithful,  holy  nation.  "If,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "we 
turn  to  penance,  we  make  the  angels  exult.  Hasten,  therefore, 
brethren,  hasten;  not  the  angels  only,  but  the  Creator  of  the 
angels  even  awaits  you."  God  awaits  you  also,  and  the  angels ; 
hasten  to  penance,  that  the  Ninivites  may  not  some  day  bear 
witness  against  you.  (Matt.  xii.  41.) 

GOSPEL.  (John  vii.  32— 39.)  At  that  time:  The  rulers 
and  Pharisees  sent  ministers  to  apprehend  Jesus.  Jesus 
therefore  said  to  them :  Yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you : 
and  then  I  go  to  him  that  sent  me.   You  shall  seek  me,  and 


TUESDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  221 

shall  not  find  me :  and  where  I  am,  thither  you  cannot  come. 
The  Jews,  therefore,  said  among  themselves :  Whither  will  he 
go,  that  we  shall  not  find  him :  will  he  go  to  the  dispersed 
among  the  Gentiles,  and  teach  the  Gentiles?  What  is  this 
saying  that  he  hath  said :  You  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  not 
find  me;  and  where  I  am,  you  cannot  come?  And  on  the  last 
and  great  day  of  the  festival,  Jesus  stood  and  cried,  saying: 
If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  to  me,  and  drink.  He  that 
believeth  in  me,  as  the  scripture  saith,  "  Out  of  his  belly  shall 
flow  rivers  of  living  water."  Now  this  he  said  of  the  Spirit 
which  they  should  receive  who  believed  in  him. 

EXPLANATION.  Jesus,  in  this  gospel,  tells  the  Jews,  that 
He  will  soon  return  to  the  Father,  meaning  that  He  should  die, 
rise  from  death,  and  ascend  into  heaven;  then  will  they  seek  Him, 
that  is,  desire  the  Messiah,  but  not  find  Him,  because  they  would 
not  recognize  Him,  the  true  Messiah,  but  cast. Him  away,  and 
they  would  not  come  there,  whither  He  was  going,  into  heaven, 
because  they  remained  in  their  sins.  0  how  terrible  is  the  blind- 
ness of  man,  who  knows  not  the  time  of  grace  and  visitation,  who 
despises  the  hand  God  stretches  out  towards  him,  and  gives  no 
heed  to  the  call  to  penance!  Hear  what  God  Himself  says:  Be- 
cause I  called  and  you  refused;  I  stretched  out  my 
hand,  and  there  was  none  that  regarded,  — I  also  will 
laugh  in  your  destruction,  when  sudden  calamity  shall 
fall  on  you,  when  tribulation  and  distress  (of  death  and 
judgment)  shall  come  upon  you;  then  shall  they  call  upon 
me,  and  ]  will  not  hear;  they  shall  rise  in  the  morning 
(to  seek  me),  and  shall  not  find  me.  {Prop.  i.  24—28.) 

TUESDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  {Ban.  xiv.  28—42.)  In  those  days:  The  people 
of  Babylon  gathered  together  against  the  king,  and  said  to 
him:  Deliver  up  to  us  Daniel,  who  hath  destroyed  Bel,  and 
killed  the  Dragon,  otherwise  we  will  destroy  thee  and  thy 
house.  And  the  king  saw  that  they  pressed  upon  him  vio- 
lently: and  being  constrained  by  necessity,  he  delivered  Daniel 
to  them.  And  they  cast  him  into  the  den  of  lions,  and  he 
was  there  six  days.  And  in  the  den  there  were  seven  lions, 
and  they  had  given  to  them  two  carcasses  every  day,  and 
two  sheep:  but  then  they  were  not  given  unto  them,  to  the 
intent  that  they  might  devour  Daniel.     Now  there  was  in 


222  TUESDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

Judea  a  prophet  called  Habacuc,  and  he  had  boiled  pottage, 
and  had  broken  bread  in  a  bowl ;  and  was  going  into  the 
field  to  carry  it  to  the  reapers.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
said  to  Habacnc:  Carry  the  dinner  which  thou  hast,  into 
Babylon  to  Daniel,  who  is  in  the  lions'  den.  And  Habacuc 
said:  Lord,  I  never  saw  Babylon,  nor  do  I  know  the  den.  And 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  took  him  by  the  top  of  his  head,  and 
carried  him  by  the  hair  of  his  head,  and  set  him  in  Babylon 
over  the  den  in  the  force  of  his  spirit.  And  Habacuc  cried, 
saying :  0  Daniel,  thou  servant  of  God,  take  the  dinner  that 
Clod  hath  sent  thee.  And  Daniel  said:  Thou  hast  remembered 
me,  0  God,  and  thou  hast  not  forsaken  them  that  love  thee. 
And  Daniel  arose  and  ate.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  pre- 
sently set  Habacuc  again  in  his  own  place.  And  upon  the 
seventh  day  the  king  came  to  bewail  Daniel:  and  he  came 
to  the* den,  and  looked  in,  and  behold,  Daniel  was  sitting  in 
the  midst  of  the  lions.  And  the  king  cried  out  with  a  loud 
voice,  saying:  Great  art  thou,  0  Lord,  the  God  of  Daniel. 
And  he  drew  him  out  of  the  lions'  den.  But  those  that  had 
been  the  cause  of  his  destruction,  he  cast  into  the  den,  and 
they  were  devoured  in  a  moment  before  him.  Then  the  King 
said :  Let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  whole  earth  fear  the  God 
of  Daniel ;  for  he  is  the  Saviour,  working  signs  and  wonders 
in  the  earth;  who  hath  delivered  Daniel  out  of  the  lions'  den. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Babylonians  worshipped  the  detestable 
idol  Bel,  whose  priests  deceived  the  people.  Daniel  unmarked 
the  deceits  of  the  priests,  destroyed  the  idol  and  its  temple,  at 
which  the  Babylonians  became  furious,  and  forced  the  king,  who 
was  well  disposed  towards  Daniel,  but  who  had  a  coward's  heart, 
to  cause  him  to  be  thrown  into  the  lions'  den.  But  God  does  not 
desert  His  faithful  servants.  Daniel  remained  in  the  midst  of  the 
lions  unharmed,  and  was  fed  in  a  marvellous  manner  by  God. 
Only  faithfully  fulfil  your  duties,  my  Christian,  always  promote 
the  honor  of  God,  and  destroy  the  works  of  Satan.  Fear  nothing, 
God  never  deserts  His  own. 

GOSPEL.  {John  vii.  1  — 13.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  walked 
in  Galilee ;  for  he  would  not  walk  in  Judea :  because  the 
Jews  sought  to  kill  him.  Now  the  Jews'  feast  of  tabernacles 
was  at  hand.  And  his  brethren  said  to  him :  Depart  from 
hence,  and  go  into  Judea ;  that  thy  disciples  also  may  see 
thy  works  which  thou  dost.    For  there  is  no  man  that  doth 


WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  223 

any  thing  in  secret,  and  he  himself  seeketh  to  be  known 
openly.  If  thou  do  these  things,  manifest  thyself  to  the  world. 
For  neither  did  his  brethren  believe  in  him.  Then  Jesus  said 
to  them :  My  time  is  not  yet  come ;  but  your  time  is  always 
ready.  The  world  cannot  hate  you;  but  me  it  hateth:  be- 
cause I  give  testimony  of  it,  that  the  works  thereof  are  evil. 
Go  you  up  to  this  festival  day,  but  I  go  not  up  to  this  fes- 
tival day :  because  my  time  is  not  accomplished.  When  he 
had  said  these  things ',  he  himself  stayed  in  Galilee.  But  after 
his  brethren  were  gone  up,  then  he  also  went  up  to  the  feast, 
not  openly,  but  as  it  were  in  secret.  The  Jews  therefore 
sought  him  on  the  festival  day,  and  said:  Where  is  he?  And 
there  was  much  murmuring  among  the  multitude  concern- 
ing him.  For  some  said:  He  is  a  good  man.  And  others  said: 
No,  but  he  seduceth  the  people.  Yet  no  man  spoke  openly 
of  him,  for  fear  of  the  Jews. 

EXPLANATION.  Even  the  brothers,  that  is,  the  relatives  of 
Christ  did  not  believe  in  Him,  and  desired,  therefore,  that  He 
should  go  to  Jerusalem,  and  perform  miracles  there,  that  from 
the  high  council  there  judgment  might  be  given,  whether  He  was 
the  true  Messiah.  But  Jesus  answered  them:  My  time,  to  die 
and  by  my  death  and  resurrection  to  convince  the  whole  world 
of  my  mission,  is  not  yet  come;  but  your  time  is  always 
ready,  that  is,  you  take  part  with  my  enemies,  because  you  are 
children  of  the  world,  they  also  love  the  world,  and  so  hate  me, 
because  I  reprove  and  punish  the  sinful  works  of  the  world;  but 
you  they  hate  not,  you  have  nothing  to  fear  from  them,  you,  as 
they,  love  the  world.  The  truth  of  Christ's  words  is  verified  even 
to-day.  He  who  takes  sides  with  the  reckless  children  of  the 
world,  has  nothing  to  fear  from  them,  but  he  who  avoids  their 
society,  is  persecuted  and  slandered.  Blessed  shall  you  be, 
says  Jesus,  when  men  shall  hate  you,  and  shall  reproach 
you,  and  cast  out  your  name  as  evil,  for  the  Son  ofMan's 
sake.  Be  glad  in  that  day,  and  rejoice,  for  behold,  your 
reward  is  great  in  heaven.  {Luke  vi.  22.  23.) 

WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Lev.  xix.  1.,  2.,  11  — 19.)  In  those  days:  The 
Lord  spake  to.  Moses,  saying :  Speak  to  all  the  assembly  of 
the  children  of  Israel,  and  thou  shalt  say  to  them:  I  am  the 
Lord  your  God.    You  shall  not  steal.     You  shall  not  lie: 


224  WEDNESDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

neither  shall  any  man  deceive  his  neighbor.  Thou  shalt  not 
swear  falsely  by  my  name,  nor  profane  the  name  of  thy  God. 
I  am  the  Lord.  Thou  shalt  not  calumniate  thy  neighbor, 
nor  oppress  him  by  violence.  The  wages  of  him  that  has 
been  hired  by  thee,  shall  not  abide  with  thee  until  the  morn- 
ing. Thou  shalt  not  speak  evil  of  the  deaf,  not  put  a  stumb- 
ling block  before  the  blind:  but  thou  shalt  fear  the  Lord 
thy  God,  because  I  am  the  Lord.  Thou  shalt  not  do  that 
which  is  unjust,  nor  judge  unjustly.  Respect  not  the  person 
of  the  poor,  nor  honor  the  countenance  of  the  mighty.  But 
judge  thy  neighbor  according  to  justice.  Thou  shalt  not  be 
a  detractor  nor  a  whisperer  among  the  people.  Thou  shalt 
not  stand  against  the  blood  of  thy  neighbor.  I  am  the  Lord. 
Thou  shalt  not  hate  thy  brother  in  thy  heart,  but  reprove 
him  openly,  lest  thou  incur  sin  through  him.  Seek  not  re- 
venge, nor  be  mindful  of  the  injury  of  thy  citizens.  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  friend  as  thyself.  I  am  the  Lord.  Keep  ye  my 
laws,  for  I  am  the  Lord  your  God. 

EXPLANATION.  There  have  been  and  are  people  who 
assert,  that  God's  commandments  cannot  he  kept.  The  Council  of 
Trent  answers  to  this  (Sess.  vi." c.  11.):  "God  commands  nothing 
that  is  impossible,  hut  He  exhorts  you,  through  the  command,  to 
perform  what  you  can,  and  to  ask  for  what  you  cannot  perform, 
and  He  assists  you  so,  that  you  can  keep  all.*  His  commands  are 
not  difficult,  whose  yoke  is  sweet,  and  whose  burden  is  light." 

PRAYER.  0  Jesus !  whose  will  it  is,  that,  if  I  wish  rest 
for  my  soul,  I  shall  take  up  Thy  yoke,  grant  me  the  grace 
to  bear  it  joyously  after  Thee  to  my  life's  end.  Amen. 

GOSPEL.  {John  x.  22  —  28.)  At  that  time:  It  was  the 
feast  of  the  dedication  at  Jerusalem :  and  it  was  winter. 
And  Jesus  walked  in  the  temple  in  Solomon's  porch,  the  Jews 
therefore  came  round  about  him,  and  said  to  him:  How  long 
dost  thou  hold  our  souls  in  suspense?  if  thou  be  the  Christ, 
tell  us  plainly.  Jesus  answered  them :  I  speak  to  you,  and 
you  believe  not:  the  works  that  I  do  in  the  name  of  my 
Father,  they  give  testimony  of  me:  but  you  do  not  believe, 
because  you  are  not  of  my  sheep.  My  sheep  hear  my  voice: 
and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me :  and*  I  give  them 
eternal  life;   and  they  shall  not  perish  for  ever,  and  no  man 


THURSDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  225 

shall  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.  That  which  my  Father 
hath  given  me,  is  greater  than  all :  and  no  man  can  snatch 
them  out  of  the  hand  of  my  Father.  I  and  the  Father  are 
one.  The  Jews  then  took  up  stones  to  stone  him.  Jesus  an- 
swered them :  Many  good  works  I  have  shewed  you  from  my 
Father;  for  which  of  those  works  do  you  stone  mel  The 
Jews  answered  him:  For  a  good  work  we  stone  thee  not,  but 
for  blasphemy:  and  because  that  thou,  being  a  man,  makest 
thyself  God.  Jesus  answered  them:  Is  it  not  written  in  your 
law :  I  said,  you  are  Gods  ?  If  he  called  them  gods,  to  whom 
the  word  of  God  was  spoken,  and  the  scripture  cannot  be 
broken;  do  you  say  of  him,  whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified 
and  sent  into  the  world:  Thou  blasphemest:  because  I  said: 
I  am  the  Son  of  God  ?  If  I  do  not  the  works  of  my  Father, 
believe  me  not.  But  if  I  do:  though  you  will  not  believe  me, 
believe  the  works,  that  you  may  know  and  believe  that  the 
Father  is  in  me,  and  I  in  the  Father. 

EXPLANATION.  By  subterfuge,  in  order  that  they  might 
catch  Jesus  in  His  speech,  the  Jews  repeatedly  asked  if  He  were 
the  Christ.  Jesus  points  to  His  works  and  tells  them,  that  they 
should  therefore  believe  in  Him,  but  they  could  not  believe  in 
Him,  because  they  did  not  wish  to  belong  to  His  flock,  and  to  ac- 
cept His  doctrine,  which  to  them  seemed  too  hard.  There  are 
many  Christians  who  have  indeed  the  name  and  are  counted  among 
Christ's  sheep,  who  are  not  His  sheep,  because  they  follow  not 
His  doctrine.  Only  those  are  His  sheep  who  hear  His  voice,  and 
faithfully  follow  Him,  to  these  He  gives  eternal  life,  and  they  will 
not  perish,  nor  will  any  one,  neither  the  world,  the  flesh,  nor  the 
devil,  take  them  from  His  hand.  Listen,  therefore,  to  the  voice 
of  Jesus,  follow  Him  as  a  faithful  lamb,  and  He  will  never  abandon 
you,  neither  in  time  nor  eternity. 

THUKSDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  {Dan.  iii.  34 — 45.)  In  those  days:  Azarias  prayed 
to  the  Lord,  saying:  Deliver  us  not  up  for  ever,  we  beseech 
thee,  for  thy  name's  sake,  and  abolish  not  thy  covenant: 
and  take  not  away  thy  mercy  from  us,  for  the  sake  of  Abra- 
ham thy  beloved,  and  Isaac  thy  servant,  and  Israel  thy  holy 
one:  to  whom  thou  hast  spoken,  promising  that  thou  wouldst 
multiply  their  seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  as  the  sand 


15 


226  FRIDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

that  is  on  the  sea  shore.  For  we,  0  Lord,  are  diminished 
more  than  any  nation,  and  are  brought  low  in  all  the  earth 
this  day  for  our  sins.  Neither  is  there  at  this  time  prince, 
or  leader,  or  prophet,  or  holocaust,  or  sacrifice,  or  oblation, 
or  incense,  or  place  of  first-fruits  before  thee.  That  we  may 
find  thy  mercy:  nevertheless  in  a  contrite  heart  and  humble 
spirit  let  us  be  accepted.  As  in  holocausts  of  rams,  and  bul- 
locks, and  as  in  thousands  of  fat  lambs :  so  let  our  sacrifice 
be  made  in  thy  sight  this  day:  that  it  may  please  thee:  for 
there  is  no  confusion  to  them  that  trust  in  thee.  And  now 
we  follow  thee  with  all  our  heart,  and  we  fear  thee,  and  seek 
thy  face.  Put  us  not  to  confusion,  but  deal  with  us  accord- 
ing to  thy  meekness,  and  according  to  the  multitude  of  thy 
mercies.  And  deliver  us  according  to  thy  wonderful  works, 
and  give  glory  to  thy  name,  0  Lord:  and  let  all  them  be 
confounded  that  shew  evils  to  thy  servants,  let  them  be  con- 
founded in  all  thy  might,  and  let  their  strength  be  broken : 
and  let  them  know  that  thou  art  the  Lord,  the  only  God, 
and  glorious  over  all  the  world.  0  Lord  our  God. 

EXPLANATION.  In  his  unbounded  arrogance  King  Nabu- 
chodonosor  had  caused  a  statue  of  himself  to  be  erected,  and 
commanded  all  his  subjects,  as  well  as  the  Jews  who  were  his 
captives,  to  adore  it.  Three  Jewish  youths  resisted,  and  by  order 
of  the  king  were  cast  into  a  fiery  furnace.  But  wonderfully  pre- 
served by  God,  they  walked  about  in  the  midst  of  the  flames, 
praising  the  Lord,  and  one  of  them,  by  name  Azarias,  prayed 
Him  to  have  mercy  on  His  nation,  and  save  it  from  the  hands  of 
its  enemies,  because  it  acknowledged  its  sins,  and  was  contrite  of 
heart.  Let  us  imitate  these  three  youths,  let  us  not  bend  the  knee 
before  the  idol  of  the  hour,  the  lust  of  the  world,  and  of  vanity, 
let  us  sacrifice  all  for  the  faith,  even  our  last  drop  of  blood. 

[See  the  gospel  and  Us  explanation  on  the  feast  of  St.  Mary 
Magdalen  in  the  second  part  of  this  book.] 

FRIDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  (Jer.  xvii.  IB— 18.)  In  those  days:  Jeremias 
said :  0  Lord,  the  hope  of  Israel :  all  that  forsake  thee,  shall 
be  confounded :  they  that  depart  from  thee,  shall  be  Written 
in  the 'earth:  because  they  have  forsaken  the  Lord,  the  vein 
of  living  waters.  Heal  me,  0  Lord,  and  I  shall  be  healed : 
save  me,  and  I  shall  be  saved:  for  thou  art  my  praise.  Behold, 
they  say  to  me:  Where  is  the  word  of  the  Lord?  let  it  come. 


f 


FRIDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  227 

And  I  am  not  troubled,  following  thee  for  my  pastor,  and  I 
have  not  desired  the  day  of  man,  thou  knowest  it.  That 
which  went  out  of  my  lips,  hath  been  right  in  thy  sight.  Be 
not  thou  a  terror  unto  me,  thou  art  my  hope  in  the  day  of 
affliction.  Let  them  be  confounded  that  persecute  me,  and 
let  not  me  be  confounded :  let  them  be  afraid,  and  let  me 
not  be  afraid :  bring  upon  them  the  day  of  affliction,  and 
with  a  double  destruction,  destroy  them,  0  Lord  our  God. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Prophet  Jeremias  was  insulted  and 
persecuted  by  the  Jews,  because  he  fearlessly  announced  the  truth 
to  them;  he  now  confidently  laments  his  troubles  before  God,  and 
comforts  himself  with  this,  that  his  glory  is  in  God,  that  is,  that 
the  aim  of  his  strivings  was  the  glory  of  God,  and  that  if  he  had 
effected  any  good,  the  honor  belonged  to  God.  Guard  against 
seeking  vain  glory.  "Be  careful,"  writes  St.  Jerome,  "to  avoid 
being  carried  away  by  the  desire  of  vain  glory.  Behold  what  an 
evil  it  is,  because  he  who  seeks  such  glory,  cannot  believe!  Let 
us  always  say,  Thou,  0  Lord,  art  my  glory!"  (Epist.  ad Eustoch. 22.) 

GOSPEL.  (John  xi.  47  —  54.)  At  that  time:  The  chief 
priests  and  Pharisees  assembled  in  council  against  Jesus, 
and  said:  What  do  we,  for  this  man  doth  many  miracles  1  If 
we  let  him  alone  so,  all  men  will  believe  in  him ;  and  the 
Romans  will  come,  and  take  away  our  place  and  nation.  But 
one  of  them  named  Caiphas,  being  the  high-priest  that  year, 
said  to  them :  You  know  nothing ,  neither  do  you,  consider 
that  it  is  expedient  for  you  that  one  man  should  die  for  the 
people,  and  that  the  whole  nation  perish  not.  And  this  he 
spoke  not  of  himself:  but  being  the  high-priest  that  year,  he 
prophesied  that  Jesus  should  die  for  the  nation;  and  not  only 
for  the  nation,  but  to  gather  in  one  the  children  of  God,  that 
were  dispersed.  From  that  day  therefore  they  devised  to  put 
him  to  death.  Wherefore  Jesus  walked  no  more  openly 
among  the  Jews,  but  he  went  unto  a  country  near  the  de- 
sert, unto  a'  city  that  is  called  Ephrem,  and  there  he  abode 
with  his  disciples. 

EXPLANATION.  With  each  day  the  Jews'  hatred  increased, 
the  more  wonderful  deeds  our  Saviour  performed,  the  more  He 
was  at  all  cost  to  be  put  out  of  the  way.  They  held  a  council, 
therefore,  at  which  the  high  priest  Caiphas  prophesied  the  death 
of  Jesus  for  the  salvation  of  the  whole  w(  rid,  in  these  remarkable 


15< 


228  SATURDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

words:  It  is  expedient  for  you,  that  one  man  should  die  for  the 
people,  and  that  the  whole  nation  perish  not.  Caiphas  was  a 
wicked  man,  yet,  because  he  was  high  priest,  he  prophesied. 
Thus  the  Holy  Ghost  operates  by  means  of  the  holy  Sacraments, 
through  good  and  bad  priests,  using  them  as  His  instruments  to 
effect  the  good,  as  a  tube  is  used  to  conduct  water. 

SATUKDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

LESSON.  {Jer.  xviii.  18 — 23.)  In  those  days:  the  wicked 
Jews  said  to  one  another:  Come,  and  let  us  invent  devices 
against  Jeremias:  for  the  law  shall  not  perish  from  the 
priest,  nor  counsel  from  the  wise,  nor  the  word  from  the 
prophet;  come,  and  let  us  strike  him  with  the  tongue,  and 
let  us  give  no  heed  to  all  his  words.  Give  heed  to  me,  0  Lord, 
and  hear  the  voice  of  my  adversaries.  Shall  evil  be  rendered 
for  good,  because  they  have  digged  a  pit  for  my  soul?  Re- 
member that  I  have  stood  in  thy  sight,  to  speak  good  for 
them,  and  to  turn  away  thy  indignation  from  them.  There- 
fore deliver  up  their  children  to  famine,  and  bring  them  into 
the  hands  of  the  sword;  let  their  wives  be  bereaved  of  chil- 
dren, and  widows;  and  let  the  husbands  be  slain  by  death: 
let  their  young  men  be  stabbed  with  the  sword  in  battle. 
Let  a  cry  be  heard  out  of  their  houses :  for  thou  shalt  bring 
the  robber  upon  them  suddenly :  because  they  have  digged  a 
pit  to  take  me,  and  have  hid  snares  for  my  feet.  But  thou, 
0  Lord,  knowest  all  their  counsel  against  me  unto  death: 
forgive  not  their  iniquity,  and  let  not  their  sin  be  blotted 
out  from  thy  sight:  let  them  be  overthrown  before  thy  eyes, 
in  the  time  of  thy  wrath  do  thou  destroy  them,  0  Lord  our 
God. 

EXPLANATION.  As  the  Church  regards  the  Prophet  Jere- 
mias as  a  prototype  of  our  Saviour,  she  makes  use  on  this  day  of 
this  lesson  in  which  the  prophet,  whom  his  enemies  sought  to 
put  to  death,  that  they  might  no  longer  hear  his  reproaches, 
while  their  false  prophets  would  have  free  play,  turns  for  help 
to  God,  and  prays  Him  to  send  misfortunes  and  sufferings  to  the 
Jews,  that  they  might  reform.  Dare  not  ever  to  wish  evil  to  your 
enemies,  except  with  this  motive,  that  they  may  see  their  in- 
justice and  be  converted  to  God. 

GOSPEL.  (John  xii.  10— 36.)  At  that  time:  The  chief 
priests  thought  to  kill  Lazarus  also;  because  many  of  the 
Jews  by  reason  of  him  went  away,  and  believed  in  Jesus. 


SATUEDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT.  229 

And  on  the  next  day  a  great  multitude,  that  was  come  to 
the  festival  day,  when  they  had  heard  that  Jesus  was  com- 
ing to  Jerusalem,  took  branches  of  palm  trees,  and  went 
forth  to  meet  him  and  cried :  Hosanna,  blessed  is  he  that 
cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  the  King  of  Israel.  And 
Jesus  found  a  young  ass,  and  sat  upon  it,  as  it  is  written : 
"Fear  not,  daughter  of  Sion,  behold,  thy  King  cometh  sitting 
on  an  ass's  colt."  These  things  his  disciples  did  not  know  at 
the  first:  but  when  Jesus  was  glorified,  they  then  remember- 
ed that  these  things  were  written  of  him ;  and  that  they  had 
done  these  things  to  him.  The  multitude  therefore  gave  tes- 
timony, which  was  with  him,  when  he  called  Lazarus  out  of 
the  grave,  and  raised  him  from  the  dead.  For  which  reason 
also  the  people  came  to  meet  him:  because  they  heard  he 
had  done  this  miracle.  The  Pharisees  therefore  said  among 
themselves:  Do. you  see  that  we  prevail  nothing 2  behold,  the 
whole  world  is  gone  after  him.  Now  there  were  certain 
Gentiles  among  them  that  came  up  to  adore  on  the  festival 
day.  These  therefore  came  to  Philip,  who  ^as  of  Bethsaida 
of  Galilee,  and  desired  him,  saying:  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus. 
Philip  cometh,  and  telleth  Andrew.  Again  Andrew  and  Philip 
told  Jesus.  But  Jesus  answered  them,  saying :  The  hour  is 
come  that  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be  glorified.  Amen,  amen,  I 
say  to  you,  unless  the  grain  of  wheat  falling  into  the  ground, 
die;  itself  remaineth  alone.  But  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth 
much  fruit.  He  that  loveth  his  life,  shall  lose  it:  and  he  that 
hateth  his  life  in  this  world,  keepeth  it  unto  life  eternal.  If 
any  man  minister  to  me,  let  him  follow  me :  and  where  I 
am,  there  also  shall  my  minister  be.  If  any  man  minister  to 
me,  him  will  my  Father  honor.  Now  is  my  soul  troubled. 
And  what  shall  I  say?  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour.  But 
for  this  cause  I  came  unto  this  hour.  Father  glorify  thy 
name.  A  voice  therefore  came  from  heaven:  "I  have  both 
glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it  again."  The  multitude  there- 
fore that  stood  and  heard,  said  that  it  thundered.  Others 
said:   An  angel  spoke  to  him.    Jesus  answered,  and  said: 


230  SATURDAY  IN  THE  FIFTH  WEEK  OF  LENT. 

This  voice  came  not  because  of  me,  but  for  your  sakes.  Now 
is  the  judgment  of  the  world :  now  shall  the  prince  of  this 
world  be  cast  out.  And  I ,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth, 
will  draw  all  things  to  myself.  (Now  this  he  said  signifying 
what  death  he  should  die.)  The  multitude  answered  him : 
We  have  heard  out  of  the  law,  that  Christ  abideth  forever; 
and  how  sayest  thou :  The  Son  of  Man  must  be  lifted  up  ? 
Who  is  this  Son  of  Man?  Jesus  therefore  said  to  them:  Yet 
a  little  while,  the  light  is  among  you.  Walk  whilst  you  have 
the  light,  that  the  darkness  overtake  you  not :  and  he  that 
walketh  in  darkness  knoweth  not  whether  he  goeth.  Whilst 
you  have  the  light,  believe  in  the  light,  that  you  may  be  the 
children  of  light.  These  things  Jesus  spoke,  and  he  went 
away  and  hid  himself  from  them. 

EXPLANATION.  The  raising  of  Lazarus  from  the  death 
brought  many  to  believe  in  Jesus,  and  even  gentiles  came  to  see 
Him  and  hear  His  teachings.  This  increased  the  hatred  of  the 
Pharisees  to  the  highest  degree,  and  not  alone  Jesus  but  Lazarus 
was  to  be  put  to  death,  they  hoping  thereby  to  extinguish  every 
recollection  of  his  having  been  restored  by  Jesus.  The  hour  had 
however  come  when  Jesus,  according  to  the  eternal  decrees  of 
God,  was  to  give  Himself  up  voluntarily  to  death,  and  willed  to 
be  like  a  grain  of  wheat  buried  in  the  earth,  that  through  the 
fruits  of  His  death,  by  His  merits,  the  sinner  might  receive  life. 
By  the  words:  He  that  loveth  his  life,  shall  lose  it,  Jesus 
left  it  to  be  understood,  that  he  who  gives  way  to  the  evil  in- 
clinations of  his  heart,  will  perish.  But  he  who  overcomes  and 
governs  them,  will  be  saved,  and  he  is  His  true  servant  who  fol- 
lows Him.  In  reply  to  the  prayer  Jesus  made,  that  His  Father 
should  glorify  Him,  there  came  a  voice  from  heaven,  the  signi- 
fication of  which  the  sensual  Jews  knew  not,  for  God's  voice  is 
understood  only  by  him,  who  humbly  and  willingly  receives  it. 
By  the  words:  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth  (on 
the  cross),  will  draw  all  things  to  myself,  Jesus  teaches  us, 
that  by  His  merits,  His  example,  and  the  power  of  His  love,  He 
would  draw  our  soul's  love  to  Himself.  0  let  yourself  be  drawn 
to  Him  by  the  grace  which  He  so  often  offers  you,  and  by  the 
love  which  He  shows  you  on  the  cross.  Say  often  to  Jesus  with 
St.  Augustine:  "Lord,  take  me  from  myself,  and  give  me  to 
Thyself,"  make  me  one  with  Thee  and  Thy  love,  and  permit  me 
not  to  be  separated  from  Thee,  and  fall  into  darkness,  whence 
there  is  no  deliverance. 


231 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  PALM-SUNDAY. 


Why  is  this  day  called  Palm- Sunday? 

N  account  of  the  palms  with  which  the  people 
strewed  the  Saviour's  path  before  Him,  as  He 
entered  Jerusalem ;  and  because  palms  are  on 
this  day  blessed  before  service,  by  the  Church, 
which  are  afterwards  carried  in  solemn  pro- 
cession in  commemoration  of  Christ's  solemn 


■fc  entrance  into  Jerusalem. 


Why  are  palms  blessed? 
That  those  who  bear  them  with  devotion,  may  receive  pro- 
tection for  soul  and  body,  as  prayed  for  in  the  blessing;  that  the 


232  INSTRUCTION  FOR  PALM-SUNDAY. 

inhabitants  of  the  place  in  which  they  are  kept,  may  be  preserved 
from  all  evils;  that  those  who  carry  the  palms,  may,  by  means  of 
the  Church's  prayers,  adorn  their  souls  Avith  good  works  and  thus, 
in  spirit,  meet  the  Saviour;  that,  through  Christ  whose  members 
we  are,  we  may  conquer  the  kingdom  of  death  and  darkness, 
and  be  made  worthy  to  share  in  His  glorious  resurrection  and 
triumphant  entrance  into  heaven.  St.  Augustine  writes  of  the 
palms:  "They  are  emblems  of  praise,  and  the  signs  of  victory; 
because  the  Lord  by  death  conquered  death,  and  with  the  sign  of 
victory,  the  cross,  overcame  the  devil,  the  prince  of  death." 
Therefore  we  go  singing  hymns  of  praise,  with  the  cross  in  ad- 
vance, in  procession  around  the  Church;  when  we  come  to  the 
Church  door,  we  find  it  locked,  and  the  priest  knocks  at  it  with 
the  cross,  to  show,  how  by  Adam's  sin  heaven  was  closed  to  us, 
and  that  only  since  Jesus  has  killed  death,  and  only  by  the  cross 
of  reconciliation,  are  the  Church  doors  and  the  gates  of  paradise 
open  to  men,  who  love  the  Lord. 

To  infuse  us  with  compassion  for  the  suffering  Redeemer,  the 
Church,  in  the  person  of  Christ,  cries  at  the  Introit  in  lamenting 
tones:  Lord,  keep  not  thy  help  far  from  me;  look  to  my 
defence;  save  me  from  the  lion's  mouth,  and  rescue  me 
in  my  distress,  from  the  horns  of  unicorns.  0  God,  my 
God,  look  upon  me:  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?  They 
are  my  sins  (that  is,  the  sins  of  all  men  which  I  have  taken 
upon  me),  that  keep  salvation  far  from  me.  {Ps.  xxi.) 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  almighty  and  eternal 
God,  who  wouldst  have  our  Saviour  become  man,  and  suffer 
on  a  cross,  to  give  mankind  an  example  of  humility :  merci- 
fully grant ,  that  we  may  improve  by  the  example  of  His 
patience,  and  partake  of  His  resurrection.  Through,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Phil.  ii.  5— 11.)  Brethren:  Let  this  mind  be 
in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus ;  who  being  in  the 
form  of  God,  thought  it  not  robbery,  to  be  equal  with  God: 
but  emptied  himself,  taking  the  form  of  a  servant,  being 
made  in  the  likeness  of  men,  and  in  habit  found  as  a  man. 
He  humbled  himself,  becoming  obedient  unto  death;  even  to 
the  death  of  the  cross.  For  which  cause  God  also  hath  ex- 
alted him,  and  hath  given  him  a  name  which  is  above  all 
names :  that  in  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  shall  bow,  of 
those  that  are  in  heaven,  on  earth,  and  under  the  earth. 
And  that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  in  the  glory  of  the  Father. 

INSTRUCTION.  In  this  epistle,  the  apostle,  as  St.  Chrysos- 
tom  says,  in  a  special  manner  urges  us  to  humility  by  which  we 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  PALM-SUNDAY.  233 

are  made  like  to  Christ,  the  Lord,  who  putting  off  the  majesty  of 
His  divinity,  became  man,  and  obediently  humbled  Himself  to  the 
ignominious  death  of  the  cross.  "Would  that  all  might  hear," 
exclaims  St.  Gregory,  "that  God  resists  the  proud,  and  gives  His 
grace  to  the  humble!  Would  that  all  might  hear:  Thou  dust  and 
ashes,  why  dost  thou  exalt  thyself?  Would  that  all  might  hear 
the  words  of  the  Lord:  Learn  of  me,  because  I  am  humble 
of  neart.  Because  for  this  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  as- 
sumed the  form  of  our  weakness,  suffered  mockery,  insults,  and 
torments,  for  this  that  the  humble  God  might  teach  man  not  to 
be  proud." 

ASPIRATION.    Ah,  that  my  sentiments  were  as  Thine, 

0  my  Lord  Jesus !  who  so  humbledst  Thyself  and  wast  obe- 
dient to  the  most  ignominious  death  of  the  cross.  Grant  me, 

1  beseech  Thee,  0  my  Redeemer,  the  grace  to  diligently  fol- 
low Thee  in  humility. 

In  Mass  instead  of  the  gospel  the  Passion,  as  it  is  called,  that 
is,  the  History  of  the  Passion  of  our  Lord,  is  read  from  Matthew 
chapters  xxvi.,  xxvii.,  and  xxviii.  *)  And  neither  incense,  nor 
lights  are  used,  nor  is  the  Dominus  vobiscum  said,  thus  signify- 
ing that  Jesus,  the  Light  of  the  world,  was  taken  away  by  death, 
at  which,  as  we  know,  the  faith  and  devotion  of  the  apostles 
shook  and  became  almost  extinct.  When  reading  the  History  of 
the  Passion,  the  priest,  when  he  comes  to  the  words:  and  bow- 
ing his  head,  he  gave  up  the  ghost,  with  all  the  congre- 
gation, falls  on  his  knees  to  consider  the  great  mystery  of, the 
death  of  Jesus,  by  which  our  redemption  was  effected,  and  to  give 
God  thanks  for  it  from  his  inmost  heart. 

At  the  blessing  of  the  palms,  the  priest  reads  the  following 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xxi.  1 — 9.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  draw- 
ing near  to  Jerusalem;  and  being  come  to  Bethphage,  at 
Mount  Olivet,  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples,  and  said  to  them : 
Go  ye  into  the  village  that  is  over  against  you,  and  imme- 
diately you  shall  find  an  ass  tied  and  a  colt  with  her :  loose 
them  and  bring  them  to  me :  and  if  any  man  shall  say  any 
thing  to  you,  say  ye,  that  the  Lord  hath  need  of  them:  and 
forthwith  he  will  let  them  go.  Now  all  this  was  done  that 
it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  say- 
ing: "Tell  ye  the  daughter  of  Sion:  Behold,  thy  king  cometh 
to  thee,  meek,  and  sitting  upon  an  ass  and  a  colt  the  foal  of 
her  that  is  used  to  the  yoke."    And  the  disciples  going,  did 

*)  This  Passion  will  be  found  in  the  Instruction  for  Good  Friday. 


234 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  PALM-SUNDAY. 


as  Jesus  commanded  them.  And  they  brought  the  ass  and 
the  colt:  and  laid  their  garments  upon  them,  and  made  him 
sit  thereon.  And  a  very  great  multitude  spread  their  gar- 
ments in  the  way:  and  others  cut  down  boughs  from  the 
trees,  and  strewed  them  in  the  way:  and  the  multitudes  that 
went  before  and  that  followed,  cried,  saying:  "Hosanna  to 
the  Son  of  David :  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord." 

Why  did  Jesus  enter  Jerusalem  so  solemnly  and  yet  so  humble? 
To  show  that  He  was  the  promised  Messiah  and  King  of  the 
Jews,  as  foretold  by  the  Prophet  Zacharias  (ix.  9.),  and  that  He 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  WEEK.  235 

had  come  to  conquer  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  for  which 
He  used  the  weapons  of  meekness,  humility,  and  poverty,  and 
therefore  came  seated  not  on  a  proud  steed,  but  on  an  ass's  weak 
colt,  like  a  poor  person,  entering  Jerusalem  in  all  humility,  thus 
teaching  us  that  meekness  and  indifference  to  earthty  goods,  are 
our  best  weapons  for  victory  over  our  enemies ;  to  fill  the  type  of 
the  paschal  lamb,  for  on  this  day  the  lambs  who  were  to  be  sacri- 
ficed in  the  temple  on  the  following  Friday,  were  solemnly  led 
into  the  city.  Thus  Jesus,  like  a  meek  lamb,  entered  the  city  of 
Jerusalem  to  be  sacrificed  for  us. 

Why  did  the  people  meet  Christ  with  palm-branches? 

This  happened  by  the  inspiration  of  God,  to  indicate  that 
Christ,  the  conqueror  of  death,  hell,  and  the  devil,  would  recon- 
cile man  with  God,  and  open  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  to  him,  for 
the  palm  is  the  emblem  of  victory  and  peace.  By  this  we  learn 
also  the  inconsistency  and  mutability  of  the  world;  for  the  very 
people  who  on  this  day  met  Christ  with  palm-branches  shouting: 
"Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David,"  a  few  days  after  shouted:  "Cru- 
cify him !  Crucify  him !"  —  Learn  from  this  to  despise  the  world's 
praise,  and  not  to  imitate  the  inconsistency  of  this  people  by  re- 
ceiving at  Easter  your  Saviour  with  joy  in  holy  Communion,  and 
soon  crucify  Him  anew  by  sin.  {Hebr.  vi.  6.) 

How  should  we  lake  part  to-day  in  the  procession  of  blessed  palms? 

With  the  pious  intention  of  meeting  Christ  in  spirit,  with  the 
devout  people  of  Jerusalem,  adoring  Him,  saying:  "Hosanna  to 
the  Son  of  David,  Hosanna  to  Him  who  comes  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord;  Hosanna  to  the  Highest!"  and  with  the  heartfelt  prayer  to 
Jesus  for  His  grace,  that  by  it  we  may  become  blooming,  and 
with  Him  conquer  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  and  thus 
merit  to  be  received  into  the  heavenly  Jerusalem. 

PETITION.  0  Jesus,  Thou  always  fresh  and  fruitful  Tree 
of  Life!  grant,  that  we  may  by  love  be  like  palms  ever 
green,  and  by  the  practice  of  good  works  blossom  and  bring 
forth  fruit. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  WEEK. 

TWhy  is  this  week  called  Holy  Week? 
His  week  is  called  Holy  Week  and  also  the  Great  Week, 
because  during  it  Christ  consummated  the  most  holy  mys- 
tery of  our  redemption,  and  gave  us  such  unspeakable  benefits. 
It  is  besides  called  the  Quiet  Week,  because  of  the  quietness 
of  the  Church  services. 


236  MONDAY  AFTER  PALM-SUNDAY. 

What  remarkable  things  did  Christ  do  during  the  first  four  days 

of  this  week? 
After  He  had  entered  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  on  Palm- 
Sunday  amidst  the  greatest  rejoicings  of  the  people,  and  was 
even  salutedfby  the  children  with  the  joyous  clamor  of  "Hosanna", 
He  drove  the  buyers  and  sellers  out  of  the  temple,  and  when  He 
had  spent  the  entire  day  in  preaching  and  healing  the  sick,  He 
went  in  the  evening  to  Bethania,  where  He  remained  over  night 
in  Lazarus'  house,  because  in  Jerusalem  no  one  wished  to  receive 
Him  for  fear  of  His  enemies.  The  three  following  days  He  spent 
in  Jerusalem,  teaching  in  the  temple,  and  passing  the  night  in 
prayer  on  Mount  Olivet.  In  His  sermons  during  these  days,  He 
especially  strove  to  convince  the  Jewish  priests,  the  lawyers  and 
Pharisees,  that  He  was  really  the  Messiah,  and  that  they  would 
commit  a  terrible  sin,  bringing  themselves  and  the  whole  Jewish 
nation  to  destruction  by  His  death,  which  He  foretold.  This  ruin 
of  the  people  He  illustrated  to  them  most  plainly  by  the  wither- 
ing of  the  fig-tree  under  His  curse,  and  foretelling  the  destruction 
of  the  city  and  temple  of  Jerusalem.  He  disputed  with  them,  and 
confounded  them,  openly  and  by  parables,  that  out  of  anger  and 
hatred,  they  with  one  mind  decreed  to  kill  Him.  To  the  execution 
of  their  design  the  impious  Judas  aided  the  most,  for  from  avarice 
he  betrayed  Him  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver  (about  fifteen  dollars 
in  our  money)  to  the  chief  priests,  and  the  next  day,  Thursday, 
became  His  betrayer  and  delivered  Him  over  into  their  hands. 

MONDAY  AFTER  PALM-SUNDAY. 

LESSON.  (Isai.  1.  5  — 10.)  In  those  days:  Isaias  said:  The 
Lord  God  hath  opened  my  ear,  and  I  do  not  resist :  I  have 
not  gone  back.  I  have  given  my  body  to  the  strikers,  and 
my  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  them:  I  have  not  turned 
away  my  face  from  them  that  rebuked  me,  and  spit  upon 
me.  The  Lord  God  is  my  helper,  therefore  am  I  not  con- 
founded. He  is  near  that  justifieth  me,  who  will  contend 
with  me?  let  us  stand  together.  Who  is  my  adversary?  let 
him  come  near  to  me.  Behold,  the  Lord  God  is  my  helper : 
who  is  he  that  shall  condemn  me  ?  Lo,  they  shall  all  be  des- 
troyed as  a  garment,  the  moth  shall  eat  them  up.  Who  is 
there  among  you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  heareth  the 
voice  of  his  servant,  that  hath  walked  in  darkness,  and  hath 
no  light  1  let  him  hope  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  lean 
upon  his  God. 

EXPLANATION.  All  the  holy  fathers  agree,  that  Isaias  here 
prophesies  of  Christ,  who  in  accordance  with  His  Father's  will, 


MONDAY  AFTER  PALM-SUNDAY.  237 

gave  Himself  up  without  turning  back,  to  the  most  ignominious 
sufferings  for  us,  and  strengthened  by  divine  assistance  like  a 
rock  patiently  permitted  all  the  blows,  torments,  and  ignominies 
of  His  enemies  to  come  upon  Him.  But  they  did  not  escape  just 
punishment,  for  their  guilty  consciences  devoured  them  interiorly, 
as  a  moth  consumes  a  garment,  and  the  memory  of  them  disap- 
peared from  the  earth.  Let  us  put  our  trust  in  God,  if,  with 
Christ,  we  are  surrounded  as  by  darkness  with  suffering  and 
distress,  finding  no  help,  for  He  will  be  our  Redeemer  and  our 
Helper. 

GOSPEL.  {John  xii.  1 — 9.)  Now  Jesus,  six  days  before 
the  pasch,  came  to  Bethania,  where  Lazarus  had  been  dead, 
whom  Jesus  raised  to  life.  And  they  made  him  a  supper 
there;  and  Martha  served,  but  Lazarus  was  one  of  them  that 
were  at  table  with  him.  Mary  therefore  took  a  pound  of 
ointment  of  right  spikenard,  of  great  price,  and  anointed  the 
feet  of  Jesus,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair:  and  the 
house  was  filled  with  the  odour  of  the  ointment.  Then  one 
of  his  disciples,  Judas  Iscariot,  he  that  was  about  to  betray 
him,  said:  Why  was  not  this  ointment  sold  for  three  hundred 
pence,  and  given  to  the  poor  ?  Now  he  said  this,  not  because 
he  cared  for  the  poor,  but  because  he  was  a  thief,  and  hav- 
ing the  purse  carried  the  things  that  were  put  therein. 

Jesus  therefore  said :  Let  her  alone,  that  she  may  keep  it 
against  the  day  of  my  burial,  for  the  poor  you  have  always 
with  you ;  but  me  you  have  not  always.  A  great  multitude 
therefore  of  the  Jews  knew  that  he  was  there;  and  they 
came  not  for  Jesus's  sake  only,  but  that  they  might  see  La- 
zarus, whom  he  had  raised  from  the  dead. 

INSTRUCTION.  Like  St.  Magdalen  we  also  should  anoint 
the  Saviour  by  diligently  performing  good  works,  and  thus  be- 
come, as  the  holy  Apostle  says,  a  good  odour  unto  Christ,  (ii.  Cor. 
ii.  15.)  The  conduct  of  the  traitor  Judas  should  serve  us  as  a 
warning  not  to  be  carried  away  by  attachment  to  temporal  riches, 
to  avarice,  and  by  it  to  greater  crimes.  Judas  did  not  become  all 
at  once  such  a  great  sinner,  he  loved  money  and  so  grew  cold  to 
the  love  of  God;  seduced  by  this  love  of  money,  he  became  a 
miser,  a  traitor  to  his  master  and  a  suicide.  Strive,  therefore,  to 
suppress  your  evil  inclinations  at  the  moment  of  their  commence- 
ment, that  they  may  not  bring  you  into  sin,  and  render  you  mi- 
serable like  Judas. 


238 

TUESDAY  AFTER  PALM-SUNDAY. 

LESSON.  (Jer.  xi.  18 — 20.)  In  those  days:  Jeremias  said: 
Thou,  0  Lord,'  hast  shewed  me,  and  I  have  known:  then 
thou  she  weds  t  me  their  doings.  And  I  was  as  a  meek  lamb, 
that  is  carried  to  be  a  victim:  and  I  knew  not  that  they  had 
devised  counsels  against  me,  saying:  Let  us  put  wood  on  his 
bread,  and  cut  him  off  from  the  land 'of  the  living,  and  let 
his  name  be  remembered  no  more.  But  thou,  0  Lord  of  Sa- 
baoth,  who  judgest  justly,  and  triest  the  reins  and  the  heart, 
let  me  see  thy  revenge  on  them :  for  to  thee  I  have  revealed 
my  cause. 

EXPLANATION.  The  universal  teaching  of  the  Church  is, 
that  these  words  said  in  the  person  of  Jeremias,  are  to  be  under- 
stood of  Christ.  These  words  apply  first  to  Jeremias  who,  like 
Christ,  was  unjustly  persecuted,  but  who  showed  only  meekness 
to  his  persecutors;  in  their  proper  sense,  they  refer  to  Christ 
who  let  Himself  silently,  like  a  meek  lamb,  be  nailed  by  His 
enemies  to  the  bitter  wood  of  the  cross.  Learn  here,  my  Chris- 
tian, to  follow  the  example  of  the  meek  Lamb  of  (rod,  and  si- 
lently bear  all  evils.  St.  Augustine  remarks  in  reference  to  the 
prophet's  prayer  for  vengeance  on  his  enemies:  "Well  wishing, 
not  vengeance  it  is,  when  the  just  rejoices,  that  punishment  comes 
to  the  impious,  for  he  has  nopleasure  in  the  sinner's  destruction, 
whose  conversion  he  wishes,  but  he  desires  justice  by  which 
many  are  converted. 

[On  this  day  also  the  Passion,  or  History  of  the  Passion  accord- 
ing to  St.  Mark  xiv.,  xv.,  is  said  In  place  of  the  gospel.  See  God 
Friday] 

WEDNESDAY  AFTER  PALM-SUNDAY. 

LESSON.  {Isai.  lxii.  11.,  and  lxiii.  1—7.)  Thus  said  the 
Lord  God :  Tell  the  daughter  of  Sion :  Behold,  thy  Saviour 
cometh.  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed 
garments  from  Bosra,  this  beautiful  one  in  his  robe,  walk- 
ing in  the  greatness  of  his  strength?  I,  that  speak  justice, 
and  am  a  defender  to  save.  Why  then  is  thy  apparel  red, 
and  thy  garments  like  them  that  tread  in  the  wine  press?  I 
have  trodden  the  wine  press  alone,  and  of  the  Gentiles  there 
is  not  a  man  with  me:  I  have  trampled  on  them  in  my  in- 
dignation, and  have  trodden  them  down  in  my  wrath,  and 
their  blood  is  sprinkled  upon  my  garments,  and  I  have  stain- 
ed all  my  apparel.   For  the  day  of  vengeance  is  in  my  heart, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  THURSDAY.  239 

the  year  of  my  redemption  is  come.  I  looked  about  and  there 
was  none  to  help:  I  sought,  and  there  was  none  to  give  aid: 
and  my  own  arm  hath  saved  me,  and  my  indignation  itself 
hath  helped  me.  And  I  have  trodden  down  the  people  in  my 
wrath,  and  made  them  drunk  in  my  indignation,  and  have 
brought  down  their  strength  to  the  earth.  I  will  remember 
the  tender  mercies  of  the  Lord,  the  praise  of  the  Lord  for  all 
the  things  that  the  Lord  hath  bestowed  on  us. 

EXPLANATION.  Once  more  the  prophet's  words  point  to 
the  Saviour,  and  describe  His  triumphal  entrance  into  Jerusalem, 
where  He  went  to  accomplish  the  work  of  redemption,  which  He 
had  always  in  His  heart  and  before  His  eyes,  and  His  victories  over 
all  His  enemies,  the  world,  and  the  devil,  whom  He  had  trampled 
on  and  destroyed  as  the  winepresser  the  grapes.  On  the  day  of 
Christ's  death,  came  also  the  day  of  vengeance  upon  His  enemies 
whom  He  overcame  alone  on  the  cross.  In  the  last  words  the 
prophet,  who  foresaw  all  this,  thanks  God  for  the  redemption 
through  Christ,  and  we  also,  are  called  upon  to  thank  the  Saviour 
for  His  blood  shed  for  us. 

[Here  is  read  the  Passion  according  to  Luke  xxiiv  and  xxiii. 
1—53.   See  God  Friday.] 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  THURSDAY. 

TWhat  festival  does  the  Church  celebrate  to-day  ? 
O-day  the  holy  Catholic  Church  commemorates,  from  their 
commencement,  the  solemn  circumstances  under  which  the 
divine  Saviour  instituted  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  Mass,  and  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Altar. 

What  did  Christ  do  that  was  remarkable  on  this  day  ? 
He  kept  with  His  apostles  the  last  Easter,  that  is,  He  ate 
with  them,  according  to  the  law  of  Moses,  a  roasted  lamb,  which 
was  a  prototype  of  Himself,  and  was  eaten  with  bitter  herbs  and 
unleavened  bread,  standing  with  clothes  girded  up,  and  staff  in 
hand,  in  remembrance  of  the  hurried  escape  from  Egypt  when 
the  Jews  had  thus  to  eat  it  {Exod.  xii.) ;  and  in  admonition  that 
we  Christians  should  receive  and  eat  the  true  Easter  Lamb,  Christ 
Jesus,  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  with  fervent  devotion,  with 
pure,  simple  heart,  accompanied  by  bitter  tears  of  sorrow  for  our 
sins.  After  the  paschal  supper,  our  Lord  in  deepest  humility, 
washed  His  disciples'  feet,  exhorting  them  to  gentleness  and  hu- 
mility; afterwards,  He  gave  His  flesh  and  blood  under  the  ap- 
pearance of  bread  and  wine,  for  spiritual  food  and  drink,  thus 
instituting  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  Mass,  and  the  Most  Blessed  Sa- 


240  INSTRUCTION  FOE  HOLY  THURSDAY. 

crament  of  the  Altar,  and  ordained  His  apostles  priests,  by  com- 
manding them  to  do  as  He  had  done  in  commemoration  of  Him. 
After  this  He  gave  them  His  last  instructions  {John  xv.  18.), 
speaking  especially  of  brotherly  love,  said  His  last  beautiful, 
high -priestly  prayer,  in  which  He  particularly  implored  His 
Heavenly  Father  for  the  unity  of  His  Church,  went  then,  as  usual, 
to  Mount  Olivet,  where  with  prayer  and  resignation  to  the  will 
of  His  Heavenly  Father,  in  intense,  deathlike  agony,  and  with 
bloody  sweat,  He  commenced  His  passion,  and  where  He  was  by 
Judas  betrayed  by  a  treacherous  kiss  into  the  hands  of  the  Jews, 
who  then  bound  Him  and  led  Him  to  the  high  priests,  Annas  and 
Caiphas,  where  He  was  sentenced  by  the  council  to  death,  and 
was  denied  by  Peter. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  runs  thus:  We  ought  to  glory 
in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  in  whom  is  our 
salvation,  life,  and  resurrection:  by  whom  we  have 
been  saved  and  delivered.  (Gal.  vi.  14.)  May  God  have 
mercy  on  us  and  bless  us:  may  his  countenance  shine 
upon  us,  and  may  he  have  mercy  on  us.    (Ps.  lxvi.  2.) 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.    [See  Good- Friday.] 

What  special  ceremonies  are  observed  in  this  day's  Mass? 
The  priest  comes  on  the  altar  in  white  vestments,  and  the 
crucifix  is  covered  with  white  in  memory  of  the  joy-giving  in- 
stitution of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Altar;  the  Gloria 
in  excelsis,  or  Glory  be  to  God  on  high,  is  solemnly  sung 
while  all  the  bells  are  rung,  by  which  all  Christians  are  called  to 
render  praise  and  gratitude  for  the  institution  of  the  Blessed 
Feast  of  Love;  after  the  Gloria,  the  bells  are  silent  again,  and 
instead  of  them  until  Holy  Saturday  wooden  instruments  are  used 
in  the  Church,  to  indicate  her  deep  mourning  for  the  passion  and 
death  of  Jesus,  to  urge  us  also  to  spend  these  days  in  silent 
mourning,  and  in  meditating  upon  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  in 
memory  of  the  shameful  flight  of  the  apostles  at  the  capture  of 
their  master,  and  their  silence  during  these  days.  At  the  conse- 
cration, the  priest  consecrates  two  hosts  of  which  he  takes  one 
in  Communion,  and  the  other  he  preserves  in  the  chalice  for  the 
following  day,  because  no  consecration  takes  place  then.  The 
officiating  priest  does  not  give  the  assisting  priest  the  usual  kiss 
before  Communion,  because  on  this  day  Judas  betrayed  his  master 
with  a  kiss.  After  Mass,  the  consecrated  host  in  the  chalice  and 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  in  the  tabernacle,  are  taken  in  procession 
to  the  sacristy  or  a  side- altar,  which  is  done  in  memory  of  the 
earliest  times  of  Christianity,  when  the  consecrated  hosts  for  the 
communicants  and  the  sick,  were  kept  in  a  specially  prepared 
place,  because  there  was  no  tabernacle  on  the  altar.'  After  the 
procession,  the  priests  with  the  singers  say  vespers  in  adoration 
of  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  THURSDAY.  241 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  xi.  20—32.)  Brethren:  When  you  come 
therefore  together  into  one  place,  it  is  not  now  to  eat  the 
Lord's  supper.  For  every  one  taketh  before  his  own  supper 
to  eat.  And  one  indeed  is  hungry,  and  another  is  drunk. 
What,  have  you  not  houses  to  eat  and  drink  in?  Or  despise 
ye  the  church  of  God;  and  put  them  to  shame  that  have  not? 
What  shall  I  say  to  you?  Do  I  praise  you?  In  this  I  praise 
you  not.  For  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also  I 
delivered  to  you,  that  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  same  night  in 
which  he  was  betrayed,  took  bread,  and  giving  thanks,  broke, 
and  said:  Take  ye  and  eat:  this  is  my  body  which  shall  be 
delivered  for  you :  this  do  for  the  commemoration  of  me.  In 
like  manner  also  the  Chalice,  after  he  had  supped,  saying : 
This  Chalice  is  the  New  Testament  in  my  blood:  this  do  ye, 
as  often  as  ye  shall  drink  it,  for  the  commemoration  of  me. 
For  as  often  as  you  shall  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  the  cha- 
lice, you  shall  shew  the  death  of  the  Lord,  until  he  come. 
Therefore  whosoever  shall  eat  this  bread  and  drink  the  cha- 
lice of  the  Lord  unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and 
blood  of  the  Lord.  But  let  a  man  prove  himself,  and  so  let 
him  eat  of  that  bread,  and  drink  of  the  chalice.  For  he  that 
eateth  and  drinketh  mfworthily,  eateth  and  drinketh  judg- 
ment to  himself,  not  discerning  the  body  of  the  Lord.  There- 
fore are  there  many  infirm  and  weak  among  you,  and  many 
sleep.  But  if  we  would  judge  ourselves,  we  should  not  be 
judged.  But  whilst  we  are  judged,  we  are  chastised  by  the 
Lord :  that  we  be  not  condemned  with  this  world. 

EXPLANATION.  After  Communion  and  the  celebration  of 
the  Last  Supper,  the  early  Christians  were  accustomed  to  unite 
in  a  common  repast,  the  richer  furnishing  the  food,  and  the  poor 
and  rich,  partaking  of  it  in  common,  in  token  of  brotherly  love. 
This  repast  they  called  "Agape",  "meal  of  love".  At  Corinth  this 
was  abused,  for  some  before  Communion  eat  that  which  they  had 
brought,  became  intoxicated,  and  deprived  the  poor  of  their  share. 
The  Apostle  reproves  this  abuse  as  an  unworthy  preparation  for 
Communion,  and  recalls  to  the  Corinthians  the  institution  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  concerning  which  he  had  received  a  special 
revelation,  instructing  them  what  a  terrible  sin  it  was  to  partake 
of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord  unworthily,  for  whoever  does 
this,  makes  himself  guilty  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord, 
that  is,  he  makes  himself  guilty  of  the  murder  of  the  Lord,  as  if 
he  had  murdered  Christ,  had  shed  His  blood,  as  St.  Chrysostom 


16 


242 


INSTRUCTION  FOE  HOLY  THURSDAY. 


says,  and  eats  and  drinks  his  own  judgment,  that  is,  eternal  dam- 
nation. -  Therefore  try  yourself,  0  Christian,  as  often  as  you 
communicate,  to  see  whether  you  have  any  grievous  sin  in  your 
heart,  whether  you  have  confessed  your  sins,  and  have  heartfelt 
sorrow  for  them. 


GOSPEL.  (John  xiii.  1  —  15.)  Before  the  festival  day  of 
the  pasch,  Jesus  knowing  that  his  hour  was  come  that  he 
should  pass  out  of  this  world  to  the  Father :  having  loved 
his  own  who  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto  the  end. 
And  when  supper  was  done,  (the  devil  having  now  put  it 
into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of  Simon,  to  betray 
him)  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  him  all  things  into 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  THURSDAY.  243 

his  hands,  and  that  he  came  from  God,  and  goeth  to  God: 
he  riseth  from  supper,  and  layeth  aside  his  garments,  and 
having  taken  a  towel,  girded  himself.  After  that,  he  putteth 
water  into  a  basin,  and  began  to  wash  the  feet  of  the  dis*- 
ciples,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  wherewith  he  was 
girded.  He  cometh  therefore  to  Simon  Peter.  And  Peter 
saith  to  him:  Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my  feet?  Jesus  answer- 
ed, and  said  to  him:  What  I  do,  thou  knowest  not  now,  but 
thou  shalt  know  hereafter.  Peter  saith  to  him:  Thou  shalt 
never  wash  my  feet.  Jesus  answered  him :  If  I  wash  thee 
not,  thou  shalt  have  no  part  with  me.  Simon  Peter  saith  to 
him:  Lord,  not  only  my  feet,  but  also  my  hands  and  my 
head.  Jesus  saith  to  him :  He  that  is  washed,  needeth  not 
but  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean  wholly.  And  you  are  clean, 
but  not  all.  For  he  knew  who  he  was  that  would  betray 
him;  therefore  he  said:  You  are  not  all  clean.  Then  after  he 
had  washed  their  feet,  and  taken  his  garments,  being  set 
down  again,  he  said  to  them:  Know  you  what  I  have  done 
to  you?  You  call  me,  Master,  and  Lord:  and  you  say  well, 
for  so  I  am.  If  then  I,  being  your  Lord  and  Master,  have 
washed  your  feet;  you  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet. 
For  I  have  given  you  an  exampje,  that  as  I  have  done  to  you 
so  do  you  also. 

Why  did  Jesus  wash  the  feet  of  His  disciples  ? 

To  give  them  a  proof  of  His  sincere  love,  and  an  example  of 
His  deep  humility  which  they  should  imitate;  to  teach  them,  that 
even  though  they  themselves  were  free  from  sin,  and  not  un- 
worthy to  receive  His  most  holy  body  and  blood,  their  feet  needed 
cleansing,  that  is,  that  they  should  be  also  purified  from  all  evil 
inclinations  which  defile  the  heart  as  daily  dust  the  feet,  and 
prevent  holy  Communion  from  producing  its  perfect  fruitful  ef- 
fects in  the  soul. 

Why  is  it,  that  on  this  day  only  one  priest  says  Mass  at  which  the 
others  receive  Communion? 
Because  as  on  this  day  Christ,  and  He  only,  offered  the  un- 
bloody Sacrifice,  and  having  instituted  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
fed  with  His  own  hands  His  disciples  with  His  fiesh  and  blood,  it 
is  but  proper,  that  in  commemoration  of  this,  the  priests  in  one 
Church  should  receive  the  Blessed  Sacrament  from  the  hands  of 


16* 


244  INSTRUCTION  FOE  HOLY  THURSDAY. 

one,  according  to  the  example  of  the  apostles,  but  in  sign  of  the 
priestly  dignity  which  on  this  day  Christ  gave  to  the  apostles  and 
their  successors,  each  priest  wears  a  stole. 

Why  after  the  service  are  the  altars  denuded? 
To  show  that  Jesus,  who  is  represented  by  the  altar,  took  off, 
as  it  were,  at  the  time  of  His  passion,  His  divine  glory,  and 
yielded  Himself  up  in  utter  humiliation  into  the  hands  of  His  ene- 
mies to  be  crucified  {Phil.  ii.  6.  7.),  and  that  at  the  crucifixion  He 
was  forcibly  stripped  of  His  garments,  which  the  soldiers  divided 
among  them,  as  foretold  in  the  twenty  first  psalm,  which  is  there- 
fore said  during  this  ceremony.— The  faithful  are  urged  to  put  off 
the  old  sinful  man  with  his  actions,  and  by  humbling  themselves 
become  conformable  to  Christ. 

Why  is  it,  that  spiritual  superiors  wash  the  feet  of  those  under  them, 
as  do  also  the  Catholic  princes  the  feet  of  twelve  poor  persons? 

This  is  in  commemoration  of  the  washing  of  feet  by  Christ, 
and  in  memory  of  that,  all  people,  even  the  highest,  should  exer- 
cise the  necessary  virtues  of  humility  and  charity  towards  even 
the  lowest,  according  to  the  example  given  by  Jesus.  Therefore 
these  mentioned  kiss  the  feet  of  the  poor,  and  the  pope  presses 
them  to  his  breast,  giving  to  each  person  a  silver  and  gold  medal, 
on  which  is  pictured  the  washing  of  the  feet  by  Christ. 

What  are  the  Tenebrae  and  their  signification? 
They  are  the  office  prayers  which  the  clergy  say  on  Wednes- 
day, Thursday,  and  Friday  of  this  week,  accompanied  by  lamen- 
tations, and  different  other  ceremonies.  The  word  Tenebrae 
means  darkness,  and  represents  the  prayers  formerly  said  in  the 
dark  hours  of  the  morning.  In  these  Tenebrae  the  Church  mourns 
the  passion  and  death  of  Jesus,  and  urges  her  children  to  return 
to  God ;  she  therefore  makes  use  of  th«  words  of  Jeremias,  and 
especially  those  mournful  words:  "Jerusalem!  Jerusalem!  be 
converted  to  God,  thy  Lord!" 

Why  are  these  Tenebrae  said  in  the  evening? 
In  memory  of  that  time  when  the  early  Christians  spent  the 
whole  night  preceding  great  festivals  in  prayer,  which,  later, 
when  zeal  diminished,  was  only  done  on  their  eves,  and  then  only 
by  the  clergy,  and  is  still  done ;  also  in  order  that  we  may  con- 
sider the  darkness  lasting  for  three  hours  at  the  crucifixion  of 
Christ,  whence  the  name  Tenebrae;  and  lastly,  to  represent  by 
it  that  mourning  of  which  darkness  is  the  type. 

Why,  during  the  prayers  of  the  clergy,  are  the  lights  in  the  triangular 

candlestick  one  after  another  extinguished? 

Because  the  Tenebrae,  as  has  been  already  remarked,  in  the 

earliest  times  of  the  Church,  were  held  in  the  night,  the  candles 

were  extinguished,  one  after  another,  as  the  breaking  in  of  day 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  GOOD-FRIDAY.  245 

rendered  them  no  longer  necessary,  and  are  now  extinguished  in 
memory  of  this.  There  is  also  a  moral  signification,  that  joy 
should  more  and  more  decrease,  and  our  sadness  more  and  more 
increase,  the  nearer  we  come  to  the  contemplation  of  the  death 
of  Christ;  again,  at  the  time  of  the  passion  and  death  of  Jesus, 
His  apostles  whom  He  calls  the  light  of  the  world,  one  after 
another  gradually  left  Him;  at  the  death  of  Christ  the  earth  was 
covered  with  darkness;  that  the  Jews,  who,  blinded  by  pride, 
would  not  recognize  Him  as  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  fell  by  His 
death  into  the  deepest  darkness  of  hardened  infidelity. 

What  is  meant  by  the  last  candle  which  is  carried  lighted  behind  the 
altar,  and  after  prayers  are  finished,  is  brought  back  again? 

This  candle  signifies  Christ,  who,  though,  according  to  His 
human  nature,  died  and  laid  for  three  days  in  the  sepulchre,  on 
the  third  day  came  forth  from  the  grave,  by  His  own  power,  as 
the  true  light  of  the  world. 

Why  at  the  end  of  Tenebrae  is  a  noise  made  with  clappers  ? 
This  was  formerly  a  sign,  that  service  was  over;  it  also  signi- 
fies the  earthquake  which  took  place  at  Christ's  death. 

REMARK.  In  the  Cathedrals  the  holy  oils  and  Chrism  which  are 
used  in  baptism,  confirmation,  holy  orders,  and  extreme  unction, 
as  also  in  consecrating  baptismal  fonts  and  altar  stones,  are  blessed 
on  this  day.  Let  us  thank  our  Lord  for  the  institution  of  these  Sa- 
craments at  which  blessed  oils  are  used. 

How  should  we  attend  the  Church  service  on  this  day? 
As  on  this  day  the  Church  celebrates  the  annual  commemo- 
ration of  the  institution  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  so,  at  the  service, 
kneel  down,  0  Christian,  with  devotion;  bring  to  your  mind, 
with  living  faith,  that  Jesus,  your  divine  Teacher  and  Saviour,  is 
really  and  truly  here  present.  Adore  Him  as  the  Son  of  God, 
who  became  man  and  came  upon  the  earth.  Admire  the  love  with 
which,  that  He  might  be  always  with  us,  He  instituted  the  Bles- 
sed Sacrament.  Render  thanks  to  Him  for  all  the  valuable  and 
instrumental  graces  which  have  flowed  to  you  and  to  so  many 
Christians  from  this  Sacrament.   ■ 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  GOOD-PTODAY. 

FOr  the  Jewish  people  this  day  was  formerly  the  preparation 
dav  for  Easter,  and  was  called  by  them  the  Parasceve; 
for  us  Christians  it  is  the  day  of  the  death  and  burial  of  our  Lord, 
who  on  this  day,  being  Himself  both  high  priest  and  victim,  of- 
fered Himself  upon  the  cross  for  the  salvation  of  the  world. 


246  INSTRUCTION  FOR  GOOD-FRIDAY. 

Why  do  we  Christians  so  honor  this  day? 

Because  it  is  the  greatest  of  days  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world  to  the  consummation  of  all  things.  On  this  day  were  per- 
fected the  designs  which  God  had  from  all  eternity,  as  Jesus 
Himself  expressed  when  He  said:  All  is  consummated;  for 
on  this  day  He  was  given  up  to  the  gentiles  by  the  Jews,  was 
scourged,  was  crowned  with  thorns,  loaded  with  the  cross,  drag- 
ged to  Calvary  amid  taunts  and  sneers,  there  nailed  to  the  cross 
between  two  thieves,  and  by  His  painful  death  finished  the  great 
work  of  redemption. 

Why  had  Christ  to  suffer  so  much  to  redeem  us? 

To  show  us  what  an  immense  evil  is  sin,  for  which,  that  He 
might  satisfy  God's  justice,  He  underwent  such  cruel  suiferings; 
because  of  His  love  for  us,  so  great  that  He  gave  the  last  drop 
of  His  blood  for  us ;  because  He  rendered  satisfaction  not  for 
some  men  only,  but  for  all,  that  not  one  might  be  lost,  but  every 
one  possess  life  everlasting.  Look  up  to-day,  and  every  day  of 
thy  life,  to  Christ  on  the  cross,  and  see  how  God  punishes  sin, 
since  He  did  not  spare  even  His  only  begotten  Son,  who  took 
upon  Himself  our  sins,  and  for  them  died  this  cruel  death.  What 
death  is  due  to  thee,  if  thou  dost  not  despise  and  fly  from  sin? 

Why  does  the  Church  celebrate  the  commemoration  of  the  passion 
of  Christ  in  such  solemn  quietness? 

That  the  faithful  may  be  impressed  to  thank  the  Saviour  for 
the  redemption,  and  to  move  them  by  calm  meditation  on  His 
passion  to  sincere  love  for  Him.  "For  this  reason,"  remarks  St. 
Chrysostom,  "St.  Paul,  even  in  his  time,  ordered  the  observance 
of  this  day,  which  the  Christians  always  kept  in  deepest  mourn- 
ing and  with  rigorous  fasting." 

Why  do  we  not  observe  Good-Friday  with  such  festivities  as  do  the 
Protestants?  [in  Europe.] 
Because  our  grief  at  our  Saviour's  death  is  too  great  to  permit 
us  to  celebrate  it  joyously,  for  nature  herself  mourned  at  His 
death ;  the  sun  was  darkened,  earth  shook,  and  the  rocks  were 
rent.  Although  the  Christian  rejoices  on  this  day  in  the  grace  of 
redemption  through  Christ,  he  is  aware,  that  unless  they  strive 
to  participate  in  the  merits  of  the  passion  and  death  of  Christ  by 
sorrowing  over  their  sins,  by  amendment  and  penance,  that  the 
joy  of  His  children  cannot  be  pleasing  to  God  the  Lord,  and  just 
this  is  the  intention  of  the  Church  in  the  sad  and  touching  so- 
lemnities of  the  day's  service. 

Why  are  there  no  candles  lighted  at  the  beginning  of  service? 

To  signify  that  on  this  day  Christ,  the  Light  of  the  world,  be- 
came, at  is  were,  extinguished. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  GOOD-FRIDAY.  247 

Why  does  the  priest  prostrate  himself  before  commencing  the 

service  ? 

That  we  should  consider  with  him  in  deepest  sorrow  and  hu- 
mility how  the  Saviour  died  on  the  cross  for  our  sins,  and  how 
unworthy  we  are  on  account  of  them  to  lift  up  our  faces. 

Why  does  the  service  commence  with  the  reading  of  two  lessons? 
Because  Christ  died  for  Jews  and  Gentiles.  The  first  lesson 
is  from  the  Prophet  Osee  (Os.  vi.  1-6.),  and  the  other  from  Ex- 
odus, the  contents  of  which  refer  to  this,  that  by  the  bloody  death 
of  the  immaculate  Lamb  Jesus  we  are  healed  of  our  sins,  and 
redeemed  from  death. 

After  the  first  lesson  the  priest  says  the  following 
PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  from  whom  both 
Judas  received  the  punishment  of  his  sin,  and  the  thief  the 
reward  of  his  confession:  grant  us  the  effects  of  Thy  mercy; 
that  as  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  at  the  time  of  His  passion, 
bestowed  on  both  different  rewards  according  to  their  merits; 
so,  having  destroyed  the  old  man  in  us,  He  may  give  us  grace 
to  rise  again  with  Him.  Who  liveth. 

Here  follows  the  History  of  the  Passion  according  to  St.  John; 
after  which  the  priest,  singing,  brings  to  the  Lord  God  the  most 
tender  and  pathetic  prayers  in  behalf  of  the  one  only  true 
Church,  that  she  may  always  increase,  and  that  peace  and  unity 
may  always  remain  with  her;  for  the  pope,  that  his  government 
may  be  blessed;  for  the  bishops,  priests,  the  clergy,  and 
the  people,  that  they  may  serve  God  in  justice;  for  those  con- 
verted to  the  faith,  that  they  may  continue  to  grow  in  knowledge 
and  in  zeal  for  the  holy  religion;  for  rulers  as  defenders  of  the 
Church,  that  they  may  govern  with  wisdom  and  justice,  and  that 
those  under  them  may  be  loyal  to  them  with  fidelity  and  obedience; 
for  all  the  unfortunate,  that  God  may  have  mercy  on  them; 
for  heretics  and  apostates,  that  they  may  be  brought  back 
from  error  to  the  truth  of  the  Catholic  faith;  for  the  Jews,  that 
they  may  be  given  light;  for  the  heathens,  that  they  may  abjure 
idols,  and  believe  in  one  true  God.  Before  each  prayer  the  priest 
says  Or  emus  [Let  us  pray],  Flectamus  genua  [Let  us  kneel]; 
when  kneeling,  we  say  Amen,  and  at  the  call  Lev  ate  [Rise  up]  we 
rise;  except  at  the  prayer  for  the  Jews,  when  the  priest  does  not 
kneel,  because  the  Jews,  kneeling,  mocked  our  Lord.  As  Christ  on 
this  day  prayed  for  all  men,  the  Church  desires,  that  we  also  pray 
for  all  men;  say,  therefore,  the  following 

PRAYER.  0  Lord  Jesus!  who  on  the  cross,  while  in  ex- 
cruciating pain,  didst  pray  with  a  loud  voice  for  all  men: 
we  humbly  pray  Thee  for  Thy  vicar,  the  Pope  N.,  for  our 


248  INSTRUCTION  FOR  GOOD-FRIDAY. 

bishop  N.,  for  all  the  priests  and  clergy,  for  our  civil  govern- 
ment, for  the  neophytes,  for  the  unfortunate  and  oppressed, 
for  all  Catholics,  that  Thou  mayst  preserve  them  in  the  true 
faith,  and  strengthen  them,  that  they  may  serve  Thee  ac- 
cording to  their  different  vocations.  We  pray  Thee  also  for 
all  unbelievers,  and  those  separated  from  our  Church,  for 
the  Jews,  and  for  the  heathens,  that  Thou  mayst  unite  all 
in  Thy  holy  Church,  and  bring  them  to  eternal  salvation. 
Amen. 

What  is  done  by  the  priest  after  these  prayers? 

The  priest  then  goes  down  from  the  epistle  side  of  the  altar, 
takes  the  crucifix  covered,  and  holding  it  towards  the  people, 
uncovers  it  so  much  that  the  head  is  seen,  and  sings  in  a  low 
voice:  Ecce  lignum  crucis,  &c:  "Behold  the  wood  of  the  cross 
on  which  hung  the  Saviour  of  the  world ! "  The  choir  answers : 
Venite,  adoremus:  "Come,  let  us  adore  it!"  at  which  all  kneel, 
adoring  Christ  who  died  on  the  cross  for  us.  The  priest  now 
comes  forward  to  the  corner,  then  to  the  middle  of  the  altar;  in 
the  first  place  he  uncovers  the  right  side,  in  the  latter  place  the 
whole,  each  time  elevating  the  cross  somewhat,  and  raising  his 
voice,  sings:  Ecce  lignum  crucis.  In  this  manner  should  the 
image  of  the  crucified  Redeemer,  which  has  been  hidden  from  our 
eyes  since  Passion-Sunday,  make  a  deeper  impression  upon  us, 
and  show  us  how  the  doctrines  of  Jesus  crucified  became  gradu- 
ally known  to  the  world.  Jesus  is  adored  three  times,  because  He 
was  mocked  three  times:  in  the  courtyard  of  the  highpriest,  in 
Pilate's  house,  and  on  Mount  Calvary.  The  priest  then  lays  the 
cross  on  a  cloth  spread  out  on  a  cushion  on  the  gospel  side,  to 
represent  the  laying  of  Christ  in  the  sepulchre;  he  then  goes  some 
distance  back  and  takes  off  his  shoes,  as  Moses  was  commanded 
to  when  he  was  about  to  approach  almighty  God;  he  then  kneels 
and  meditates  on  the  passion  of  Christ;  goes  a  few  steps  forward, 
again  kneels,  and  still  a  third  time,  this  time  directly  in  front  of 
the  crucifix.  He  here  adores  Jesus  with  humility,  considers  His 
infinite  love,  which  brought  Him  to  the  cross,  and  laid  Him  in 
the  sepulchre  for  the  redemption  of  us  sinful  creatures,  and  then 
kisses  in  spirit  with  reverence  the  sacred  wounds  of  Jesus,  which 
He  received  on  our  account.  During  this  veneration  of  the  cross 
the  choir  divides  and  chants  in  alternation  the  versicles  called 
the  Reproaches,  and  between  each  part  of  the  canticle,  the 
following  words  in  Greek  and  Latin :  "0  Holy  God !  0  Most  Holy 
One!  0  Holy  Immortal  One!  have  mercy  on  us!"  In  these  versi- 
cles Christ  tenderly  and  lovingly  reproaches  the  people  who  cru- 
cified Him,  which  we  may  also  take  to  ourselves,  who  have  so 
often  crucified  Jesus  anew  by  sin.  They  are  therefore  called  re- 
proaches, words  of  complaint,  and  continue  during  the  veneration 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  GOOD-FRIDAY.  249 

of  the  cross  by  the  priest.  Afterwards  a  hymn  of  praise  composed 
by  St.  Fortunatus,  is  sung  in  honor  of  the  victory  gained  on  the 
cross  by  our  Saviour,  which  calls  upon  us  also  to  render  praise 
and  thanks  to  Jesus  crucified. 

Adore,  also,  in  deepest  humility,  and  by  a  threefold  advance, 
the  Redeemer  who  died  on  the  cross,  and  is  nowr  victoriously  en- 
throned; ask,  with  fullest  contrition,  forgiveness  of  your  sins;  kiss 
with  sincere  love  His  sacred  wounds,  promising  to  love  all  men, 
even  your  enemies,  and  to  have  pity  on  all  in  distress,  according 
to  His  example. 

What  comes  after  the  veneration  of  the  cross  ? 
The  sacred  hosts  consecrated  on  Holy  Thursday,  and  kept  in 
the  chalice,  are  brought  by  the  priest  in  procession,  from  the 
place  where  they  were  deposited,  to  the  high  altar,  incensed  in 
sign  of  adoration,  and  after  a  few  short  prayers  the  priest  lifts  up 
one  of  them  with  the  right  hand,  breaks  it,  puts  one  part  in  the 
chalice  and  communicates,  and  soon  after  leaves  the  altar. 

Is  there,  then,  no  Mass  said  on  this  day? 
No;  for  on  this  day  there  is  no  bread  and  wine  consecrated, 
which  is  the  essential  part  of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  but  one 
of  the  hosts  consecrated  the  day  previously  is  uplifted,  and  re- 
ceived in  Communion,  while  the  other  is  exposed  in  the  osten- 
sorium  for  public  adoration. 

REMARK.  This  is  the  usual  custom.  Where  no  special  privileges 
are  granted,  the  sacred  Host  is  laid  in  a  pix,  or  put  into  the  taber- 
nacle on  an  altar  especially  prepared  for  it,  ornamented  with  lights 
and  flowers,  where  the  faithful  can  visit  and  adore  the  most  Rlessed 
Sacrament.     {Trans.) 

Why  is  no  Mass  said  on  this  day? 
Because,  Jesus  Christ,  the  first  high  priest  after  the  order  of 
Aaron,  having  this  day  sacrificed  Himself  on  the  altar  of  the  cross 
in  a  bloody  offering,  it  is  not  mete,  that  His  death  sacrifice  should 
be  to-day  repeated  even  in  iin  unbloody  manner.  Besides  this, 
Mass  is  a  joyous  and  comforting  sacrifice,  and  is  therefore  omit- 
ted because  of  our  mourning. 

What  devotions  may  be  practised  to-day? 
Besides  adoring  Jesus  in  the  holy  sepulchre,  the  stations  may 
•be  said,  meditations  made  on  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord,  and  it 
realized  in  our  hearts,  as  St.  Augustine  says:  "Behold  the  wounds 
of  Jesus  hanging  upon  the  cross,  the  blood  of  the  dying,  the 
price  of  our  redemption!  To  kiss  the  bowed  head,  to  caress  the 
pierced  side,  to  embrace  the  extended  arms,  the  whole  body  sa- 
crificed for  our  redemption.  Consider  what  all  this  is,  that  He 
may  be  wholly  in  your  heart  who  is  nailed  to  the  cross  for  you." 


250 

MANNER  OF  CONTEMPLATING  CHRIST'S  BITTER 

PASSION. 

Christ  also  suffered  for  us:  leaving  you  an  example  that 
you  should  follow  his  steps.  {Peter  i.  2,  21.) 

"  W  Hence  does  it  come,"  writes  St.AlphonsusLigouri,  "that 
H  so  many  of  the  faithful  look  with  so  much  indifference 
at  Christ  on  the  cross?  At  most  they  assist  during  Holy  Week  at 
the  commemoration  of  His  death  Avithout  any  feeling  of  gratitude 
or  compassion,  as  if  it  were  a  fable  or  an  event  in  which  they 
had  no  interest.  Know  they  not,  or  believe  they  not  what  the 
gospel  relates  of  Christ's  passion?  Indeed  they  know  it,  and  be- 
lieve it,  but  do  not  think  of  it.  It  is  impossible,  that  he  who  be- 
lieves and  meditates,  should  fail  to  become  burning  with  love  for 
a  God  who  for  love  of  him  suffers  and  dies."  But  why,  we  may 
ask  here,  are  there  so  many  who  draw  so  little  soul  benefit  even 
from  the  contemplation  of  the  passion  and  death  of  Jesus?  Be- 
cause they  fail  to  consider  the  example  of  virtue  which  Christ 
gives  us  in  His  sufferings,  and  fail  to  imitate  it. 

"The  cross  of  Christ,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "is  not  only  a  bed 
of  death,  but  a  pulpit  of  instruction."  It  is  not  only  a  bed  upon 
which  Christ  dies,  but  the  pulpit  from  which  He  teaches  us  what 
to  imitate  and  to  do.  It  should  now  be  our  special  aim  in  medi- 
tating upon  the  passion  of  Christ,  to  imitate  the  virtues  which 
Jesus  allows  to  shine  forth  in  the  highest  degree  in  His  passion 
and  death,  and  which  He  permits  us  to  see,  as  in  a  mirror.  But 
just  this  it  is  which  so  many  neglect.  They  usually  content  them- 
selves with  compassion  when  they  see  Christ  enduring  so  many 
and  such  different  sufferings,  but  see  not  with  what  love,  humi- 
lity, and  meekness  He  bears  them,  and  so  do  not  endeavor  to 
imitate  these  virtues.  That  you,  Christian  soul,  may  avoid  this 
mistake,  and  that  you  may  draw  the  greatest  possible  benefit  for 
your  soul,  from  the  contemplation  of  the  passion  and  death  of 
Christ,  attend  to  that  which  is  said  of  it  by  that  pious  servant  of 
God,  Alphonse  Rodriguez: 

We  must  endeavor  to  derive  from  the  meditation  on  the  mys- 
teries of  the  passion  and  death  of  Christ  this  effect,  that  we  may 
imitate  His  virtues,  and  this  by  slowly  and  attentively  consider- 
ing each  virtue  by  itself,  exercising  ourselves  in  framing  a  very 
great  desire  for  it  in  our  hearts ,  making  a  firm  resolution  to  i 
practise  it  in  words  and  works,  and  also  to  conceive  a  holy  aver- 
sion and  horror  of  the  opposite  vice;  for  instance,  when  con- 
templating Christ's  condemnation  to  the  death  of  the  cross  by 
Pilate,  consider  the  humility  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  being  God,  as 
humbly  as  He  was  innocent,  voluntarily  submitted  and  silently 
accepted  the  unjust  sentence  and  the  ignominious  death.  Here 
you  see  from  the  example  given  by  Jesus,  how  you  should  despise 


THE  PASSION,  &c.  251 

yourself,  patiently  bear  all  evil,  unjust  judgment,  and  detraction, 
and  even  to  seek  them  with  joy  as  giving  us  occasion  to  resemble 
Him.  To  produce  in  yourself  these  necessary  effects  and  resolu- 
tions, you  should  at  each  mystery  contemplate  the  following 
particulars : 

First,  Who  is  it  that  suffers?  The  most  innocent,  the  holiest, 
the  most  loving,  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the  Almighty  Father, 
the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth.  Secondly,  What  pains  and 
torment,  exterior  and  interior,  does  He  suffer?  Thirdly,  In 
what  manner  does  He  suffer,  with  what  patience,  humility,  meek- 
ness, love,  &c. ,  does  He  bear  all  ignominy  and  outrage? 
Fourthly,  For  whom  does  He  suffer?  For  all  men  who  have 
died,  still  live,  will  live,  will  be  born,  for  His  enemies  and  His 
executioners,  for  each  and  every  man.  Fifthly,  By  whom  does 
He  suffer?  By  Jews  and  heathens,  by  soldiers  and  tyrants,  by 
the  devil  and  all  impious  children  of  the  world  to  the  end  of  time, 
and  all  who  were  then  united  in  spirit  with  His  enemies  and  who 
aided  His  tortures.  Sixth,  Why  does  He  suffer?  To  make  re- 
paration for  all  the  sins  of  all  the  world,  to  pay  the  debt  of  all 
sins,  to  satisfy  to  the  justice  of  God,  to  reconcile  the  Heavenly 
Father  to  us,  to  open  heaven,  to  give  us  His  infinite  merits,  that 
we  may  from  them  have  strength  to  follow  the  way  to  heaven. 
At  the  consideration  of  each  of  these  points,  and  indeed  at  each 
mystery  of  the  passion  of  Christ,  the  imitation  of  the  example  of 
His  virtues  is  the  main  object,  because  the  true  life  and  per- 
fection of  the  Christian  consists  in  the  imitation  of  Jesus.  Place 
vividly  before  your  mind,  therefore,  at  the  consideration  of  each 
stage  of  the  passion  of  Christ,  the  virtue  which  He  practised  in 
it,  contemplate  it  and  ask  yourself,  whether  you  possess  this 
virtue,  or  whether  you  still  find  in  yourself  the  opposite  vice.  In 
the  latter  case  make  an  act  of  contrition,  excite  in  yourself  a 
sincere  desire  of  the  opposite  virtue,  make  the  firm  resolution 
henceforth  to  practise  this  virtue  and  to  extirpate  this  vice,  and 
ask  our  Lord  for  the  grace  to  do  so.  In  this  way  you  will  draw 
the  greatest  advantage  from  the  contemplation  of  Christ's  passion, 
and  will  resemble  Christ,  and,  as  the  pious  Louis  of  Granada  says, 
there  can  be  no  greater  honor  and  adornment  for  a  Christian 
than  to  resemble  his  divine  Master,  not  in  the  way  that  Lucifer 
desired,  but  in  that  which  He  pointed  out,  when  He  said:  "I 
have  given  you  an  example,  that  as  I  have  done  to  you, 
so  do  you  also." 

THE  PASSION, 

OR  THE  SUFFERINGS  OF  OUR  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST, 
ACCORDING  TO  THE  FOUR  EVANGELISTS. 

\\!  Hen  Jesus  had  given  his  last  instructions  and  had  ended 
T  T      the  hymn  with  his  disciples,  they  went  out  together  to 


252  THE  passion,  &c. 

Mount  Olivet,  and  Jesus  said  to  them:  All  you  shall  be  scanda- 
lized in  me  this  night;  for  it  is  written:  I  will  strike  the  shep- 
herd, and  the  sheep  of  the  flock  shall  be  dispersed. 
But  after  I  shall  be  risen  again,  I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee. 
And  Peter  answering,  said  to  him :  Although  all  shall  be  scanda- 
lized in  thee,  I  will  never  be  scandalized.  Jesus  said  to  him :  Amen, 
I  say  to  thee,  that  in  this  night  before  the  cock  crow  twice,  thou 
wilt  deny  me  thrice.  But  Peter  spoke  the  more  vehemently:  Yea, 
though  I  should  die  with  thee,  I  will  not  deny  thee;  and  in  like 
manner  said  all  the  disciples.  And  Jesus  went  with  them  over 
the  brook  Cedron,  where  there  was  a  garden  which  he  entered 
with  his  disciples.  And  Judas  also,  who  betrayed  him,  knew  the 
place;  because  Jesus  had  often  resorted  thither  with  his  disciples. 
Judas,  the  traitor,  therefore,  having  received  a  band  of  soldiers 
and  servants  from  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees,  cometh 
thither  with  lanterns,  and  torches,  and  weapons.  And  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples :  Sit  you  here,  while  I  pray.  Pray,  that  ye  enter 
not  into  temptation.  And  taking  with  him  Peter  and  the  two 
sons  of  Zebedee,  he  began  to  grow  sorrowful  and  to  be  sad.  And 
he  said  to  them :  My  soul  is  sorrowful  even  unto  death,  stay  you 
here  and  watch  with  me.  And  when  he  had  withdrawn  from  them 
a  little  distance— about  a  stone's  cast— kneeling  down  he  prayed, 
saying:  "Abba,  Father,  all  things  are  possible  to  thee,  remove 
this  chalice  from  me,  but  not  what  I  will,  but  what  thou  wilt." 
And  there  appeared  to  him  an  angel  from  heaven  strengthening 
him,  and  being  in  agony,  he  prayed  the  longer.  And  his  sweat 
became  as  drops  of  blood  trickling  down  upon  the  ground.  And 
when  he  rose  up  from  prayer  and  was  come  to  his  disciples,  he 
found  them  sleeping  for  sorrow.  And  he  said  to  them:  Why  sleep 
you?  What!  could  you  not  watch  one  hour  with  me?  To  Peter 
he  said:  Simon,  sleepest  thou?  Couldst  thou  not  watch  one  hour? 
Arise!  watch  ye,  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation. 
The  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  weak.  Again  he  went 
the  second  time  and  prayed,  saying:  "My  Father,  if  this  chalice 
may  not  pass  away,  but  I  must  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done."  And 
when  he  returned,  he  found  them  again  asleep  (for  their  eyes 
were  heavy),  and  they  knew  not  what  to  answer  him.  And  leaving 
them,  he  went  again:  and  he  prayed  the  third  time,  saying  the 
selfsame  word.  Then  he  cometh  to  his  disciples,  and  saith  to 
them :  Sleep  ye  now,  and  take  your  rest.  It  is  enough :  the  hour 
is  come:  behold,  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be  betrayed  into  the  hands 
of  sinners.  Rise  up,  let  us*go !  Behold,  he  that  will  betray  me,  is 
at  hand.  And  while  he  was  yet  speaking,  cometh  Judas  Iscariot, 
one  of  the  twelve,  and  with  him  a  great  multitude  with  swords 
and  staves,  from  the  chief  priests,  the  scribes,  and  the  ancients. 
And  he  that  betrayed  him,  had  given  them  a  sign,  saying:  Whom- 
soever I  shall  kiss,  that  is  he,  lay  hold  on  him,  and  lead  him  awav 
carefully.  And  when  he  was  come,  immediately  going  up  to  Jesus, 


THE  PASSION,  &c.  253 

he  said :  Hail,  Rabbi ;  and  he  kissed  him.  And  Jesus  said  to  him : 
Friend,  whereto  art  thou  come?  Judas,  dost  thou  betray  the  Son 
of  Man  with  a  kiss?  Jesus,  therefore,  knowing  all  things  that 
should  come  upon  him,  went  forth  and  said  to  them :  Whom  seek 
ye?  They  answered  him:  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  And  Jesus  said:  I 
am  he.  And  Judas  also,  who  betrayed  him,  stood  with  them.  As 
soon  therefore  as  he  had  said  to  them :  I  am  he :  they  went  back- 
ward and  fell  to  the  ground.  Again  therefore  he  asked  them : 
Whom  seek  ye?  And  they  said:  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Jesus  an- 
swered :  1  have  told  you,  that  I  am  he.  If  therefore  you  seek  me, 
let  these  go  their  way.  That  the  word  might  be  fulfilled  which 
he  had  said  (John  xvii.  12.):  Of  them  whom  thou  hast  given  me, 
I  have  not  lost  any  one.  Then  they  came  up,  and  laid  hands  on 
Jesus,  and  held  him.  And  they  that  were  about  him,  his  dis- 
ciples, seeing  what  would  follow,  said :  Lord,  shall  we  strike  with 
the  sword?  And  one  of  them,  Simon  Peter,  stretching  forth  his 
hand,  drew  out  his  sword;  and  striking  the  servant  of  the  high 
priest,  cut  off  his  right  ear.  And  the  name  of  the  servant  was 
Malchus.  And  Jesus  said  to  them :  Suffer  ye  thus  far.  And  to 
Peter:  Put  up  again  thy  sword  into  its  place;  for  all  that  take  the 
sword,  shall  perish  by  the  sword.  Tninkest  thou,  that  I  cannot 
ask  my  Father,  and  he  will  give  me  presently  more  than  twelve 
legions  of  angels ;  how  then  shall  the  scriptures  be  fulfilled,  that 
so  it  must  be  done?  (Ps.  xxii.,  /*.  liii.)  The  chalice  which  my 
Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it?  And  he  touched  the 
servant's  ear  and  healed  him.  And  Jesus  said  to  the  chief  priests 
and  the  magistrates  of  the  temple,  and  the  ancients  that  were 
come  to  him:  You  are  come  out  as  it  were  to  a  robber,  with 
swords  and  clubs  to  apprehend  me.  I  sat  daily  with  you  teaching 
in  the  temple,  and  you  laid  not  hands  on  me.  Now  all  this  was 
done,  that  the  scriptures  of  the  prophets  might  be  fulfilled ;  but 
this  is  your  hour  and  the  power  of  darkness.  Then  the  band,  and 
the  tribune,  and  the  servants  of  the  Jews  took  Jesus,  and  they 
bound  him.  And  the  disciples  all  leaving  him,  fled.  And  only  one 
followed  him,  having  a  linen  cloth  cast  about  his  naked  body,  and 
they  laid  hold  on  him;  but  he  casting  off  the  linen  cloth,  fled 
from  them  naked.  And  they  led  Jesus  away  to  Annas  first,  for 
he  was  father-in-law  to  Caiphas  who  was  high  priest  for  that 
year.  Now  Caiphas  was  he  who  had  given  that  counsel  to  the 
Jews:  that  it  was  expedient,  that  one  man  should  die  for  the 
people.  (John  xi.  49,  50.)  And  Annas  sent  him  bound  to  Caiphas 
the  high  priest.  And  they  brought  Jesus  to  the  high  priest's 
house,  and  all  the  chief  priests,  and  the  ancients  were  assembled 
together.  The  high  priest  then  asked  Jesus  of  hi§  disciples  and 
of  his  doctrine.  Jesus  answered  him :  I  have  spoken  openly  to 
the  world:  I  have  always  taught  in  the  synagogue  and  in  the 
temple,  whither  all  the  Jews  resort ;  and  in  secret  I  have  spoken 
nothing.  Why  askest  thou  me?  Ask  them  who  have  heard  what 


254  '  THE  passion,  &c. 

I  have  spoken  to  them:  behold,  they  know  what  things  I  have 
said.  And  when  he  had  said  these  things,  one  of  the  officers 
standing  by,  gave  Jesus  a  blow,  saying:  Answerest  thou  the  high 
priest  so?  Jesus  answered  him:  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  give  testi- 
mony of  the  evil:  but  if  well,  why  strikest  thou  me?  But  the 
chief  priests,  the  ancients,  and  all  the  council  sought  evidence 
against  Jesus,  that  they  might  put  him  to  death;  and  they  found 
not,  whereas  many  false  witnesses  had  come  in;  for  their  witness 
did  not  agree.  And  last  of  all  there  came  two  false  witnesses, 
and  they  said :  We  heard  him  say,  I  will  destroy  this  temple  made 
with  hands,  and  within  three  days  I  will  build  another  not  made 
with  hands.  And  their  witness  did  not  agree.  And  the  high 
priest  rising  up,  said  to  him:  Answerest  thou  nothing  to  the  things 
which  these  witness  against  thee?  But  Jesus  held  his  peace  and 
answered  nothing.  And  the  high  priest  asked  him  and  said  to 
him:  Art  thou  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  blessed  God?  I  adjure  thee 
by  the  living  God,  that  thou  tell  us  if  thou  be  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God.  Jesus  saith  to  him :  Thou  hast  said  it.  Nevertheless  I 
say  to  you,  hereafter  you  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  oil  the 
right  hand  of  the  power  of  God,  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven.  Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  garments,  saying:  He  hath 
blasphemed,  what  further  need  have  we  of  witnesses?  Behold, 
now  you  have  heard  the  blasphemy.  What  think  you?  But  they 
answering,  said :  He  is  guilty  of  death.  Then  they  did  spit  in  his 
face,  and  buffetted  and  blindfolded  him,  and  struck  him  with  the 
palms  of  their  hands,  and  said  to  him :  Prophesy  unto,  0  Christ, 
who  is  he  that  struck  thee? 

And  Simon  Peter  followed  Jesus,  and  so  did  another  disciple. 
And  that  disciple  was  known  to  the  high  priest,  and  Went  in  with 
Jesus  into  the  court  of  the  high  priest.  But  Peter  stood  at  the 
door  without.  The  other  disciple,  therefore,  who  was  known  to 
the  high  priest,  went  out,  and  spoke  to  the  porteress,  and  brought 
in  Peter  to  the  house  of  the  high  priest.  Now  the  servants  and 
officers  stood  at  a  fire  of  coals,  because  it  was  cold,  and  warmed 
themselves.  And  with  them  was  Peter  also  standing  and  warm- 
ing himself.  And  when  they  were  sitting  around  the  fire,  Peter 
sat  in  the  midst  of  them,  that  he  might  see  the  end.  And  there 
cometh  to  him  a  certain  maid-servant  of  the  high  priest— it  was 
the  porteress  — and  when  she  had  seen  Peter  warming  himself, 
looking  on  him,  she  saith:  Thou  also  wast  with  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth. Art  thou  not  also  one  of  this  man's  disciples?  But  he  denied 
before  them  all,  saying:  Woman,  I  am  not.  I  know  him  not.  I 
neither  know,  nor  understand  what  thou  sayst.  And  he  went  be- 
fore the  court,  and  the  cock  crew.  And  as  he  went  out  of  the 
gate,  another  maid  saw  him,  and  she  saith  to  them  that  were 
there:  This  man  also  was  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  the  first 
maid— the  porteress  — looking  at  him  again  said  to  them:  He  is 
one  of  them ;  and  after  a  little  while  another  seeing  him,  said : 


THE  PASSION,  &c. 


255 


But  thou  art  one  of  them.  And  Peter  answered:  I  am  not.  And 
after  the  space  as  it  were  of  one  hour,  one  of  the  servants  of  the 
high  priest  (a  kinsman  to  him  whose  ear  Peter  cut  off)  said  to 
him:  Did  I  not  see  thee  in  the  garden  with  him?  Of  a  truth,  this 
man  was  also  with  him,  for  he  is  a  Galilean.  And  after  a  little 
while  the}7  came  that  stood  by,  and  said  to  Peter:  Surely  thou 
art  one  of  them ;  for  thou  also  art  a  Galilean,  for  even  thy  speech 
doth  discover  thee.  But  Peter  again  denied  it,  and  said  to  them : 
Man,  I  know  not  what  thou  sayst.  And  he  began  to  curse  and 
swear,  saying:  I  know  not  this  man  of  whom  you  speak.  And 
immediately  while  he  was  yet  speaking,  the  cock  crew  the  second 
time.  And  the  Lord  turning  looked  at  Peter,  and  he  remembered 
the  word  of  Jesus  which  he  had  said:  Before  the  cock  crow  twice, 
thou  wilt  deny  me  thrice ;  and  going  forth  he  wept  bitterly.  — 


256  THE  passion,  &c. 

And  when  morning  was  come,  all  the  chief  priests,  and  scribes, 
and  ancients  of  the  people  took  counsel  against  Jesus,  that  they 
might  put  him  to  death.  And  they  brought  him  also  into  their 
council  and  said  to  him :  If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us.  And  he 
said  to  them :  If  I  shall  tell  you,  you  will  not  believe  me,  and  if 
I  shall  also  ask  you,  you  will  not  let  me  go.  But  hereafter  the 
Son  of  Man  shall  be  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  the  power  of  God. 
Then  said  they  all :  Art  thou  the  Son  of  God  ?  And  he  said :  You 
say  that  I  am.  And  they  said:  What  need  we  any  further  testi- 
mony? For  ourselves  have  heard  it  from  his  own  mouth.  And  the 
whole  multitude  rose  up,  and  binding  Jesus,  led  him  away  and 
delivered  him  to  Pilate,  the  governor.  Then  Judas  who  betrayed 
him,  seeing  that  he  was  condemned,  repenting  himself,  brought 
back  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  to  the  chief  priests  and  ancients, 
saying :  I  have  sinned  in  betraying  innocent  blood.  But  they  said : 
What  is  that  to  us  ?  look  thou  to  it.  And  casting  down  the  pieces 
of  silver  in  the  temple,  he  departed,  and  went,  and  hanged  him- 
self with  an  halter.  But  the  chief  priests  having  taken  the  pieces 
of  silver,  said:  It  is  not  lawful  to  put  them  in  the  corbona,  be- 
cause it  is  the  price  of  blood^  And  after  they  had  consulted 
together,  they  bought  with  them  the  potter's  field,  to  be  a  bury- 
ing place  for  strangers.  For  this  cause  that  field  was  called  Ha- 
celdama,  that  is,  the  field  of  blood,  even  to  this  day.  Then  was 
fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken  by  Jeremias  the  Prophet,  saying: 
And  they  took  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the  price  of 
him  that  was  prizedj  whom  they  prized  of  the  children 
of  Israel.  And  they  gave  them  unto  the  potter's  field, 
as  the  Lord  appointed  to  me. 

And  it  was  morning,  and  they  went  not  into  the  hall,  that  they 
might  not  be  defiled,  but  that  they  might  eat  the  pasch.  Pilate 
therefore  went  out  to  them  and  said :  What  accusation  bring  you 
against  this  man?  They  answered  and  said  to  him:  If  he  were 
not  a  malefactor,  we  would  not  have  delivered  him  up  to  thee. 
Pilate  then  said  to  them:  Take  him  you  and  judge  him  according 
to  your  law.  The  Jews  therefore  said  to  him :  It  is  not  lawful 
for  us  to  put  any  man  to  death.  That  the  word  of  Jesus  might 
be  fulfilled  which  he  said,  signifying  what  death  he  should  die. 
{Matt.  xx.  19.)  And  they  began  to  accuse  him,  saying:  We  have 
found  this  man  perverting  our  nation,  forbidding  to  give  tribute 
to  Caesar,  and  saying  that  he  is  Christ  the  King.  Pilate  there- 
fore went  into  the  hall  again,  and  called  Jesus,  and  said  to  him : 
Art  thou  the  king  of  the  Jews?  Jesus  answered:  Sayest  thou  this 
thing  of  thyself,  or  have  others  told  it  thee  of  me?  Pilate  an- 
swered: Am  I  a  Jew?  Thy  own  nation  and  the  chief  priest  have 
delivered  thee  up  to  me:  what  hast  thou  done?  Jesus  answered : 
My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  If  my  kingdom  were  of  this 
world,  my  servants  would  certainly  strive  that  I  should  not  be 
delivered  to  the  Jews:  but  now  my  kingdom  is  not  from  hence. 


THE  PASSION,  &c.  257 

Pilate  therefore  said  to  him:  Art  thou  a  king  then?    Jesus  an- 
swered :  Thou  sayest,  that  I  am  a  king.    For  this  was  I  born,  for 
this  I  came  into  the  world :  that  I  should  give  testimony  to  the 
truth.    Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth,  heareth  my  voice.    Pilate 
said  to  him:  What  is  the  truth?  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he 
went  out  again  to  the  Jews  and  said  to  them:  I  find  no  cause  in 
him.    And  the  chief  priests  and  ancients  accused  him  of  many 
things,  but  he  answered  nothing.  And  Pilate  again  saith  to  him : 
Answerest  thou  nothing?    Behold  in  how  many  things  they  ac- 
cuse thee.   But  Jesus  still  answered  nothing;  .so  that  Pilate  won- 
dered. But  they  were  more  earnest,  saying:  He  stirreth  up  the 
people,  teaching  throughout  all  Judea,  beginning  from  Galilee  to 
this  place.    But  Pilate  hearing  Galilee,  asked  if  the  man  were  of 
Galilee?  And  when  he  understood,  that  he  was  of  Herod's  juris- 
diction, he  sent  him  away  to  Herod,  who  himself  was  aiso  at 
Jerusalem  in  those  days.  And  Herod  seeing  Jesus,  was  very  glad, 
for  he  was  desirous  of  a  long  time  to  see  him,  because  he  had 
heard  many  things  of  him,  and  he  hoped  to  see  some  sign  wrought 
by  him.    And  he  questioned  him  with  many  words.    But  he  an- 
swered him  nothing.    And  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  stood 
by,  earnestly  accusing  him,  and  Herod  with  his  army  set  him  at 
nought,  and  mocked  him,  putting  on  him  a  white  garment,  and 
sent  him  back  to  Pilate.  And  Herod  and  Pilate  were  made  friends 
that  same  day;  for  before  they  were  enemies  to  one  another. 
Then  Pilate  calling  together  the  chief  priests,  and  the  magistrates, 
and  the  people,  said  to  them :  You  have  brought  this  man  to  me 
as  one  that  perverteth  the  people,  and  behold,  I  having  examined 
him  before  you,  find  no  cause  in  this  man  touching  those  things 
wherein  you  accuse  him.  No,  nor  Herod  neither.  For  I  sent  you 
to  him,  and  behold,  nothing  worthy  of  death  is  done  to  him.    I 
will  chastise  him  therefore  and  release  him.  Now  of  necessity  he 
was  to  release  unto  them  one  upon  the  festival  day.    And  there 
was  one  called  Barabbas,  who  was  put  in  prison  with  some  se- 
ditious men,  who  in  the  sedition  had  committed  murder.    And 
when  the  multitude  was  come  up,  they  began  to  desirer  that  he 
would  do  as  he  had  ever  done  unto  them.    And  Pilate  answered 
them  and  said:  But  you  have  a  custom,  that  I  should  release  one 
unto  you  at  the  pasch:  will  you  therefore  that  I  release  unto  you 
the  King  of  the  Jews?  For  he  knew  that  the  chief  priests  had  de- 
livered him  up  out  of  envy.    And  while  Pilate  was  sitting  in  the 
place  of  judgment,  his  wife  sent  to  him,  saying :  Have  thou  noth- 
ing to  do  with  that  just  man.  For  I  have  suffered  many  things  in 
a  dream  this  night  because  of  him.   But  the  chief  priests  moved 
the  people,  that  he  should  rather  release  Barrabas  to  them  and 
make  Jesus  away.  And  Pilate  again  asked  them,  saying:  Whether 
will  you  of  the  two  to  be  released  unto  you  ?  And  the  whole  mul- 
titude together  cried  out  at  once,  saying:  Away  with  this  man, 
and  release  unto  us  Barrabas.    And  Pilate  again  spoke  to  them 


258 


THE  PASSION,  &c. 


desiring  to  release  Jesus :  What  will  you  then,  that  I  shall  do  with 
Jesus,  that  is  called  Christ,  the  King  of  the  Jews?  But  they  cried 
out  again,  saying:  Crucify  him,  crucify  him!  And  he  said  to  them 
the  third  time:  Why,  what  evil  hath  this  man  done?  I  find  no 
cause  of  death  in  him.  I  will  chastise  him  therefore,  and  let  him 
go.  But  they  were  instant  with  loud  voices  requiring,  that  he 
might  be  crucified :  and  their  voices  prevailed. 

Then  therefore  Pilate  released  unto  them  Barrabas,  the  mur- 
'derer,  and  having  scourged  Jesus,  delivered  him  up  to  their  will. 
And  the  soldiers  led  him  away  into  the  court  of  the  palace,  and 
they  called  together  the  whole  band,  and  they  clothed  him  with 
purple,  and  platting  a  crown  of  thorns  they  put  it  upon  him,  and 
a  reed  in  his  right  hand.  And  bowing  the  knee  before  him,  they 
mocked  him,  saying:  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews!    And  they  gave 


THE  PASSION,  &c.  259 

him  blows;  and  spitting  upon  him,  they  took  the  reed  and  struck 
his  head.  And  bowing  their  knees,  they  adored  him.  Pilate  there- 
fore went  forth  again  and  saith  to  them:  Behold,  I  bring  him 
forth  to  you,  that  you  may  know  I  find  no  cause  in  him.    Jesus 
therefore  came  forth,  bearing  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  purple 
garment.  And  he  said  to  them:  Behold  the  man!  When  the  chief 
priests,  therefore,  and  the  servants  had  seen  him,  they  cried  out, 
saying :  Crucify  him,  crucify  him !  Pilate  saith  to  them :  Take  him 
you  and  crucify  him;  for  I  find  no  cause  in  him.    The  Jews  an- 
swered him :  We  have  a  law,  and  according  to  that  law  he  ought 
to  die,  because  he  made  himself  the  Son  of  God.    When  Pilate 
therefore  had  heard  this  saying,  he  feared  the*more,  and  he 
entered  into  the  hall  again:  and  he  said  to  Jesus:  Whence  art 
thou  ?   But  Jesus  gave  him  no  answer.    Pilate  therefore  saith  to 
him :  Speakest  thou  not  to  me?    Knowest  thou  not,  that  I  have 
power  to  crucify  thee,  and  I  have  power  to  release  thee?    Jesus 
answered:  Thou  shouldst  not  have  any  power  against  me,  unless 
it  were  given  thee  from  above.    Therefore  he  that  hath  delivered 
me  to  thee,  hath  the  greater  sin.    And  from  thenceforth  Pilate 
sought  to  release  him.    But  the  Jews  cried  out,  saying :  If  thou 
release  this  man,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend.    For  whosoever 
maketh  himself  a  king,  speaketh  against  Caesar.    ISlow  when  Pi- 
late had  heard  these  words,  he  brought  Jesus  forth:  and  sat  down 
in  the  judgment  seat  in  the  place  that  is  called  Lithostrotos,  and 
in  the  Hebrew  Gabbatha.  And  it  was  the  Parasceve  of  the  pasch 
about  the  sixth  hour,  and  he  saith  to  the  Jews:  Behold* your  king ! 
But  they  cried  out :  Away  with  him,  crucify  him !  Pilate  saith  to 
them:  Shall  I  crucify  your  king?  The  chief  priests  answered:  We 
have  no  king  but  Caesar.    And  Pilate  seeing  that  he  prevailed 
nothing,  but  that  rather  a  tumult  was  made,  being  willing  to 
satisfy  the  people,  taking  water,  washed  his  hands  before  the 
people,  saying:  I  am  innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  just  man:  look 
you  to  it.    And  the  whole  people  answering,  said:  His  blood  be 
upon  us,  and  upon  our  children!    Then  he  released  unto  them 
Barrabas,  but  Jesus  he  delivered  up  to  them  to  be  crucified. 

And  they  led  away  Jesus,  and  after  they  had  mocked  him, 
they  took  off  the  purple  from  him,  and  put  his  own  garments 
upon  him,  and  led  him  out  to  crucify  him.  And  bearing  his  own 
cross,  he  went  forth  to  that  place  which  is  called  Calvary,  but  in 
Hebrew  Golgatha.  And  as  they  led  him  away,  they  laid  hold  on 
one  Simon  of  Cyrene,  coming  from  the  country,  who  was  the  fa- 
ther of  Alexander  and  Rufus,  and  they  laid  the  cross  on  him  to 
carry  after  Jesus.  And  there  followed  him  a  great  multitude  of 
people,  and  of  women  who  bewailed  and  lamented  him.  But  Jesus 
turning  to  them,  said :  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  over 
me,  but  weep  for  yourselves  and  your  children.  For  behold,  the 
days  shall  come  wherein  they  shall  say :  Blessed  are  the  barren 
and  the  wombs  that  have  not  borne,  and  the  paps  that  have  not 


17* 


2(}0  THE  PASSION,  &c. 

given  suck.  Then  shall  they  begin  to  say  to  the  mountains :  Fall 
upon  us,  and  to  the  hills:  Cover  us.  For  if  in  the  green  wood  they 
do  these  things,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry? 

And  there  were  also  two  malefactors  led  with  Mm  to  be  put 
to  death.  And  when  they  were  come  to  the  place  which  is  called 
Golgatha,  which  being  interpreted  is,  the  place  of  Calvary,  they 
gave  him  to  drink  wine  mingled  with  myrrh ;  and  when  he  had 
tasted  it,  he  would  not  drink.  And  they  crucified  him  there;  and 
with  him  the  two  robbers,  one  on  the  right  hand,  and  the  other 
at  the  left,  and  Jesus  in  the  midst.  And  the  scripture  was  ful- 
filled, which  saith:  And  with  the  wicked  he  was  reputed. 
{teal  liii.  12.)  »And  Jesus  said:  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not,  what  they  do ;  and  it  was  the  third  hour  (twelve  o'  clock 
noon),  and  they  crucified  him.  And  Pilate  wrote  a  title  also,  and 
he  put  it  upon  the  cross.  And  the  writing  was:  JESUS  OF 
NAZARETH,  THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS.  This  was  to  indi- 
cate his  crime,  and  was  written  in  letters  of  Greek,  Hebrew,  and 
Latin.  And  the  soldiers  placed  it  above  his  head.  This  title  there- 
fore many  of  the  Jews  did  read :  because  the  place  where  Jesus 
was  crucified,  was  nigh  to  the  city.  Then  the  chief  priests  of  the 
Jews  said  to  Pilate:  Write  not,  The  King  of  the  Jews,  but  that 
He  said,  I  am  the  King  of  the  Jews.  Pilate  answered :  What  I 
have  written,  I  have  written. 

The  soldiers,  therefore,  when  they  had  crucified  him,  took  his 
garments,  and  they  made  four  parts,  to  every  soldier  a  part,  and 
also  his  coat.  Now  the  coat  was  without  seam,  woven  from  the 
top  throughout.  They  said  then  one  to  another :  Let  us  not  cut 
it,  but  let  us  cast  lots  for  it  whose  it  shall  be.  (That  the  scripture 
might  be  fulfilled  which  saith:  They  have  parted  my  gar- 
ments among  them,  and  upon  my  vesture  they  have 
cast  losts.)  And  the  soldiers  indeed  did  these  things,  sat  then 
about  the  cross  to  watch  over  -him.  And  they  that  passed  by, 
blasphemed  him,  wagging  their  heads,  and  saying:  Vah,  thou 
that  destroyest  the  temple  of  God,  and  in  three  days  buildest  it 
up  again:  save  thyself,  coming  down  from  the  cross.  In  like 
manner  also  the  chief  priests  with  the  scribes,  mocking,  said  one 
to  another:  He  saved  others,  himself  he  cannot  save.  Let  Christ 
the  King  of  Israel  come  down  now  from  the  cross,  that  we  may 
see  and  believe.  He  trusted  in  God;  let  him  now  deliver  him,  if 
he  will  have  him;  for  he  said:  I  am  the  Son  of  God.  Also  the 
soldiers  reviled  him,  coming  to  him  and  saying :  If  thou  be  the 
King  of  the  Jews,  save  thyself.  And  one  of  the  robbers,  that  were 
crucified  with  him,  said  the  same,  blaspheming  and  reviling  him, 
saying:  If  thou  be  Christ,  save  thyself  and  us!  But  the  other  an- 
swering, rebuked  him,  saying:  Neither  dost  thou  fear  God,  seeing 
thou  art  under  the  same  condemnation.  And  we  indeed  justly, 
for  we  receive  the  due  reward  of  our  deeds ;  but  this  man  hath 
done  no  evil.    And  he  said  to  Jesus:  Lord,  remember  me  when 


THE  PASSION,  &c.  261 

thou  shalt  come  into  thy  kingdom.  And  Jesus  said  to  him:  Amen, 
I  say  to  thee,  this  day  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in  paradise. 

And  there  were  there  many  women  afar  off  who  had  followed 
Jesus  from  Galilee,  ministering  unto  him,  and  saw  all.  Among 
them  was  Mary  Magdalen,  and  Mary,  the  mother  of  James  the 
Less,  and  Josenh,  and  Salome,  the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee. 
By  the  cross  ot  Jesus  stood  his  mother,  and  his  mother's  sister, 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary  Magdalen.  When  Jesus 
therefore  had  seen  his  mother  and  the  disciple  standing  whom  he 
loved,  he  saith  to  Ms  mother:  Woman,  behold  thy  son!  After  that 
he  said  to  the  disciple :  Behold  thy  mother !  And  from  that  hour 
the  disciple  took  her  to  his  own.  And  it  was  almost  the  sixth 
hour,  and  there  was  darkness  over  all  the  earth  until  the  ninth 
hour.  And  the  sun  was  darkened :  and  at  the  ninth  hour  (three 
o'  clock  in  the  afternoon)  Jesus  cried  out :  Eloi,  Eloi,  lamma  sa- 
bacthani?  which  is,  being  interpreted:  My  God,  my  God,  why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me?  And  some  of  the  bystanders  hearing, 
said :  Behold,  he  calleth  Elias.  Afterwards  Jesus  knowing  that  all 
things  were  now  accomplished,  that  the  scripture  might  be  ful- 
filled (Ps.  lxviii.),  said:  I  thirst!  Now  there  was  a  vessel  set  there 
full  of  vinegar,  and  one  running  with  others  filling  a  sponge  with 
vinegar,  and  putting  it  upon  a  reed,  held  it  up  to  Jesus,  and  gave 
him  to  drink,  saying :  Stay,  let  us  see,  if  Elias  will  come  to  take 
him  down.  Jesus  therefore,  when  he  had  taken  the  vinegar,  said: 
It  is  consummated!  and  Jesus  again  crying  with  a  loud  voice, 
said :  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit !  And  bowing 
his  head,  he  gave  up  the  ghost.  *)  And  the  veil  of  the  temple  was 
rent  in  two  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  and  the  earth  quaked, 
and  the  rocks  were  rent.  And  the  graves  were  opened,  and  many 
bodies  of  the  saints  that  had  slept,  arose.  And  the  centurion  who 
stood  over  against  him,  seeing  that  crying  out  in  this  manner  he 
gave  up  the  ghost,  said :  Indeed  this  man  was  the  Son  of  God. 
And  also  those  that  were  there  and  watched  over  Jesus,  when 
they  saw  the  earthquake,  and  the  other  events,  were  terrified  and 
said :  He  was  indeed  the  Son  of  God.  And  all  the  multitude  of 
them  that  were  come  together  to  that  sight  and  saw  the  things 
that  were  done,  returned  striking  their  breasts.  Then  the  Jews 
(because  it  was  the  Parasceve),  that  the  bodies  might  not  remain 
upon  the  cross  on  the  Sabbath-day  (for  that  was  a  great  Sabbath- 
day),  besought  Pilate,  that  their  legs  might  be  broken,  and  that 
they  might  be  taken  away.  The  soldiers  therefore  came,  and  they 
broke  the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  that  was  crucified  with 
him.  But  after  they  had  come  to  Jesus,  when  they  saw,  that  he 
was  already  dead,  they  did  not  break  his  legs.  But  one  of  the 
soldiers  with  a  spear  opened  his  side,  and  immediately  there  came 
out  blood  and  water. 

*)  At  these  words  the  priest  and  the  whole  congregation  fall  on  their 
knees,  to  meditate  in  deep  devotion  on  the  mystery  of  the  death  of  Jesus. 


262 


THE  PASSION,  &c. 


(And  he  that  saw  it,  hath  given  testimony,  and  his  testimony 
is  true;  and  he  knoweth  that  he  saith  true;  that  you  also  may 
believe.  For  these  things  were  done,  that  the  scripture  might  be 
fulfilled:  You  shall  not  break  a  bone  of  him.  And  again 
another  scripture  saith:  They  shall  look  on  him  whom  they 
pierced.) 

And  when  evening  was  now  come  (because  it  was  the  Paras- 
ceve,  that  is,  the  day  before  the  Sabbath),  Joseph  of  Arimathea, 
a  noble  counsellor  and  just  man  (the  same  had  not  consented  to 
their  counsel  and  doing),  who  was  also  expecting  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  was  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews, 
came  and  went  in  boldly  to  Pilate,  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus. 
But  Pilate  wrondered  that  he  should  be  already  dead.  And  send- 
ing for  the  centurion,  he  asked  him  if  he  were  already  dead.  And 


THE  PEOPLE  AT  THE  CROSS  AND  THE  PEOPLE  OF  TO-DAY.   263 

when  he  had  understood  it  by  the  centurion,  he  gave  the  body  to 
Joseph,  and  commanded,  that  it  should  be  delivered  to  him.  And 
Joseph  buying  fine  linen,  and  taking  him  down,  wrapped  him  in 
it.  And  Nicodemus  also  came,  he  who  at  the  first  came  to  Jesus 
by  night  {John  hi.) ,  bringing  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes  about 
one  hundred  pound  weight.  They  took  therefore  the  body  of 
Jesus,  and  bound  it  in  linen  clothes  with  the  spices,  as  the  manner 
of  the  Jews  is  to  bury.  Now  there  was  in  the  place,  where  he 
was  crucified,  a  garden:  and  in  the  garden  a  new  sepulchre,  which 
Joseph  had  caused  to  be  hewn  out  of  a  rock,  wherein  no  man  yet 
had  been  laid.  There  therefore,  because  of  the  Parasceve  of  the 
Jews,  they  laid  Jesus,  because  the  sepulchre  was  nigh  at  hand. 
And  he  rolled  a  great  stone  to  the  door  of  the  sepulchre  and  went 
his  way.  It  was  the  day  of  the  Parasceve  and  the  Sabbath  drew 
on.  And  the  women  who  had  come  with  him  from  Galilee,  Mary 
Magdalen,  and  the  other  Mary,  Joseph's  mother,  following  after 
saw  the  sepulchre,  and  saw  how  the  body  was  laid,  and  return- 
ing they  prepared  spices  and  ointments ;  and  on  the  Sabbath-day 
they  rested  according  to  the  commandment. 

[The  following  is  sung  as  the  gospel.] 
And  the  next  day,  which  followed  the  day  of  preparation,  the 
chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  came  together  to  Pilate,  saying: 
Sir,  we  have  remembered,  that  that  seducer  said,  while  he  was 
yet  alive :  After  three  days  I  will  rise  again.  Command  therefore 
the  sepulchre  to  be  guarded  until  the  third  day :  lest  perhaps  his 
disciples  come  and  steal  him  away,  and  say  tc  te  people,  he  is 
risen  from  the  dead :  and  the  last  error  shall  be  worse  than  the 
first.  Pilate  said  to  them :  You  have  a  guard ;  go,  guard  it  as  you 
know.  And  they  departing,  made  the  sepulchre  sure,  sealing  the 
stone,  and  setting  guards. 

THE  PEOPLE  AT  THE  CROSS  AND  THE  PEOPLE 
OF  TO-DAY. 

AT  Golgatha,  in  sight  of  the  temple  and  city  of  Jerusalem, 
before  the  eyes  of  two  or  three  millions*  of  Jews,  who  had 
come  from  all  lands  of  the  earth  at  Easter- time  to  the  city,  Jesus, 
the  Son  of  God,  hung  upon  the  cross,  an  expiatory  sacrifice  for 
mankind  burdened  with  all  manner  of  sin.  Near  the  cross  of  her 
dying  Son  stood  Mary,  His  mother,  filled  with  grief;  by  her  side 
John,  the  loved  disciple,  and  kneeling  at  the  foot  of  the  cross 
almost  insensible  from  sorrow  and  anguish,  convulsively  winding 
her  arms  around  the  wood  of  the  cross,  was  Mary  Magdalen,  the 
penitent.  On  the  right  hand,  on  a  cross,  hung  a  criminal  peni- 
tently turned  towards  the  Saviour ;  on  the  left  hand,  groaned  on 
another  cross  another  criminal  of  impenitent  heart,  blaspheming 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  Around  the  agonizing  Saviour  stood  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees,  that  hypocritical  gang  of  practised  mis- 


264  THE  PEOPLE  AT  THE  CROSS 

creants,  whose  hatred  persecuted  the  innocent  Lamb  Jesus,  even 
in  death,  who  blind  to  all  the  prophecies  of  the  prophets  whose 
books  they  had  at  hand  and  read,  blind  to  the  actual  miracles 
which  Jesus,  to  prove  His  divinity  and  His  mission,  wrought  be- 
fore their  eyes,  filled  with  envy  and  hatred  reviled  the  dying  Re- 
deemer. At  a  distance  there  stood  a  crowd  of  curious,  indifferent 
people,  who  had  come  to  keep  the  Easter-festival,  had  heard  of 
Jesus  and  were  present  at  His  crucifixion,  and  not  far  from  them 
the  rough  soldiers  and  executioners  lay  around,  dividing  among 
themselves  the  Saviour's  clothes  and  casting  lots  for  his  coat. 

This  was  the  society  that  surrounded  the  Son  of  God  and  Re- 
deemer of  the  world  bleeding  on  the  cross,  and  in  their  different 
phases  are  types  of  the  men  of  to-day. 

Only  three  persons  were  there  who  near  the  cross,  clung  to 
the  Saviour  in  faith  that  could  never  waver,  and  in  truest  love 
ready  to  die  with  Him,  and  for  Him.  There  were  but  three  who 
suffered  all  taunts  and  sneers,  all  revilings  and  blasphemies  to 
pass  over  them,  and  departed  not  from  the  cross ;  they  were  Mary, 
John,  and  Magdalen.  As  these  then  are  all  now  who,  like  Mary 
and  John,  yet  pure  and  innocent,  or  like  Magdalen  weeping  over 
their  sins,  confess  Jesus  with  their  heart  and  lips,  cling  faithfully  to 
Him,  and  permit  neither  persecution  nor  death  to  separate  them 
from  Him.  As  then  by  the  cross,  so  to-day  is  the  number  of  the 
faithful  small,  and  large  the  number  of  those  who,  like  the  care- 
less spectators  of  the  crucifixion,  are  certainly  not  decided  ene- 
mies of  Jesus  crucified,  but  certainly  not  His  decided  friends. 
They  have  indeed  been  baptized  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  they  keep 
externally  with  the  Catholic  Church,  which  Christ  founded,  but  they 
are  sunk  in  lukewarmness,  have  no  living  faith,  and  are  waver- 
ing between  the  world  and  Jesus,  to  and  fro  like  a  reed.  They 
fear  the  sneers  of  the  socalled  learned  and  enlightened,  so  many 
of  whom  are  well  represented  by  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  who, 
having  no  faith  in  Christ  themselves,  bear  in  their  hearts  only 
hatred  and  contempt  of  His  Church ;  they  shun  the  cross,  because 
it  is  too  heavy  for  their  sensuality;  they  do  not,  it  is  true,  com- 
mit public  crimes,  and  do  think  much  of  an  upright  name,  occa- 
sionally keep  the  law  of  the  Church,  but  are  accessible  to  every 
error;  their  ears  inclined  to  every  blasphemy  against  the  religion 
of  Jesus,  and  its  servants,  the  priests.  Instead  of  standing  fear- 
lessly and  boldly  for  Christ,  for  the  holy  faith  He  has  taught,  and 
the  Church  teaches,  they  draw  away,  are  silent,  even  go  with  the 
Church's  enemies  that  they  may  not  be  sneered  at.  Neither  hot 
nor  cold,  that  comes  true  of  them  which  is  written:  Because 
thou  art  neither  hot  nor  cold,  I  will  begin  to  vomit 
thee  out  of  my  mouth.  (Apoc.ii.  16.)  These  lukewarm,  in- 
different Christians  the  Lord  casts  away  from  Him  as  nauseous 
saliva,  and  leaves  them  to  be  destroyed.  Of  these  lukewarm,  in- 
different Christians  are  many  who  resemble  the  Pharisees  at  the 


AND  THE  PEOPLE  OF  TO-DAY.  265 

cross.  They  are  those  of  our  day  who  purposely  close  their  eyes 
to  the  light  of  truth,  who  have  put  aside  faith  in  Jesus,  and  are 
no  longer  open  to  instruction.  Their  pride,  their  high-mindedness 
has  blinded  them,  they  wish  with  their  poor  reason  to  compre- 
hend the  mysteries  of  the  Almighty,  wish  with  their  small  under- 
standing to  fathom  His  ways,  even,  in  their  daring,  seek  to  be 
equal  to  God ;  they  deny  every  revealed  truth,  they  deny  heaven 
and  hell,  they  propose  to  live  like  the  animals,  without  God,  — 
but  their  end  is  ruin!  But  few  of  them  having  seen  their  error, 
ever  turn  repentingly  to  Jesus,  as  the  robber  on  the  cross,  on  His 
right  hand ;  obdurate  as  the  thief  and  murderer  at  His  left,  they 
cease  not  to  blaspheme  the  crucified,  and  to  revile  His  holy  Church. 
With  these  stand  the  apostates  and  unbelievers,  who,  like  the 
soldiers  and  executioners,  divide  among  themselves  His  clothes, 
and  cast  lots  for  His  seamless  garment.  Those  clothes  which  the 
soldiers  divided  among  themselves,  are  the  truths  which  the 
apostates  and  heretics  yet  retain  among  themselves  after  their 
apostacy  from  the  Church.  They  have  divided  these  truths,  for 
they  have  separated  themselves  into  thousands  of  sects,  and  pos- 
sess only  portions  of  the  one  truth,  which  Jesus  has  laid  down 
in  His  Church,  whole  and  complete.  Over  His  seamless  garment 
they  have  cast  lots. 

This  seamless  vesture  of  Christ  is  His  holy  Church,  that  cannot 
be  separated  or  divided,  is  one,  and  must  remain  one  to  the  end 
of  time.  Concerning  this  one  true  Church,  the  sects  all  quarrel, 
all  wanting  to  be  the  true  Church  without  considering  that,  as 
but  one  soldier,  by  the  lots,  received  Christ's  seamless  garment, 
so  only  one  association  of  men  can  be  the  true  Church,  and  that  is 
the  association  which  Christ  has  chosen  for  His  Church — the 
apostles  and  their  successors,  the  Roman  Catholic  bishops  and 
priests. 

Thus  is  the  association  of  Jesus'  cross  on  Golgatha,  imitated 
in  the  people  of  to-day.  As  then  on  Golgatha  so  to-day  the 
world  is  split  in  parties ;  into  the  pure  and  innocent,  the  repent- 
ing sinners,  and  obdurate  villains,  into  faithful,  decided  adherents 
of  Jesus  and  His  holy  Church,  and  into  lukewarm,  wavering  no- 
minal Christians,  into  professed  infidels,  apostates,  and  heretics. 

To  which  party  do  you  belong,  0  Christian?  To  which  do  you 
wish  to  belong?  Choose!  The  time  of  the  division  is  near.  The 
Lord  already  holds  in  His  hand  the  winnowing  shovel  to  clear  His 
floor.  Are  you  not  a  decided  adherent  of  Jesus  and  His  Church? 
then  will  you  be  blown  away  like  chaff  in  the  storm  that  is  gather- 
ing. Do  you  keep  with  the  small  group  at  the  cross,  in  persever- 
ing courage?  then  will  you  stand  firm,  and  on  the  day  when  the 
cross  shall  appear  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  you,  with  Mary,  the 
mother  of  the  faithful,  with  John  and  with  Magdalen,  will  triumph 
forever,  as  a  victorious  knight  of  the  cross.  Decide ! 


•>66 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  SATURDAY. 


Why  is  this  day  called  Holy  Saturday  ? 

Ecause  on  this  day  Jesus,  the  Holy  of  Holiest, 
through  whom  we  also  should  become  holy, 
rested  in  the  sepulchre,  and  because  the  Church 
to-day  receives  the  blessed  baptismal  water,  by 
which  the  unbaptized  is  born  again  to  a  new, 
holy  life,  which  is  also  indicated  by  the  blessed 
fire  and  the  Easter-Candle. 

Why  is  new  fire  struck  from  a  flint,  blessed,  and  the  lamps  and 
candles  in  the  Church  lighted  from  it? 
In  old  times  it  was  customary  to  strike  a  new  fire,  bless  it, 
and  light  the  candles  by  it  every  day,  and  later  every  Saturday; 
it  is  said,  that  in  the  eleventh  century  this  ceremony  was  re- 
stricted to  Holy  Saturday.  The  fire  is  struck  from  a  stone  to  indi- 
cate, that  Christ  is  the  light  of  the  world,  and  the  stone  which 
the  Jews  rejected,  has  now  become  the  corner  stone  of  His  Church 
(Ps.  cxvii.  22.);  that  the  divine  Son,  the  light  of  the  world,  was 
apparently  extinguished  at  His  death,  but  at  His  resurrection 
shone  anew ;  that  all  those  who  in  Church  to-day  are  physically 
lighted  by  this  fire,  may  one  day  be  filled  anew,  in  the  future 
life,  with  spiritual  light.  This  fire  is  blessed,  because  the  Church 
blesses  every  thing  that  is  used  in  her  service  in  Church,  and  be- 
cause the  light  and  fire  used  in  Church  must  be  holy,  for  they 
represent  Christ,  who  brought  the  fire  of  love  upon  earth  with 
which  to  enkindle  our  hearts.  {Luke  xii.  49.) 

What  is  represented  by  the  triple  candlestick? 
The  triple  candlestick  represents  the  most  Holy  Trinity  of 
whieh  the  second  Divine  Person  came  down  to  earth  as  the  true 
light.  For  this  reason  the  priest  (or  deacon),  sings  three  times  at 
the  lighting  of  each  candle:  Lumen  Christi,  "Light  of  Christ," 
and  kneeling  three  times  humbly  adores  the  Triune  Deity,  and 
especially  the  true  divine  light  of  Christ  for  which  he  says  Deo 
gratias,  "Thanks  be  to  God". 

What  is  the  Easter-Candle? 
It  is  an  emblem  of  Christ,  who  has  risen  from  death,  of  whom 
the  pillar  of  fire  which  led  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  the 
bondage  of  Egypt,  was  a  prototype,  as  Christ,  the  true  light,  has 
led  us  from  the  bondage  of  Satan  into  the  freedom  of  the  children 
of  God.  The  five  holes  in  the  candle  represent  the  five  wounds 
of  Jesus  by  which  mankind  was  healed  (i.  Pet.  ii.  24.),  and  the  five 
grains  of  frankincense  signify  the  spices  with  which  the  body  of 
our  Lord  was  embalmed. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  SATURDAY.  267 

Why  are  the  Easter- Candle  and  all  the  others  lighted  from  the 

triple  candle? 
To  show  that  Christ  was  begotten  by  the  Father  of  light  from 
all  eternity,  and  is  therefore  true  God  from  true  God,  light  from 
light;  that  from  God,  through  Christ,  He  being  the  light  of  the 
world,  comes  all  man's  enlightenment,  and  is  diffused  by  the  grace 
of  God  over  all.  (ii.  Cor.  iv.  6.) 

To  what  do  the  twelve  lessons,  sung  after  the  blessing  of  the 

baptismal  water,  all  point  ? 
They  point  to  the  baptism  in  which  we  are  born  again  to  a 
new  life. 

Why  is  the  baptismal  icater  blessed  with  so  many  ceremonies,  and 
what  is  its  signification? 
The  baptismal  water  signifies  the  blood  of  Christ  by  which 
our  souls  are  purified,  and  in  which  the  devil  is  drowned  as  Pharao 
in  the  Red  Sea,  and  is  blessed  with  so  many  ceremonies,  that  the 
different  effects  of  baptism  may  be  known,  and  that  this  holy 
Sacrament  may  be  administered  and  received  with  the  more  re- 
verence, devotion,  and  sanctity. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  these  ceremonies? 

The  priest  with  his  hand  parts  the  water  into  the 
form  of  a  cross,  to  illustrate  that  God  gives  the  secret  virtue 
to  this  water,  through  Christ  who  died  on  the  cross,  of  changing 
all  those  born  in  original  sin  into  holy  people.  He  touches  the 
surface  of  the  water  with  the  palm  of  his  hand,  to  show 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  over  this  water  as  at  the  creation,  and 
bestows  many  graces  on  those  who  are  baptized.  He  blesses  it, 
signing  it  three  times  with  the  sign  of  the  cross,  be- 
cause the  water  receives  its  sin-cleansing  power  only  through  the 
sufferings  and  the  merits  of  Christ,  from  the  Father,  by  the  coo- 
peration of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  baptismal  water  is  thrown 
by  the  priest  towards  the  four  parts  of  the  earth,  be- 
cause the  grace  of  baptism  should  reach  all  nations.  The  priest 
breathes  on  the  water  three  times  in  the  form  of  a  cross: 
the  Creator  breathed  upon  the  first  man,  and  breathed  into  him 
the  breath  of  life,  Christ  breathed  upon  the  apostles  the  Holy 
Ghost  who  by  His  grace  and  power  revives  and  sanctifies  those 
who  are  baptized.  The  Easter -Candle  (emblem  of  Christ, 
risen  from  the  dead),  is  dipped  three  times,  and  each  time 
deeper  into  the  water,  to  show  that  the  baptized  should  be- 
come more  and  more  enlightened  through  the  light  of  Christ's 
doctrine,  ,more  and  more  penetrated  by  its  divinity,  more  and 
more  purified  from  sin.  The  people  are  sprinkled  with 
this  water  to  remind  all  those  present  who  have  received  sanc- 
tification  in  baptism,  and  have  lost  it  by  sin,  that  they  should 
strive  by  tears  of  repentance  to  regain  it.     Finally,  oil  and 


268  INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  SATURDAY. 

chrism  are  mixed  in  the  water  as  a  sign  that  the  grace  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  represented  by  the  oil  and  chrism,  is 
given  in  its  fulness  to  the  water;  and  also,  that  the  baptized 
should,  after  baptism,  devote  themselves  exclusively  to  the  ser- 
vice of  Christ,  the  Anointed  One,  and  unite  themselves  in  love 
to  Him. 

Why  is  the  baptismal  water  blessed  only  on  this  day  and  on  the 

Saturday  before  Pentecost? 

Because  in  early  times  adults  and  neophytes  were  baptized 

only  on  these  days;  and  because  the  Saviour,  risen,  is  the  example 

of  a  soul  sanctified  by  baptism  and  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Author 

of  all  sanctity  and  the  true  fountain  of  the  grace  of  baptism. 

How  should  we  assist  at  the  blessing  of  the  baptismal  water? 
With  sentiments  of  sincere  gratitude  for  having  been  given 
the  holy  grace  of  baptism ;  with  the  firm  resolution  of  preserving 
our  baptismal  innocence,  or  if  we  have  lost  it,  of  obtaining  it 
again  by  penance.  We  should  renew  our  baptismal  vows  on  this 
day  especially,  first  by  saying  the  apostle's  creed,  making  acts  of 
faith,  hope,  and  love,  and  an  act  of  contrition,  and  then  saying 
with  heart  and  lips :  "  I  renounce  the  devil,  all  his  pride,  and  all 
his  suggestions." 

Why  does  the  priest  prostrate  himself  after  blessing  the  baptismal 
water,  rising  again  when  the  litany  of  the  saints  has  been  sung? 
To  most  humbly  ask  God,  by  the  intercession  of  the  saints, 
that  He  would  give  to  all  men  without  exception  the  grace  of 
baptism,  that  as  all  men  have  been  dead  and  buried  in  sin,  so 
they  may  rise  with  Christ  as  new  creatures  to  grace  and  eternal 
life. 

Why  are  the  altars  redecorated  on  this  day? 

Because  the  Church,  the  beloved  bride  of  Christ,  desires  to 
announce  in  advance  to  her  children  the  glad  tidings,  that  the 
Lord  has  risen  from  the  dead;  she  decorates  herself  therefore, 
and  causes  the  bells  to  peal  and  joyous  hymns  to  resound.  It  also 
refers  to  Christ,  at  His  resurrection,  having  adorned  Himself 
with  a  glorious,  incorruptible  body. 

Why  is  there  no  Introit  in  this  day's  Mass? 

The  Introit  of  Mass  was  formerly  an  entire  psalm,  sung  while 
the  people  were  assembling  in  Church;  but  as  in  early  times  the 
people  on  Easter  were  already  assembled  and  assisting  at  the 
ceremonies,  no  Introit  was  sung  at  the  Vigil  Mass,  as  to-day, 
although  Mass  is  now  said  in  the  morning,  the  Church  having 
abolished  the  night  vigils,  on  account  of  abuses. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  enlightenest 
this  most  sacred  night  by  the  glory  of  the  resurrection  of 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  SATURDAY.  269 

the  Lord;  preserve  in  the  new  offspring  of  Thy  family  the 
spirit  of  adoption  Thou  hast  given  them;  that  being  renewed 
in  body  and  soul,  they  may  serve  Thee  with  purity  of  heart. 
Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  (Colos.  iii.  1  —  4.)  Brethren:  If  you  be  risen 
with  Christ,  seek  the  things  that  are  above;  where  Christ  is 
sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God:  mind  the  things  that  are 
above,  not  the  things  that  are  upon  the  earth.  For  you  are 
dead;  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  When  Christ 
shall  appear,  who  is  your  life;  then  you  also  shall  appear 
with  him  in  glory.  Alleluia,  Alleluia,  Alleluia. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  places  Christ's  resurrection  before 
us  as  the  example  and  motive  of  the  spiritual  resurrection  from 
sin,  which  should  be  effected  in  us  by  the  holy  Sacraments  at 
Easter  time.— With  Christ  we  should  die  to  the  world,  and  live 
hidden  in  Him,  if  we  desire  to  rise  at  the  Last  Day  with  Him  in 
glory  and  be  acknowledged  before  all  men  by  Him  as  His  own. 

After  the  epistle  the  priest  says  three  times:  Alleluia/  as  a 
joyful  exclamation  over  the  Redeemer's  triumphant  victory. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt,  xxxviii.  1—7.)  In  the  end  of  the  Sab- 
bath, when  it  began  to  dawn  towards  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  came  Mary  Magdalen  and  the  other  Mary  to  the  se- 
pulchre. And  behold,  there  was  a  great  earthquake.  For  an 
angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from  heaven;  and  coming,  rolled 
back  the  stone,  and  sat  upon  it :  and  his  countenance  was 
as  lightning,  and  his  raiment  as  snow.  And  for  fear  of  him, 
the  guards  were  struck  with  terror,  and  became  as  dead 
men.  And  the  angel  answering,  said  to  the  women:  Fear  not 
you;  for  I  know  that  you  seek  Jesus  who  was  crucified.  He 
is  not  here,  for  he  is  risen  as  he  said.  Come,  and  see  the 
place  where  the  Lord  was  laid.  And  going  quickly,  tell  ye 
his  disciples  that  he  is  risen:  and  behold,  he  will  go  before 
you  into  Galilee:  there  you  shall  see  him.  Lo,  I  have  foretold 
it  to  you. 

What  are  we  to  learn  from  this  gospel? 
That  we,  too,  will  receive  the  plenitude  of  divine  grace  and 
heavenly  blessings,  if  like  these  pious  women  we  seek  Christ 
early,  that  is,  by  making  a  good  intention  before  we  begin  our 
work. 


270 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  HOLY  SATURDAY. 


Why  is  there  no  Credo  or  Agnus  Dei  said,  nor  the  kiss  of  peace 
given,  and  short  vespers  said  after  communion? 

Formerly,  and  in  Rome  even  now,  the  Credo  or  confession  of 
faith  is  said  by  the  newly  baptized,  the  Agnus  Dei  was  sung  in 
the  litany  of  the  saints,  and  these  are  therefore  omitted  in  the 
Mass.  The  kiss  of  peace  is  not  given,  because  Christ  has  not  yet 
said  to  His  disciples,  Peace  be  with  you.  Short  vespers  are 
said  after  the  priest's  communion,  because  this  day  is  a  type  of  the 
eternal  Sabbath  in  heaven  which  has  no  vespers,  that  is,  evening. 

Do  not  omit  to-day  to  once  more  visit  the  holy  sepulchre,  to 
adore  Christ  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  to  thank  Him  for  His 
passion  and  death,  and  to  honor  His  sorrowful  mother.  If  in  the 
evening  the  solemn  ceremonies  of  the  resurrection  are  held,  assist 
at  them  and  there  make  the  repeated  resolution  to  rise  from  the 
sleep  of  sin  and  begin  a  new  life  with  Christ. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  EASTER. 


271 


What  is  the  festival  of  Easter  or  Pasch  ? 

Aster,  in  Latin  Pascha,  signifies  going  by,  pass- 
ing over,  and  has  this  historical  origin:  Under 
Pharao,  King  of  Egypt,  the  Jews  in  that  country 
groaned  in  intolerable  bondage.  God  had  at  last 
mercy  on  His  people,  and  the  hour  of  freedom 
came.  By  His  command  an  angel  struck  with 
death  the  first  born  of  the  Egyptians,  from  the 
hut  of  the  laborer  to  the  palace  of  the  king.  The  Jews  had  been 
already  ordered  by  God  to  be  ready  for  emigration,  but  to  first 
kill  a  lamb,  eat  it  in  their  houses  in  common,  and  to  sprinkle  the 
door-posts  of  their  houses  with  its  blood.  And  the  angel  of  death, 
by  order  of  God,  went  by  the  doors  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of 
the  lamb,  and  did  not  harm  to  any  child  of  the  Israelites,  whilst 
he  slew  all  the  first  born  sons  of  the  Egyptians.  In  grateful 
memory  of  this  passing  of  the  angel  over  their  doors,  the  Jews 
observed  the  festival  of  Easter,  the  Pasch,  the  Passover.  After 
the  death  of  Jesus,  the  apostles  introduced  the  same  festival  into 
the  Church  in  grateful  remembrance  of  the  day  on  which  Jesus, 
the  true  Easter-Lamb,  took  away  our  sins  by  His  blood,  freed  us 
from  the  angel  of  eternal  death,  and  passed  us  over  to  the  free- 
dom of  the  children  of  God. 

Where,  (hiring  this  time,  was  Christ's  holy  soul? 
In  Limbo,  that  is,  in  that  place  in  the  lower  regions  where 
the  souls  of  the  just  who  died  before  Christ,  were  awaiting,  but 
not  in  suffering,  the  redemption,  for  they  were  yet  in  original  sin. 
To  these  just  went  the  soul  of  Jesus  after  death,  to  console  them 
and  to  announce  to  them  their  near  redemption. 

What  have  we  to  expect  from  the  resurrection  of  Christ? 
That  our  bodies,  though  rotten  in  the  grave,  will  rise  again 
from  death.  {Rom.  viii.  11.)   For  if  Christ  our  head  is  alive,  then 
we  His  members  must  also  become  alive  again,  because  a  living 
head  cannot  be  unless  the  members  also  live. 

What  is  meant  by  the  Alleluia  sung  in  Easier  time? 
In  English  Alleluia  means,  Praise  the  Lord,  and  is  a  can- 
ticle of  joy  of  the  Church  at  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  and  the 
hope  of  eternal  happiness  which  He  has  obtained  for  us  by  it. 

Why  does  the  Church  on  this  day  bless  eggs,  bread,  and  meat? 

To  direct  the  faithful  that,  the  time  of  fasting  having  now 
ended,  they  are  not  to  give  themselves  up  to  unbounded  gluttony, 
but  should,  with  thanks  to  God,  use  their  food  simply  for  the 
necessary  preservation  of  physical  strength. 


272  INSTRUCTION  FOR  EASTER. 

At  the  Introit  the  Church  introduces  Christ,  her  Head,  as 
addressing  His  Heavenly  Father  in  these  words:  I  am  risen, 
and  am  as  yet  with  you.  Allel.:  thou  hast  stretched 
forth  thy  hand  to  me,  Allel.:  thy  knowledge  has  be- 
come wonderful,  Allel.  Allel.  (P$.  cxxxviii.)  Lord,  thou 
hast  tried  me,  and  known  me:  thou  hast  known  my  sitt- 
ing down  and  my  uprising.    Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  on  this  day, 
by  Thy  only  begotten  Son's  victory  over  death,  didst  open 
for  us  a  passage  to  eternity;  grant  that  our  prayers,  which 
Thy  preventing  grace  inspireth,  may  by  Thy  help  become 
effectual.  Thro'.  " 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  v.  7—8.)  Brethren:  Purge  out  the  old 
leaven,  that  you  may  be  a  new  paste,  as  you  are  unleavened. 
For  Christ,  our  pasch,  is  sacrificed.  Therefore  let  us  feast, 
not  with  the  old  leaven,  nor  with  the  leaven  of  malice  and 
wickedness,  but  with  the  unleavened  bread  of  sincerity  and 
truth. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  here  exhorts  us,  as  the  Jews  were 
on  this  day  commanded  to  eat  the  paschal  lamb  with  unleavened 
bread,  abstaining  on  these  days  from  the  old  leaven,  that  so  we 
should  at  this  time  sweep  away  the  old  leaven,  that  is,  the  sins 
previously  committed,  and  perhaps  not  yet  sufficiently  regretted 
or  even  confessed,  by  a  good  confession,  and  true  penance,  and 
should  partake  of  the  paschal  lamb,  which  is  Christ,  with  a  pure, 
sincere  heart,  in  holy  Communion. 

Often  during  the  octave  of  this  festival  say  with  the  Church : 
"Alleluia!  Praise  to  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good,  and  His  mercy 
endureth  forever.  Alleluia !  This  is  the  day  the  Lord  has  made, 
Alleluia!  Let  us  rejoice  in  it,  Alleluia!  Our  paschal  lamb  is  Christ 
who  sacrified  Himself  for  us,  Alleluia ! " 

GOSPEL.  [Mark.  xvi.  1—7.)  At  that  time:  Mary  Mag- 
dalen, and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  and  Salome,  bought 
sweet  spices,  that  coming  they  might  anoint  Jesus.  And  very 
early  in  the  morning  the  first  day  of  the  week,  they  came  to 
the  sepulchre,  the  sun  being  now  risen.  And  they  said  one  to 
another:  Who  shall  roll  us  back  the  stone  from  the  door  of 
the  sepulchre  ?  And  looking,  they  saw  the  stone  rolled  back. 
For  it  was  very  great.  And  entering  into  the  sepulchre,  they 
saw  a  young  man  sitting  on  the  right  side  clothed  with  a 
white  robe:  and  they  were  astonished.    Who  saith  to  them: 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  EASTER. 


Be  not  affrighted:  you  seek  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who  was  cru- 
cified: he  is  risen,  he  is  not  here,  behold  the  place  where 
they  laid  him.  But  go,  tell  his  disciples  and  Peter,  that  he 
goeth  before  you,  into  Galilee:  there  you  shall  see  him,  as 
he  told  you. 

Why  did  the  holy  women  intend  to  anoint  the  body  of  Jesus 
with  spices? 

Because  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Jews  to  anoint  the  bodies 
of  the  dead,  and  as  the  Sabbath  was  so  near  and  the  time  so  short 
that  they  could  not  do  it  before  the  burial,  these  pious  women 
procured  the  spices,  and  immediately  after  the  Sabbath  was  ended, 
they  hurried,  in  the  early  morning,  to  the  sepulchre,  to  perform 
this  service  of  love  for  Jesus.    We  are  taught  by  their  conduct, 


18 


274  INSTRUCTION  FOR  EASTER. 

that  true  love  is  never  indifferent  or  slow,  and  that  it  does  without 
hesitation  whatever  it  can  that  is  agreeable  to  (rod. 

Why  did  the  angel  send  the  women  to  the  disciples,  and  especially 

to  Peter? 
Because  the  disciples  were  the  ones  who  were  to  announce 
the  resurrection  of  Christ  to  the  whole  world,  and  they  were  now, 
because  of  His  death,  much  saddened  and  disturbed.  Peter  was 
the  head  of  the  apostles,  and  on  account  of  having  three  times 
denied  our  Lord,  he  was  greatly  dejected  and  faint  of  heart,  and 
was,  therefore,  above  all  to  be  comforted. 

What  encouragement  has  the  resurrection  of  Christ  for  us? 

It  encourages  us  to  rise  spiritually  with  Him,  and  live  hence- 
forth a  new  life  (Rom.  vi.  4.),  which  we  do  if  we  not  only  renounce 
sin,  but  also  fly  from  all  its  occasions,  lay  aside  our  bad  habits, 
subdue  our  corrupt  inclinations,  and  aim  after  virtue  and  heaven- 
ly things. 

ASPIRATION.  I  rejoice,  0  my  Jesus,  that  Thou  hast 
victoriously  risen  from  death.  Grant  us  by  the  triumph 
Thou  hast  obtained  over  death,  hell,  and  the  devil,  Jhe  grace 
to  subdue  our  evil  inclinations,  walk  in  a  new  life,  and  die 
no  more  in  sin.  Amen. 

I  MORAL  LESSON. 

T  is  certainly  true,  that  Christ  by  His  death  on  the  cross  and 
by  His  resurrection,  has  rendered  perfect  satisfaction,  and 
effected  man's  redemption  {Hebr.  ix.  12.);  but  we  must  be  careful 
not  to  fancy,  that  there  is  now  no  farther  need  of  our  doing  pe- 
nance, or  of  working  and  fighting  for  our  own  salvation.  For,  as 
the  children  of  Israel,  though  freed  from  Pharao's  bondage,  had  to 
gain  the  Promised  Land,  and  had  to  fight  long  and  against  many 
enemies,  so  also  must  we,  though  freed  by  Christ  from  the  devil's 
servitude,  still  fight  to  the  end  of  our  lives,  for  the  promised  hea- 
venly land,  with  God's  grace,  against  our  enemies :  the  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  devil.  For  no  one  is  crowned,  unless  he  has  properly 
fought,  (ii.  Tim.  ii.  5.)  We  must  partake  of  the  redemption  and 
satisfaction  of  Christ,  and  apply  it  to  ourselves,  by  the  constant 
imitation  of  Christ  and  His  virtues,  by  diligent  use  of  the  means 
of  grace  obtained  by  Him  and  offered  to  us,  by  patiently  bearing 
all  our  trials  and  sufferings,  and  by  a  penitent  life:  as  the  pious 
Angelus  Silesius  very  appropriately  writes : 

"God  is  a  lamb,  that  avails  you  not,  my  Christian, 

If  yo  i  become  not  also  a  lamb  of  God. 

The  cross  on  Golgatha  redeems  not  from  evil, 

If  it  is  not  also  erected  in  thee; 

The  dear  Christ's  death  aids  you  not,  my  Christian, 

Until  in  Him  and  for  Him  you  also  have  died." 


275 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  EASTER  MONDAY. 


N  the  Intro  it  of  this  day's  Mass,  the  Church 
compares  the  opening  of  the  entrance  into  hea- 
ven which  has  been  effected  by  the  death  and 
resurrection  of  Christ,  to  the  entrance  of  the 
chosen  people  of  Israel  into  the  Promised  Land, 
which  was  effected  by  Josua,  and  says:  The 
^>  Lord  hath  brought  you  into  a  land  flow- 
ing with  milk  and  honey.  Alleluia:  let  then  the  law 
of  the  Lord  be  ever  in  your  mouth,  Alleluia,  Alleluia. 
{Exod.  xiii.)  Praise  the  Lord,  and  call  upon  his  name: 
publish  his  works  among  the  Gentiles.  (Ps.  civ.)  Glory 
be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OP  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  the  mys- 
tery of  the  paschal  solemnity,  has  bestowed  remedies  on  the 
world;  continue,  we  beseech  Thee,  Thy  heavenly  blessings  on 
Thy  people,  that  they  may  deserve  to  obtain  perfect  liberty, 
and  advance  towards  eternal  life.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  (Actsx.  37  —  43.)  In  those  days:  Peter  standing 
up  in  the  midst  of  the  people  said :  You  know  the  word  that 
hath  been  published  through  all  Judea:  for  it  began  from 
Galilee  after  the  baptism  which  John  preached,  Jesus  of  Na- 
zareth: how  God  anointed  him  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
with  power,  who  went  about  doing  good,  and  healing  all  that 
were  oppressed  by  the  devil,  for  God  was  with  him.  And  we 
are  witnesses  of  all  things  that  he  did  in  the  land  of  the  Jews 
and  in  Jerusalem,  whom  they  killed  hanging  him  upon  a 
tree.  Him  God  raised  up  the  third  day,  and  gave  him  to  be 
made  manifest.  Not  to  all  the  people,  but  to  witnesses  pre- 
ordained by  God,  even  to  us,  who  did  eat  and  drink  with  him 
after  he  rose  again  from  the  dead.  And  he  commanded  us  to 
preach  to  the  people,  and  to  testify  that  it  is  he  who  was 
appointed  by  God  to  be  judge  of  the  living  and  of  the  dead. 
To  him  all  the  prophets  give  testimony,  that  through  his 
name  all  receive  remission  of  sins,  who  believe  in  him. 

INSTRUCTION.  St.  Peter  concludes  his  sermon  on  the  re- 
surrection writh  the  declaration,  that  all  who  believe  in  Christ, 
will  by  Him  receive  forgiveness  of  their  sins.  For  this  a  faith 
actuated  by  love  is  necessary,  which  will  manifest  itself  in  the 
exercise  of  good  works;  and  that  which  is  believed,  must  be 


18* 


276 


INSTRUCTION  FOE  EASTER  MONDAY. 


wrought  into  action.  Endeavor  to  have  this  faith  to  which  alone 
is  promised  forgiveness  of  sin  and  eternal  happiness. 


GOSPEL.  (Luke  xxiv.  13 — 35.)  At  that  time:  Two  of 
the  disciples  of  Jesus  went  the  same  day  to  a  town  which 
was  sixty  furlongs  from  Jerusalem,  named  Emmaus.  And 
they  talked  together  of  all  these  things  which  had  happened. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  that  while  they  talked  and  reasoned 
with  themselves,  Jesus  himself  also  drawing  near,  went  with 
them.  But  their  eyes  were  held  that  they  should  not  know 
him.  And  he  said  to  them:  What  are  these  discourses  that 
you  hold  one  with  another  as  you  walk,  and  are  sad?    And 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  EASTER  MONDAY.  277 

the  one  of  them  whose  name  was  Cleophas,  answering,  said 
to  him:  Art  thou  only  a  stranger  in  Jerusalem,  and  hast  not 
known  the  things  that  have  been  done  there  in  these  days? 
To  whom  he  said:  What  things'?  And  they  said:  Concerning 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who  was  a  prophet,  mighty  in  work  and 
word  before  God  and  all  the  people.  And  how  our  chief 
priests  and  princes  delivered  him  to  be  condemned  to  death, 
and  crucified  him.  But  we  hoped  that  it  was  he  that  should 
have  redeemed  Israel :  and  now  besides  all  this,  to-day  is  the 
third  day  since  these  things  were  done.  Yea  and  certain 
women  also  of  our  company,  affrighted  us,  who  before  it  was 
light,  were  at  the  sepulchre.  And  not  finding  his  body,  came, 
saying  that  they  had  also  seen  a  vision  of  angels,  who  say 
that  he  is  alive.  And  some  of  our  people  went  to  the  se- 
pulchre: and  found  it  so  as  the  women  had  said,  but  him 
they  found  not.  Then  he  said  to  them:  0  foolish,  and  slow 
of  heart  to  believe  in  all  things  which  the  prophets  have 
spoken.  Ought  not  Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things,  and 
so  to  enter  into  his  glory?  And  beginning  at  Moses  and  all 
the  prophets,  he  expounded  to  them  in  all  the  scriptures  the 
things  that  were  concerning  him.  And  they  drew  nigh  to  the 
town  whither  they  were  going:  and  he  made  as  though  he 
would  go  farther.  But  they  constrained  him,  saying:  Stay 
with  us,  because  it  is  towards  evening,  and  the  day  is  now 
far  spent.  And  he  went  in  with  them.  And  it  came  to  pass, 
whilst  he  was  at  table  with  them,  he  took  bread;  and  blessed 
and  brake,  and  gave  to  them.  And  their  eyes  were  opened, 
and  they  knew  him :  and  he  vanished  out  of  their  sight.  And 
they  said  one  to  the  other:  Was  not  our  heart  burning 
within  us,  whilst  he  spoke  in  the  way,  and  opened  to  us  the 
scriptures?  And  rising  up  the  same  hour  they  went  back  to 
Jerusalem :  and  they  found  the  eleven  gathered  together,  and 
those  that  were  with  them.  Saying,  the  Lord  is  risen  indeed, 
and  hath  appeared  to  Simon.  And  they  told  what  things 
were  clone  in  the  way :  and  how  they  knew  him  in  the  break- 
ing of  bread. 


278  INSTRUCTION  FOR  EASTER  MONDAY. 

Why  did  Christ  appear  as  a  stranger  to  these  tico  disciples? 

Christ  conformed  Himself  to  their  state  of  mind;  for  these 
disciples  yet  doubted  Christ,  and,  as  it  appears,  did  not  believe, 
that  He  was  also  God,  although  He  had  so  often  declared,  that 
He  was,  and  proved  it  beyond  contradiction ;  they  regarded  Him 
as  a  prophet  and  doubted  in  His  resurrection.  They  looked  at 
Him  up  to  this  time  only  with  their  outward  eyes,  not  with  the 
eyes  of  their  heart,  that  is,  with  faith  in  His  divinity,  and  there- 
fore the  Saviour  only  exhibited  Himself  externally,  and  did  not 
reveal  Himself  to  their  soul.  It  is  thus,  that  God  generally  pro- 
ceeds towards  us.  He  suits  His  graces  to  our  disposition;  as  our 
faith,  hope,  love,  and  fidelity  are  to  Him,  so  is  the  knowledge  of 
Him,  the  reception  of  His  graces,  and  their  advantage  to  us. 

Then  Christ  did  not  suffer  voluntarily,  but  by  compulsion,  since  He 
says:  Ought  not  Christ  to  hare  suffered? 
Christ  voluntarily  gave  Himself  up  to  death,  as  said  by  Isaias 
(liii.  7.) ;  but  though  He  voluntarily  gave  Himself  up  to  death,  He 
was  obliged  to  suffer,  that  the  decree  of  His  Father,  and  the  pro- 
phecies of  the  prophets  might  be  fulfilled ;  that  our  redemption 
which  required  the  price  of  His  death  upon  the  cross,  might  be 
effected ;  and  that  we  might  learn  from  His  example,  that  by  suf- 
fering we  enter  heaven. 

How  did  Christ  expound  the  Scriptures  to  these  disciples? 

It  is  probable,  that  He  showed  them  how  His  passion  and 
death  were  foretold  in  various  ways  and  prefigured,  as  for  instance, 
how  He  was  sold  in  the  innocent  Joseph ;  His  scourging  proto- 
typed in  Joseph's  bloody  coat ;  His  crowning  with  thorns  by  the 
ram  which  was  hung  by  the  horns  among  thorns;  how  He  carried 
His  cross  to  Mount  Calvary  in  Isaac,  loaded  with  the  wood  on 
which  He  was  to  be  sacrificed ;  deprived  of  His  clothes  and  derided 
in  His  nakedness,  as  Noah  by  his  children ;  how  His  crucifixion 
was  prefigured  by  the  serpent  Moses  set  up  in  the  wilderness ; 
how  the  animals  prepared  for  sacrifice  in  the  Old  Testament,  and 
especially  the  paschal  lamb,  were  types  of  Him,  who,  like  them, 
was  killed  and  sacrificed  without  His  bones  being  broken,  on  the 
cross;  and,  finally,  how  Jonas  who  was  three  days  in  the  whale 
and  then  came  forth  again,  imaged  Christ's  death  and  burial.  He 
showed  them,  also,  how  clearly  David  and  Isaias  foretold  and 
described  His  passion. 

Why  did  Jesus  appear  to  be  going  farther  ? 
To  give  them  occasion  to  show  their  love  for  Him,  a  stranger, 
whom  they  did  pot  as  yet  regard  as  God ;  and  also  to  give  them 
opportunity  to  do  a  work  of  charity,  for  it  is  pleasing  to  God  for 
us  to  hospitably  invite  and  entertain  strangers.  Thus  did  Abra- 
ham and  Lot  entertain  angels  in  the  form  of  strangers,  and  saints 
in  the  New  Testament  Christ  Himself. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TUESDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 


279 


How  did  the  disciples  recognize  Him  in  the  breaking  of  bread? 
Because,  as  the  holy  fathers  believe,  He  gave  them  then  His 
sacred  body  as  He  had  to  the  apostles  at  the  Last  Supper,  as 
these  disciples  had  probably  heard  described. 

What  else  have  ive  especially  to  learn  in  this  gospel? 
That  when  we  have  received  Christ  at  Easter,  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  we  should  beg  Him  to  stay  with  us  for  that  the  even- 
ing of  our  life  is  drawing  nearer  and  nearer. 

PETITION.  Remain  with  us,  Lord  Jesus,  by  virtue  and 
through  the  effects  of  Thy  Blessed  Sacrament ;  for  behold,  the 
evening  of  our  life,  death,  is  drawing  nearer  and  nearer,  that 
we,  who,  like  the  disciples  going  to  Emmaus,  are  in  need  of 
constancy  and  understanding,  may  have  our  faith  strength- 
ened by  Thy  most  holy  body,  become  fixed  in  hope,  and  so 
united  in  love  with  Thee  that  nothing  can  ever  again  sepa- 
rate us  from  Thee.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TUESDAY 
AFTER  EASTER. 


He  Church  continues  to  praise  and  thank  God 
for  the  redemption,  and  sings  at  the  Introit : 
He  hath  given  them  the  water  of  wis- 
dom to  drink,  Alleluia:  this  wisdom 
shall  be  strengthened  in  them,  and 
shall  not  be  moved,  Alleluia:  it  shall 
^  raise  them  up  for  ever,  Alleluia,  Al- 
leluia. (Eccl.  xv.  3.)  Praise  the  Lord,  and  call  upon  his 
name:  declare  his  deeds  among  the  Gentiles.  (Ps.  civ.) 
Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  a  new  in- 
crease doest  continually  enlarge  Thy  Church:  grant  that  Thy 
servants  may  manifest  in  their  lives  the  sacrament  they  have 
received  with  faith.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  (Acts  xiii.  26—33.)  In  those  days:  Paul  stand- 
ing up,  and  with  his  hand  bespeaking  silence,  said:  My 
brethren,  children  of  the  stock  of  Abraham,  and  whosoever 
among  you  fear  God,  to  you  the  word  of  this  salvation  is 
sent.  For  they  that  inhabited  Jerusalem,  and  the  rulers 
thereof,  not  knowing  him,  nor  the  voices  of  the  prophets 


280  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TUESDAY  AFTER  EASTER 

which  are  read  every  Sabbath,  judging  him  have  fulfilled 
them,  and  finding  no  cause  of  death  in  him,  they  desired  of 
Pilate,  that  they  might  kill  him.  And  when  they  had  ful- 
filled all  things  that  were  written  of  him,  taking  him  down 
from  the  tree,  they  laid  him  in  a  sepulchre.  But  God  raised 
him  up  from  the  dead  the  third  day:  who  was  seen  for  many 
days  by  them  who  came  up  with  him  from  Galilee  to  Jeru- 
salem, who  to  this  present  are  his  witnesses  to  the  people. 
And  we  declare  unto  you  that  the  promise  which  was  made 
to  our  fathers,  this  same  God  hath  fulfilled  to  our  children, 
raising  up  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

Why  do  the  apostles  speak  in  nearly  all  their  sermons,  of  the 
resurrection  ? 

Because  Christ's  resurrection  is  the  foundation  of  our  faith 
and  the  anchor  of  our  hope;  for,  as  St.  Paul  says  elsewhere:  If 
Christ  be  not  risen  again,  your  faith  is  vain,  for  you 
are  yet  in  your  sins.  (i.  Cor. xv.  17.)  Why?  Because  Christ  is, 
then,  not  the  Son  of  God,  and  our  faith  is  therefore  but  human; 
because  without  the  resurrection,  Christ  would  not  have  perfectly 
conquered  death,  and  therefore  sin,  which  is  the  cause  of  death, 
would  not  have  been  taken  away  by  Him;  because  but  for  the  re- 
surrection we  could  not  look  for  the  glorious  treasures,  that  is, 
the  justification  and  resurrection  for  eternal  life,  which  we  lost 
by  sin.  Christ,  therefore,  permitted  His  apostles  and  disciples  to 
doubt  His  resurrection  until,  by  His  frequent  appearance  among 
them,  they  could  with  their  own  eyes  become  convinced  of  it,  and 
there  would  thus  be  no  appearance  of  their  having  been  over  cre- 
dulous, suffering  themselves  to  be  deceived. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  xxiv.  36 — 47.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  stood 
in  the  midst  of  his  disciples,  and  said  to  them:  Peace  be  to 
you;  it  is  I,  fear  not.  But  they  being  troubled  and  frighted, 
supposed  they  saw  a  spirit.  And  he  said  to  them:  Why  are 
you  troubled,  and  why  do  thoughts  arise  in  your  hearts'? 
See  my  hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I  myself;  handle  me 
and  see:  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  you  see  me 
to  have.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  shewed  them  his 
hands  and  his  feet.  But  while  they  yet  believed  not  and 
wondered  for  joy,  he  said:  Have  you  here  anything  to  eat? 
And  they  offered  him  a  piece  of  broiled  fish,  and  a  honey 
comb.  And  when  he  had  eaten  before  them,  taking  the  re- 
mains he  gave  to  them.  And  he  said  to  them :  These  are  the 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TUESDAY  AFTER  EASTER.      281 

words  which  I  have  spoken  to  you  whilst  I  was  yet  with  you, 
that  all  things  must  needs  be  fulfilled,  which  are  written  in 
the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the  prophets,  and  in  the  psalms, 
concerning  me.  Then  he  opened  their  understandings  that 
they  might  understand  the  scriptures.  And  he  said  to  them: 
Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and 
to  rise  again  from  the  dead  the  third  day :  and  that  penance 
and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  unto 
all  nations. 

Why  did  Christ  wish  peace  to  His  apostles? 
Because  peace  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  blessings ;  for  where 
peace  is,  there  is  God,  who,  as  St.  Paul  says,  is  a  God  of  peace. 
Peace  is  a  special  mark  of  the  children  of  God,  while  the  sinners, 
on  the  contrary,  know  no  peace. 

Why  did  Christ  show  the  signs  of  His  icounds  to  the  apostles  ? 

To  remove  from  them  all  doubt  of  His  resurrection,  and  to 
strengthen  their  faith  in  Him.  Therefore  He  permitted  them  to 
touch  Him,  eat  with  them,  and  similar  things.— Let  us  learn  from 
this  how  our  resurrection  from  death  must  be  attended ;  for  the 
bodily  resurrection  of  Christ  must  be  the  model  of  our  spiritual 
resurrection.  Like  Christ  we  must  show  signs  of  our  spiritual  life, 
by  living  deeds,  which  will  be  done  by  loving  God  and  our  neigh- 
bor, by  hatred  and  avoidance  of  sin,  and  occasions  of  evil,  by 
suppressing  bad  habits,  and  by  the  exercise  of  good  works. 

Why  did  Christ  retain  the  Five  Wounds  even  after  His  resurrection  ? 
To  show  that  He  had  after  His  resurrection  the  same  body 
which  in  His  passion  received  the  Five  Wounds ;  to  manifest  His 
exceedingly  great  love  for  us,  by  which  He  has,  so  to  speak, 
written  us  on  His  hands  and  feet,  and  in  His  heart,  (lis  xlix.  16.) 
To  move  us  to  return  love  to  Him ;  to  encourage  us  to  hope  and 
trust  in  Him,  because  on  account  of  those  wounds  we  can  have  all 
hope,  as  they  are  the  most  powerful  intercessors  with  the  Heaven- 
ly Father;  to  strengthen  us  by  these  wounds  in  our  contest  with 
the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil;  to  console  the  oppressed, 
distressed,  and  tempted,  and  to  prepare  them  a  place  of  refuge  in 
their  afflictions  and  temptations ;  to  terrify  impenitent  sinners  to 
whom  He  will  one  day  exhibit  these  wounds,  showing  how  much 
He  has  suffered  for  them  in  which  they,  by  their  own  fault,  have 
not  participated.  -  Let  us  strive,  therefore,  to  live  so  piously  that 
these  wounds  may  be  our  consolation,  and  not  our  terror. 

ASPIRATION.  Grant,  o  most  bountiful  Jesus,  that  the 
most  precious  blood  which  flowed  from  Thy  wounds,  may  not 
be  lost  for  me. 


282 

DOCTRINAL  INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  SCRIP- 
TURES, TRADITION,  AND  THE  INFALLIBILITY  OF 
THE  CHURCH. 

I  What  are  the  holy  Scriptures  or  the  Bible? 

T  is  a  collection  of  books,  containing  much  that  has  been  re- 
vealed by  God  to  man  at  different  times  since  the  beginning  of 
the  world,  and  has  been  written  down  by  various  holy  writers, 
not  according  to  human  will  or  understanding,  but  by  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  consists  of  two  parts,  of  which  the  first  is 
called  the  Old,  and  the  second  part  the  New  Testament.  The  Old 
Testament  contains  the  writings  that  were  written  by  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost  before  the  coming  of  Christ,  the  New 
Testament  that  which  was  written  after  the  coming  of  Christ. 

Does  the  holy  Bible  contain  the  whole  word  of  God? 
By  no  means;  for  in  the  first  place  the  Scriptures  th  mselves 
say,  that  several  books  are  lost,  as,  for  example,  the  Book  of  the 
Battles  of  the  Lord  {Num.  xxi.  14.),  the  Book  of  the  Just  {Jos.  x.  13.), 
the  Prophecies  of  several  Prophets  (ii.  Paral.xxxiii.  19.),  one  Epistle 
of  St.  Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  (i.  Cor.  v.  9.)  With  these  books  were 
certainly  lost  revealed  truths  not  contained  in  the  other  books. 
Therefore  according  to  the  testimony  of  the  Bible  itself,  the  whole 
word  of  God  is  not  contained  in  it.  Texts  from  the  New  Testa- 
ment also  testify  to  this.  Thus,  after  he  had  given  the  necessary 
directions  concerning  the  celebration  of  the  holy  Eucharist,  St. 
Paul  says  (i.  Cor.  xi.  34.),  that  he  would  arrange  the  rest  when 
he  would  be  at  Corinth,  but  his  orders  are  nowhere  written.  In 
several  texts  of  his  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians  (ii.  Thess.  ii.  14.), 
and  to  Timothy  (i.  Tim.  vi.  20.,  ii.  Tim.  i.  13.),  he  speaks  of  tra- 
ditions and  of  speeches  which  he  made,  wholesome  words  which 
he  preached,  which  also  are  not  found  written  down ;  and  finally, 
he  writes  to  Timothy  these  memorable  words:  And  the  things 
which  thou  hast  heard  from  me  before  many  witnesses, 
the  same  commend  to  faithful  men,  who  shall  be  fit  to 
teach  others  also  (ii.  Tim.  ii.  2.);  but  where  these  entrusted 
teachings  are  written,  is  not  known.  St.  John  writes  at  the  end  of 
his  gospel,  that  he  had  not  written  down  all  that  Jesus  did ;  and 
St.  Luke  says  {Acts  i.  3.),  that  after  His  resurrection  Jesus  spoke 
to  His  apostles  concerning  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  what  He 
said,  the  saint  does  not  write.  The  important  instructions  which 
Christ,  after  His  resurrection,  gave  to  His  apostles  are  entirely 
lacking.  How,  then,  can  the  holy  Scriptures  contain  the  whole 
word  of  God?  The  apostles  had  neither  the  idea,  nor  the  intention 
of  producing  a  complete  collection  of  the  doctrines  of  Christ;  Jesus 
did  not  command  them  to  write,  but  to  preach,  and  the  gospel 
had  been  announced  and  brought  forth  glorious  fruits  in  three 
parts  of  the  world,  before  a  word  of  it  had  ever  been  written. 


DOCTRINAL  INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  SCRIPTURES,  &c.     283 

(Horn,  x.)  The  writings  of  the  New  Testament  owe  their  existence 
to  heresies  which  sprung  up,  or  to  doubts  which  arose,  or  to 
other  external  circumstances,  and  are  therefore  only  occasional 
writings,  but  not  a  complete  collection  of  the  entire  teachings  of 
Christ,  as  the  Scriptures,  as  we  have  seen,  themselves  acknow- 
ledge. 

Where  are  the  doctrines  of  Christ  which  are  not  contained  in 
Scripture,  to  be  found? 

They  are  to  be  found  in  hereditary  teachings,  that  is,  in  oral 
traditions  containing  that  which  Jesus  taught,  or  the  apostles,  in- 
spired by  the  Holy  Ghost,  preached,  did  not  write,  but  entrusted 
by  word  of  mouth  to  their  successors,  as  we  see  from  St.  Paul's 
words:  What  you  have  heard  from  me  before  many  wit- 
nesses, the  same  commend  to  faithful  men,  who  shall 
be  fit  to  teach  others  also,  and  the  same  thing  is  clear  from 
the  testimony  of  the  earliest  fathers  of  the  Church.  Thus  St. 
Ignatius  (f  A.  D.  107)  enjoins  to  the  faithful  the  keeping  of  the  apo- 
stolic traditions ;  St.  Clement  (f  A.  D.  101),  assistant  of  St.  Paul, 
relates  that  he  was  often  entreated  by  the  brethren  to  write  down 
that  which  he  had  heard  from  the  priests  who  succeeded  the 
apostles;  St.  Basil  states:  "The  doctrines  of  faith  taught  in  the 
Church  have  come  to  us  partly  from  the  writings  of  the  apostles, 
partly  from  the  sacredness  of  oral  tradition;  they  are  equally 
important,  and  every  one  is  subject  to  them ;"  and  St.  Chrysostom 
says:  "The  apostles  did  not  write  all;  they  have  left  us  much  by 
tradition,  which  deserves  the  same  faith  as  their  writings."  (in  ii. 
Thess.  c.  2.)  The  Church,  therefore,  justly  appeals  to  tradition  as 
to  the  Bible,  in  reference  to  her  dogmas  and  moral  teachings,  and 
she  must  appeal  to  it,  because  Christ  commissioned  her  to  teach 
all  nations  all  whatsoever  He  had  commanded,  and  has  said  that 
heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  His  word  shall  not  pas 
away.  (Matt.  xxiv.  35.,  xxviii.  20.)  But  since  the  Scriptures  do 
not  contain  all  the  words,  the  entire  doctrine  of  Christ,  how  could 
the  Church  fulfil  her  commission  if  that  which  is  missing  in  the 
Scriptures,  was  not  confided  to  her  by  tradition?  When  the  Pro- 
testants throw  away  tradition,  and  allow  only  the  Bible  for  their 
rule  of  faith,  they  are  decidedly  in  error,  even  contradict  them- 
selves, for  they  observe  various  regulations  made  by  the  apostles, 
whichare  not  in  the  Bible.  Thus  they  with  the  Catholics,  observe 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  Sunday;  baptize  infants,  teach  that  the 
Sacrament  of  Baptism  cannot  be  repeated,  eat  from  the  blood,  &c, 
of  which  nothing  is  said  for  or  against  in  the  Bible ;  whence  then 
do  they  learn  that  this  is  allowable?  From  nowhere  else  than 
from  the  tradition  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  yet  they  reject 
tradition !  How  well  founded  and  in  accordance  with  truth  is,  on 
the  contrary,  the  teaching  of  the  Catholic  Church ! 


284        DOCTRINAL  INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  SCRIPTURES, 

Is  the  Bible  or  tradition  the  greater  authority  in  the  Catholic 

Church  ? 
They  have  equal  authority  in  the  Catholic  Church,  for  each 
contains  the  word  of  God,  as  the  Council  of  Trent  declares  in 
these  words :  "All  books,  of  the  Old  as  well  as  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, because  God  is  the  sole  author  of  each,  as  also  the  tradi- 
tions in  regard  to  dogma  and  moral  teachings  which  are  either 
taught  orally  by  Christ  Himself,  or  are  inspired  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  have  been  preserved  in  the  Catholic  Church,  the  holy 
Synod  accepts  and  reveres  with  equal  honor  and  reverence  .... 
but  whosoever  does  not  accept  these  books,  or  does  voluntarily 
despise  these  traditions,  let  him  be  anathema."  (Sess.  iv.  de 
script,  can.) 

Does  not  tradition,  as  the  Church's  adversaries  assert,  contain 
human  teachings  invented  by  the  pope  ? 

This  assertion  is  a  calumny;  for  only  that  which  the  apostles 
heard  from  Jesus,  or  received  by  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  did  not  write  down,  but  passed  by  word  of  mouth  to  their 
successors,  is  tradition,  and  only  this  does  the  Church  receive  as 
such,  according  to  the  rule:  "That  which  always,  everywhere,  and 
by  all  true  Catholics  has  been  believed,  is  true  tradition." 

Is  not  the  Bible  so  clear,  that  any  one  can  understand  it? 
No ;  for  then  it  would  not  have  been  necessary  for  Christ  to 
explain  the  Scriptures  to  His  disciples,  as  this  day  s  gospel  states 
that  He  did,  and  it  follows  from  this,  that  it  is  not  every  one  who 
of  his  own  judgment  can  understand  and  explain  the  Bible.  That 
the  Bible  is  not  so  plainly  written  that  any  one  can  understand 
it,  is  asserted,  for  instance,  by  St.  Peter  of  St.  Paul's  epistles 
(ii.  Peer.  iii.  16.)  when  writing  to  the  Christians  of  Asia  Minor: 
Understanding  this  first,  that  no  prophecy  of  the  Scrip- 
tures is  made  by  private  interpretation;  and  the  eunuch 
of  Queen  Candace  answered  to  the  Apostle  Philip's  question,  if 
he  understood  what  he  was  reading  in  the  Scriptures:  How  can 
I,  unless  some  one  show  me?  (Aces  viii.  31.)  If  the  Bible 
was  intelligible  to  all,  there  would  not  be  so  many  quarrels  about 
matters  of  faith,  and  such  innumerable  sects  among  the  heretics, 
who  all  appeal  to  the  Bible,  and  with  the  Bible  in  their  hands 
condemn  and  calumniate  each  other.  The  holy  Bible  inspired  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  can  only  be  understood  and  explained  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  Himself,  or  with  His  assistance  by  those  to  whom  He 
is  promised  and  given  for  this  purpose,.  But  it  is  not  every  one  to 
whom  the  Holy  Ghost  is  promised  for  the  understanding  and  ex- 
plaining of  the  Bible,  as  St.  Paul  testifies  (i.  Cor.  xii.  8.) ;  and  not 
every  one  is  able  to  read  the  Scriptures  in  their  original  language, 
and  to  discern  whether  the  translations  are  correct  or  false,  whe- 
ther they  are  truly  by  the  authors  claimed  for  them,  and  if  they 
really  contain  the  word  of  God  or  not,  &c.  From  this  it  is  evident, 


TRADITION,  AND  THE  INFALLIBILITY  OF  THE  CHURCH.  285 

that  God  who  wishes  that  all  men  should  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  truth  and  be  saved  (i.  Tim.  ii.  4.),  in  things  that  belong  to  faith 
and  morals,  has  appointed  another  basis  besides  the  Scriptures 
on  which  all  who  aim  after  true  knowledge,  can  securely  build. 

What  is  this  basis? 
It  is  the  infallible  ministry  of  the  Catholic  Church,  consisting 
of  the  pope,  the  successor  of  St.  Peter  and  visible  head  of  the 
Church,  and  of  the  bishops  and  priests,  the  successors  of  the 
apostles,  which,  relying  upon  the  pure,  apostolic  traditions,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  Christ  and  of  His  Holy  Spirit  which  He  has 
promised  to  that  ministry,  is  to  decide  upon  and  expound  the 
true  meaning  of  Scripture  in  matters  of  faith  and  morals.  This 
holy  ministry  cannot  err,  for  Jesus  will  be  always  with  it,  and 
His  Holy  Spirit  remains  with  it  to  the  end  of  the  world.  {Matt. 
xxviii.  19,  20.;  John  xiv.  16,  26.;  xvi.  13.)  To  this  ministry  all  the 
fathers  refer  as  to  the  true  and  only  guide  of  faith.  Therefore  all 
who  do  not  wish  to  be  driven  about  with  every  wind  of 
doctrine  by  the  wickedness  of  men,  by  cunning  crafti- 
ness  by  which  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive  (Eph.  iv.  14.), 
must  obey  this  ministry  which  cannot  be  deceived;  all  who  wish 
to  enter  the  true  fold  of  Jesus,  His  Church,  or  if  belonging  to  it 
already,  wish  to  rest  secure  from  all  error,  must  obey  this  mini- 
stry, for  it  is  the  pillar  and  ground  of  truth  (i.  Tim.  iii.  15.);  and 
that  no  one  might  look  upon  the  word  of  God  heard  from  these 
lawful  ministers,  as  upon  human  teachings,  but  receive  it  as 
Christ's,  the  Redeemer  gave  it  such  authority  that  He  said:  Who 
hearethyou,  hearethme;  who  despiseth  you,  despiseth 
me.  (Catech.  Horn,  in  praef.  Luke  x.  16.) 

How,  therefore,  should  the  Catholic  answer  the  objectiotis  which  are 

frequently  made  by  unbelievers  against  the  holy  Mass,  the  veneration 

of  the  saints,  purgatory,  #c.  ? 

He  should  answer:  "I  believe  these  and  similar  matters,  be- 
cause God  has  revealed  them,  and  that  He  has  revealed  them,  I 
believe,  because  it  is  proposed  to  be  believed  by  the  teacher,  the 
Church,  which  is  the  pillar  and  ground  of  truth,  governed  by 
Jesus  and  His  Holy  Spirit,  and  therefore  cannot  err. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY 

AFTER  EASTER, 

called  DOMINICA  IN  ALRIS. 


B 


Why  is  this  Sunday  called  Dominica  in  Albis  or  Sunday 

in  white? 
Ecause  on  this  day  the  neophytes  laid  aside  the  white  dress 
which,  as  emblem  of  their  innocence,  they  received  on  Holy 


286  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 

Saturday,  and  put  on  their  necks  an  Agnus  Dei,  or  Lamb  of 
God,  made  of  white  wax,  and  blessed  by  the  pope,  to  remind  them 
always  of  the  innocence  they  were  given,  and  of  the  meekness  of 
the  Lamb  Jesus.  For  which  reason  the  Church  sings  at  the  In- 
trOit:  As  new  born  babes,  Alleluia,  desire  the  rational 
milk  without  guile,  Alleluia,  Alleluia.  (I  Petr.  ii.  2.)  Re- 
joice to  God  our  helper:  sing  aloud  to  the  God  of  Jacob. 
(Ps.  lxxx.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  0 
Almighty  God,  that  we,  who  have  celebrated  the  solemnity 
of  Easter,  may,  by  the  assistance  of  Thy  divine  grace,  ever 
make  the  effects  thereof  manifest  in  our  lives  and  actions. 
Thro1. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  John  v.  4— 10.)  Dearly  beloved:  What- 
soever is  born  of  God,  overcometh  the  world:  and  this  is  the 
victory  which  overcometh  the  world,  our  faith.  Who  is  he 
that  overcometh  the  world,  but  he  that  believeth  that  Jesus 
is  the  Son  of  God  ?  This  is  he  that  came  by  water  and  blood 
Jesus  Christ :  not  by  water  only,  but  by  water  and  blood. 
And  it  is  the  spirit  which  testifieth,  that  Christ  is  the  truth. 
And  there  are  three  who  give  testimony  in  heaven,  the  Fa- 
ther, the  Word,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  these  three  are 
one.  And  there  are  three  that  give  testimony  on  earth:  the 
spirit,  the  water,  and  the  blood,  and  these  three  are  one.  If 
we  receive  the  testimony  of  men,  the-  testimony  of  God  is 
greater.  For  this  is  the  testimony  of  God  which  is  greater, 
because  he  hath  testified  of  his  Son.  He  that  believeth  in  the 
Son  of  God,  hath  the  testimony  of  God  in  himself. 

INSTRUC  TION.  As  in  his  gospel,  so  in  his  epistles,  and  es- 
pecially in  this,  St.  John  proves  the  divinity  of  Christ  which  had 
been  denied  by  some  heretics.  He  says  that  Christ  had  come  to 
purify  all  men  from  sin  by  water  and  blood,  that  is,  by  His  blood 
shed  on  the  cross  for  our  reconciliation,  and  by  the  water  of 
baptism  to  which  He  has  given  the  power,  the  divine  effect  of  His 
blood,  and  has  thus  proved  Himself  the  divine  Redeemer.  This 
His  divine  dignity  is  attested  by  the  Holy  Ghost  who  lived  in 
Christ  and  worked  through  Him  with  His  fulness,  and  when  sent 
by  Him  after  our  Lord's  death,  produced  most  wonderful  effect  in 
the  apostles  and  the  faithful.  As' now  on  earth  three,  the  Spirit, 
water,  and  blood,  give  testimony  of  Christ's  divinity  and  agree  in 
it,  so  also  in  heaven  three,  the  Father,  who  calls  Him  His  be- 
loved Son  {Matt.  iii.  17".),  the  Word,  or  the  Son  Himself,  who 
wrought  so  many  miracles,  the  Holy  Ghost,  when  He  descended 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER.    287 

upon  Him  at  the  baptism  in  the  Jordan  (Luke  iii.  22.),  give  testi- 
mony of  His  divinity,  and  these  also  agree  with  one  another  in 
their  testimony.  If  Christ  is  truly  (jfod,  then  we  must  believe  in 
Him,  and  this  faith  must  be  a  living  one,  that  is,  it  must  prove 
fertile  in  living  good  works,  and  this  faith  conquers  the  world  by 
teaching  us  to  love  God  above  all,  to  despise  the  world  with  its 
pleasures,  and  to  overcome  it  by  indifference  to  it.  Let  us  strive 
to  have  such  faith,  and  we  shall  overcome  all  temptations  and 
gain  the  eternal  crown. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Lord  Jesus !  strengthen  me  by  a  lively 
faith  in  Thy  divinity,  so  that  I  may  not  succumb  in  the  spi- 
ritual combat  against  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil, 
and  be  thus  eternally  lost. 

GOSPEL.  (John  xx.  19 — 31.)  At  that  time:  When  it  was 
late  that  same  day,  being  the  first  day  of  the  week,  and  the 
doors  were  shut,  where  the  disciples  were  gathered  together 
for  fear  of  the  Jews,  Jesus  came  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and 
said  to  them:  Peace  be  to  you.  And  when  he  had  said  this, 
he  shewed  them  his  hands  and  his  side.  The  disciples  there- 
fore were  glad  when  they  saw  the  Lord.  He  said  therefore 
to  them  again :  Peace  be  to  you.  .  As  the  Father  hath  sent 
me,  I  also  send  you.  When  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed  on 
them;  and  he  said  to  them:  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost: 
whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them:  and 
whose  sins  you  shall  retain,  they  are  retained.  Now  Thomas, 
one  of  the  twelve,  who  is  called  Didymus,  was  not  with  them 
when  Jesus  came.  The  other  disciples  therefore  said  to  him: 
We  have  seen  the  Lord.  But  he  said  to  them:  Except  I  shall 
see  in  his  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into 
the  place  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  hands  into  his  side,  I  will 
not  believe.  And  after  eight  days,  again  his  disciples  were 
within,  and  Thomas  with  them.  Jesus  cometh,  the  doors 
being  shut,  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  said :  Peace  be  to 
you.  Then  he  said  to  Thomas :  Put  in  thy  fingers  hither,  and 
see  my  hands,  and  bring  hither  thy  hand,  and  put  it  into 
my  side;  and  be  not  faithless,  but  believing.  Thomas  an- 
swered, and  said  to  him:  My  Lord  and  my  God!  Jesus  saith 
to  him :  Because  thou  hast  seen  me,  Thomas,  thou  hast  be- 


288  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER, 


lieved:  blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  have  be- 
lieved. *)  Many  other  signs  also  did  Jesus  in  the  sight  of  his 
disciples,  which  are  not  written  in  this  book.  But  these  are 
written  that  you  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God:  and  that  believing  you  may  have  life  in  his  name. 
Why  does  Christ  so  often  wish  peace  to  the  apostles? 
To  show  that  He  only,  by  His  death  and  resurrection,  has 
made  peace  between  God  and  man,  and  that  His  own  should  be 
known  by  their  harmony.  {John  xiii.  35.)  There  is  a  threefold 
peace :  peace  with  God,  with  ourselves,  and  with  our  fellowmen. 
Christ  has  obtained  us  the  peace  with  God,  and  we  preserve  it 

*)  What  follows,  is  omitted  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Thomas,  21st  of  December. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER.  289 

by  not  offending  God,  or,  if  we  have  sinned,  by  at  once  becoming 
reconciled  to  Him  by  penance.  A  good  conscience  gives  us  peace 
with  ourselves,  and  love  which  bears  all  and  forgives  every  of- 
fence, peace  with  our  fellowmen.  This  threefold  love  is  necessary 
for  our  salvation. 

Why  did  Jesus  breathe  upon  the  apostles  when  giving  them  the 
power  to  forgive  sin  ? 

To  show  that,  as  bodily  life  was  once  given  to  Adam  by  the 
breath  of  God,  so  should  the  spiritual  life,  the  sanctifying  grace, 
be  henceforth  given  by  the  apostles  and  their  successors  through 
the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  to  the  children  of 
Adam  who  had,  as  it  were,  died  of  sin. 

Why  did  God  permit,  that  Thomas  should  not  believe  in  Christ's 

resurrection? 
That  Thomas  as  well  as  we,  as  St.  Gregory  says,  should  be 
strengthened  in  the  humble  belief  in  the  resurrection  of  Christ, 
and  that  all  doubts  should  be  removed. 

Had  Thomas  true  faith  when  with  his  own  eyes  he  saw  Christ? 
Yes,  for  he  saw  Christ  only  in  His  humanity,  and  yet  testified 
to  His  divinity  by  exclaiming:  My  Lord  and  my  God! 

Is  it  true,  meritorious  faith  to  be  not  ready  to  believe  before  seeing 
that  which  is  to  be  believed? 
By  no  means ;  for  faith  exists  precisely  in  this :  to  firmly  hold 
as  true  that  which  is  not  seen.  Therefore  Christ  calls  him  blessed 
who  has  not  seen  and  yet  believes. 

When  is  faith  true  and  meritorious? 

That  is  true  faith  which  holds  as  immovably  sure  all  that  God 
has  revealed,  whether  written  or  unwritten,  and  when  life  is  in 
accordance  with  faith;  for  faith  in  Jesus  simply  does  not  save 
us,  when  that  which  He  has  commanded,  is  not  performed.  {Matt. 
vii.  21.;  James  ii.  19.)  That  faith  is  meritorious  which  without 
doubting  and  without  hesitation  willingly  submits  the  understand- 
ing to  revealed  truths  which  it  cannot  comprehend,  and  this  for 
the  love  of  God,  who  is  eternal  truth  and  cannot  deceive. 

Whence  do  we  know  for  certain,  that  God  has  revealed  certain  things? 
From  the  Church  of  Christ  which  alone  preserves  the  revealed 
word  of  God,  faithfully  and  uncorrupted,  as  it  is  contained  in  the 
Bible  and  in  tradition ;  which  is  introduced  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
all  truth,  and  is  governed  by  Christ  who  remains  with  her  until 
the  end  of  the  world.  {Matt,  xviii.  20.) 

Can  we  not  attain  to  the  possession  of  revealed  truth  or  to  true 
faith  by  searching  the  Scriptures,  or  reading  the  Bible? 
No ;  for  Christ  wrote  nothing,  nor  did  He  commission  His  dis- 
ciples to  write;  He  nowhere  commanded  us  to  search  the  Scrip- 


19 


290         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 

tures  for  faith  in  His  doctrine,  but  rather  to  hear  His  apostles 
and  their  successors  (Lukex.  16.) ;  according  to  St.  Paul  (Rom.  x.  17.) 
true  faith  comes  not  by  reading,  but  by  hearing;  the  apostles 
did  not  anywhere  institute  writers,  but  everywhere  teachers  of 
the  word  of  God  (Eph.  iv.  11.:  i.  Cor.  xii.  28.);  and  not  every  man, 
as  St.  Paul  says,  has  the  gift  of  explaining  (i.  Cor.  xii.  8 — 10.);  not 
all  men  can  read,  and  even  if  they  can  read,  they  have  not  the 
necessary  knowledge  for  searching  and  understanding  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  so  all  those  who  could  not  read,  would  be  excluded 
from  the  knowledge  of  truth  and  from  salvation;  it  is  not  every 
one  who  can  tell  if  the  Bible  which  he  is  reading,  is  genuine  or 
corrupted,  for  lies  can  be  written  and  printed ;  all  who  search  the 
Scriptures  do  not  come  to  one  and  the  same  true  faith,  and,"  ac- 
cording to  the  apostle,  there  can  be  but  one  faith;  but  by  the 
free  searching  of  the  Bible,  there  have  risen  and  are  arising  among 
the  heretics  thousands  of  sects,  all  claiming  to  find  their  faith  in 
the  Bible;  the  true  doctrine  of  Jesus  and  faith  in  it,  is  always,  as 
in  the  times  of  the  apostles,  propagated  by  oral  teaching  and 
preaching,  not  by  reading  and  distributing  the  Bible;  Christ  did 
not  say:  Whosoever  reads  not  the  Bible,  but:  whosoever 
hears  not  the  Church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen 
and  the  publican.  (Matt,  xviii.  17.)  We,  therefore,  can  find 
true  faith  only  through  the  Church  in  which  (as  shown  elsewhere) 
Christ  has  instituted  an  infallible  ministry,  and  commanded  all 
men  to  hear  it. 

Which  is  the  true  Church  of  Jesus? 
That  one  only  which  bears  all  the  marks  of  His  true  Church. 

What  are  these  marks? 
According  to  the  universal  profession  of  faith,  the  true  Church 
must  be  one,  holy,  apostolic,  and  catholic  or  universal. 

In  what  must  she  be  one? 

In  doctrine,  in  this  that  in  all  places  the  same  doctrines  of 
faith  and  morals  are  preached,  and  in  all  nations  the  same  articles 
of  faith  held;  in  the  Sacraments,  in  their  number  as  well  as  in 
their  constitution;  in  her  head,  as  well  in  the  invisible,  Christ, 
our  Lord,  as  in  the  visible  head,  the  lawful  successor  of  St.  Peter 
in  the  Roman  chair.  (Matt.  xvi.  18.;  Eph.  iv.  3—7.) 

In  what  is  she  holy? 

In  Christ,  her  Head ;  in  her  divine  constitution  and  organi- 
sation^ in  her  doctrine  and  in  the  proper  use  of  the  Sacraments, 
which  lead  to  sanctity;  in  her  members  who  receive  the  grace  of" 
sanctity,  the  grace  of  baptism,  and  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  and  who 
put  on  Christ;  and  in  the  proper  celebration  of  the  holy  Sacri- 
fice which  shall  be  offered  over  the  whole  earth.  (Eph.  v.  26.; 
Mai.  i.  11.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER.  291 

In  what  is  she  apostolic? 

Ill  her  doctrine  which  must  come  from  Christ  and  the  apost- 
les, and  agree  with  theirs  in  all  times,  and  her  ministers  who  by 
a  valid  ordination  must  follow  in  an  unbroken  succession  from 
the  apostles.  (Eph.  ii.  20.;  Acts  xiv.  22.;  Hebr.  v.  4.) 
In  what  is  she  catholic  or  universal? 

Iii  this  that  she  must  live  and  be  announced  to  the  whole 
world  (John  x.  16.);  must  have  existed  uninterruptedly  from  the 
times  of  the  apostles;  all  men  must  belong  to  her  who  wish  to  be 
saved  (Matt,  xxviii.  19 — 20.);  and  she  must  in  all  times  and  in  all 
places  teach  all  that  Christ  commanded  His  apostles  to  believe, 
to  preach,  and  to  perform.  (Matt,  xxviii.) 

Which  is  this  trite  Church? 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church,  for  she  alone  has  these  marks. 
She  is  one  in  her  head,  the  Pope  of  Rome,  in  her  doctrine,  and  in 
her  Sacraments,  which  is  especially  manifested  in  this,  that  she 
excludes  all  those  who  do  not  accept  without  exception  her  dog- 
mas. She  is  holy,  for  holy  is  her  founder  Christ;  and  her  doc- 
trines and  Sacraments  lead  to  sanctity  as  shown  by  the  multitude 
of  her  saints  whose  sanctity  God  affirms  by  great  miracles;  no 
sect  has  saints.  She  is  apostolic,  for  she  accepts  no  doctrine 
which  does  not  come  from  the  apostles,  and  she  can  prove,  that 
the  ministers  of  the  Church,  the  bishops,  have  come  down  in  un- 
broken succession.  She  is  catholic  or  universal,  for  she  has 
been  in  existence  always  from  the  times  of  the  apostles,  as  is 
clearly  shown  by  this,  that  from  the  times  of  the  apostles  there 
have  always  been  some  who  separated  from  her  and  founded 
sects ;  the  stem  must  exist  before  the  branches  which  grow  from 
it,  and  the  Catholic  Church  must  therefore  have  always  existed, 
and  cannot  have  perished  or  become  corrupt,  since  Christ  has 
promised  to  remain  with  her  to  the  end  of  the  world;  she  is  also 
spread  over  the  whole  world,  is  always  being  announced  to  all 
nations,  and  is  fitted  for  all  generations  and  for  all  peoples. 

Can  those  who  remain  outside  the  Catholic  Church,  be  sared? 

The  Council  of  Trent  (Sess.  V.  in  the  Introduction)  assigns  the 
Catholic  faith  as  the  one  without  which  it  is  impossible  to  please 
God,  and  the  Roman  Catechism  teaches  (part.  art.  9.):  "The 
Church  is  also  called  Catholic,  because  all  who  wish  to  be  saved, 
must  belong  to  her,  as  at  the  time  of  the  deluge  all  perished  who 
were  outside  the  ark."  According  to  this  doctrine  oi  the  Church, 
which  the  holy  fathers  affirm,  only  those  idolaters  and  obstinate 
heretics  who  knowingly  deny  the  truth  and  despise  it,  and  will 
not  enter  the  Church,  are  excluded  from  salvation.  The  Catholic 
Church  does  not  condemn  the  unbelievers,  she  prays  for  them, 
leaves  judgment  to  the  Lord,  who  alone  knows  the  heart,  and 
knows  whether  the  error  is  culpable  or  not,  and  she  calls  on  all 
her  members  to  pray  for  their  enlightenment. 


19s1 


292        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 

Are  we  then  already  saved,  if  we  belong  to  the  true  Church? 

No,  we  must  also  live  up  to  the  faith  she  teaches,  make  di- 
ligent use  of  all  means  of  salvation,  and  regard  and  honor  all  her 
regulations  and  commands,  for  otherwise  it  will  come  true  of  us, 
as  said  by  Christ:  And  I  say  unto  you,  that  many  shall 
come  from  the  East  and  the  West,  and  shall  sit  down 
with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven;  but  the  children  of  the  kingdom  (the  true  Church) 
shall  be  cast  out  into  exterior  darkness.  {Matt.  viii.  11.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY 
AFTEE  EASTER 

Ecause  of  the  joyous  resurrection  of  Christ,  and 
the  graces  flowing  to  us  on  account  of  it,  the 
Church  sings  at  the  Introit  of  Mass:  The 
earth  is  full  of  the  mercy  of  the  Lord, 
Alleluia,  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  the 
heavens  were  established,  Alleluia,  Al- 
leluia. Rejoice  in  the  Lord  0  ye  just: 
praise  becometh  the  upright.  (Ps.  xxxii.)  Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  by  the  hu- 
miliation of  Thy  Son,  hast  raised  up  the  fallen  world:  grant 
to  Thy  people  perpetual  joy:  that  They  whom  thou  hast  de- 
livered from  the  danger  of  everlasting  death,  may  arrive  at 
eternal  happiness.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Peter  ii.  21  —  25.)  Dearly  beloved:  Christ 
also  suffered  for  us,  leaving  you  an  example  that  you  should 
follow  his  steps.  Who  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in 
his  mouth.  Who  when  he  was  reviled,  did  not  revile :  when 
he  suffered,  he  threatened  not :  but  delivered  himself  to  him 
that  judged  him  unjustly:  who  his  own  self  bore  our  sins  in 
his  body  upon  the  tree:  that  we  being  dead  to  sins,  should 
live  to  justice :  by  whose  stripes  you  were  healed.  For  you 
were  as  sheep  going  astray:  but  you  are  now  converted  to 
the  shepherd  and  bishop  of  your  souls. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  teaches  the  Christians  patience  in 
misery  and  afflictions,  even  in  unjust  persecution,  and  for  this 
purpose  places  before  them  the  example  of  Christ  who  though 
most  innocent,  suffered  most  terribly  and  so  patiently.  Are  we 
true  sheep  of  the  good  shepherd  if  at  the  smallest  cross,  at  every 
word,  we  become  so  angry  and  impatient? 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 


293 


ASPIRATION.  0  Lord  Jesus!  grant  me  the  grace  to  fol- 
low Thee,  my  good  Shepherd,  and  not  to  complain  and  make 
threats  whenever  I  am  reprimanded,  reviled,  or  for  justice's 
sake  am  persecuted. 


GOSPEL.  (JoJm  x.  11  — 16.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
the  Pharisees :  I  am  the  good  shepherd.  The  good  shepherd 
giveth  his  life  for  his  sheep.  But  the  hireling  and  he  that  is 
not  the  shepherd,  whose  own  the  sheep  are  not,  seeth  the 
wolf  coming  and  leaveth  the  sheep,  and  flieth,  and  the  wolf 
catcheth,  and  scattereth  the  sheep :  and  the.  hireling  flieth, 
because  he  is  a  hireling;  and  he  hath  no  care  for  the  sheep. 


294   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 

I  am  the  good  shepherd:  and  I  know  mine,  and  mine  know 

me,  as  the  Father  knoweth  me,  and  I  know  the  Father :  and 

I  lay  down  my  life  for  my  sheep.     And  other  sheep  I  have, 

that  are  not  of  this  fold :  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they 

shall  hear  my  voice,  and  there  shall  be  one  fold,  and  one 

shepherd. 

In  what  way  has  Christ  proved  Himself  a  good  shepherd? 

In  this  that  He  sacrificed  His  life  for  those  who  did  not  yet 
love  Him,  and  could  not  reward  Him,  even  for  His  enemies 
{John  iv.  30.;  Horn.  v.  8.),  and  has  besides  given  Himself  to  them 
for  their  food. 

How  are  tee  to  know  if  we  are  among  the  sheep  of  Christ,  that  is, 

His  chosen  ones? 

By  this  if  we  willingly  listen  to  the  voice  of  the  shepherd  in 
sermons  and  instructions,  in  spiritual  books  and  conversations, 
are  obedient  to  it,  and  especially  give  ear  and  follow  the  rules  of 
the  Church  through  which  the  good  Shepherd  speaks  to  us  {Luke 
x.  16.),  "for  he,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "who  has  not  the  Church 
for  his  mother,  will  not  have  God  for  his  father;"  if  we  gladly 
receive  the  food  of  the  good  Shepherd,  that  is,  His  sacred  body 
and  blood  in  holy  Communion;  if  we  are  patient  and  meek  as  a 
lamb,  freely  forgiving  our  enemies;  if  we  love  all  men  from  our 
heart,  do  only  good  to  them,  and  seek  to  bring  them  to  Jesus. 

Who  are  the  other  sheep  of  Christ? 

The  gentiles  who  were  not  of  the  fold  of  Israel,  whom  Christ 
sought  to  bring  by  His  disciples,  and  now  by  their  successors, 
into  His  fold.— Among  these  sheep  we  also,  through  our  ancestors, 
belonged.  0  how  grateful  we  should  be  to  God,  that  He  has 
brought  us  into  the  fold  of  His  Church,  and  how  diligently  we 
should  conduct  ourselves  as  good  sheep ! 

When  will  there  be  but  one  fold  and  one  shepherd? 

When  by  the  Church's  prayers  and  by  her  missionaries  all 
nations  shall  be  converted  to  the  only  saving  Church,  constitut- 
ing then  one  Church  under  one  head.  Let  us  pray  that  this  may 
soon  come  to  pass. 

PRAYER.  0  Lord  Jesus !  Thou  good  Shepherd  who  on 
the  cross  didst  give  Thy  life  for  Thy  sheep,  grant  us,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  by  Thy  death,  the  grace  to  bear  upon  ourselves 
all  the  signs  of  Thy  lambs,  that  we  may  be  one  day  numb- 
ered among  Thy  chosen  ones  in  heaven. 


295 

DOCTRINE  OF  HOPE. 
1  give  my  life  for  my  sheep.  {John  x.  15.) 

-^w^-  What  has  Christ  won  for  us  by  His  death? 

I   He  remission  of  our  sins,  the  grace  to  lead  a  godpleasing 
I     life,  and  eternal  happiness,  for  which  we  now  firmly  hope, 
with  secure  confidence  may  now  expect,  and  most  assuredly  will 
obtain,  if  we  do  not  ourselves  let  it  go. 

In  what  does  eternal  happiness  consist? 
In  the  clear  vision  of  God,  which  includes  the  most  perfect 
love  of  Him,  by  which  those  who  are  saved,  become,  as  it  were, 
one  with  Him,  possessing  in  this  union  everything  that  they  could 
possibly  desire. 

What  are  the  necessary  means  of  obtaining  eternal  happiness? 
The  grace  of  God,  that  is,  His  continual  assistance;  the 
practice  of  the  three  divine  virtues:  faith,  hope,  and  love;  the 
keeping  of  God's  commandments;  the  frequent  use  of  the  holy 
Sacraments,  and  constant  prayer.  These  means  must  be  diligently 
employed,'  for  "God  who,"  as  St.  Augustine  says,  "created  us 
without  us,  will  not  save  us  without  us,"  that  is,  without  our 
cooperation. 

What  may  especially  enable  us  to  hope  for  eternal  happiness? 

The  infinite  mercy  and  goodness  of  God,  who  from  all 
eternity  has  loved  us  more  than  an  earthly  mother,  and  because 
of  this  love  did  not  even  spare  His  only  begotten  Son,  but  gave 
Him  up,  for  our  sake,  to  the  bitterest  death.  Will  He  then  aeny 
us  heaven,  who  in  giving  us  His  Son,  has  given  us  more  than 
heaven  itself?  The  fidelity  of  God:  He  has  so  often  promised 
us  eternal  happiness,  and  in  so  many  texts  of  Scripture  so  clearly 
explained,  that  He  wishes  us  to  be  saved,  that  He  must  keep  His 
promise,  for  He  is  eternal  truth  and  cannot  possible  lie  or  de- 
ceive. (Hebr.  vi.  18.)  He  says  not  yes  to-day,  and  no  to-morrow, 
there  is  no  change  in  Him,  nor  shadow  of  alteration. 
{Jamesi.  17.)  The  omnipotence  of  God,  who  can  do  all  that 
He  pleases,  whom  no  one  can  oppose  or  prevent  from  doing  what 
He  will ;  if  now  we  have  confidence  in  a  rich  and  honest  man  who 
assures  us,  he  will  assist  us  in  need,  how  much  more  should  we 
hope  in  the  best,  most  faithful,  and  all  powerful  God! 

When  should  we  make  acts  of  hope? 

As  soon  as  we  come  to  the  use  of  reason  and  are  sufficiently 
instructed  concerning  this  virtue  and  its  motives;  in  time  of 
trouble  or  of  severe  temptation  against  this  virtue ;  when  receiv- 
ing the  holy  Sacraments ;  every  day  in  the  morning  or  evening, 
and  especially  at  the  hour  of  death. 

The  same  things  are  to  be  observed  in  making  acts  of  faith  and 
of  love. 


2% 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY 
AFTER  EASTEE. 


He  Church  continues  to  encourage  us  in  joy 
because  of  Christ's  resurrection,  and  sings  at 
the  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass :  Shout  with 
joy  to  God  all  the  earth,  Al'eluia:  Sing 
ye  a  psalm  to  his  name,  Alleluia.  Give 
glory  to  his  praise.  Allel.  Allel.  Allel. 
(Ps.  lxv.)    Say  unto  God:   How  terrible 

are  thy  works,  OLord!  Thy  great  power  shall  convict 

thy  enemies  of  a  lie.    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  shewest  the 
light  of  Thy  truth  to  such  as  go  astray,  that  they  may  return 
to  the  way  of  righteousness:  grant  that  all,  who  profess  the 
Christian  name,  may  forsake  whatever  is  contrary  to  that 
profession,  and  closely  pursue  what  is  agreeable  to  it.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Peter  ii.  11  —  19.)  Dearly  beloved:  I  beseech 
you  as  strangers  and  pilgrims  to  refrain  yourselves  from 
carnal  desires,  which  war  against  the  soul,  having  your  con- 
versation good  among  the  Gentiles :  that  whereas  they  speak 
against  you  as  evil  doers,  they  may,  by  the  good  works  which 
they  shall  behold  in  you,  glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation. 
Be  ye  subject  therefore  to  every  human  creature  for  God's 
sake:  whether  it  be  to  kings  as  excelling:  or  to  governors  as 
sent  by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil  doers,  and  for  the 
praise  of  the  good :  for  so  is  the  will  of  God,  that  by  doing 
well  you  may  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men :  as 
free,  and  not  as  making  liberty  a  cloak  for  malice,  but  as 
the  servants  of  God.  Honor  all  men:  love  the  brotherhood: 
fear  God:  honor  the  king.  Servants,  be  subject  to  your  mas- 
ters with  all  fear,  not  only  to  the  good  and  gentle,  but  also 
to  the  froward.  For  this  is  thanks-worthy  in  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Peter  here  urges  the  Christians  to 
regard  themselves  as  strangers  and  pilgrims  upon  this  earth, 
looking  upon  temporal  goods  only  as  borrowed  things,  to  which 
(hey  should  not  attach  their  hearts,  for  death  will  soon  deprive 
them  of  all.  He  then  admonishes  them  as  Christians  to  live  in  a 
Christian  manner,  to  edify  and  lead  to  truth  the  gentiles  who 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER.  297 

hated  and  calumniated  them.  This  should  be  especially  taken  to 
heart  by  those  Catholics  who  live  among  people  of  a  different 
religion;  for  they  can  edify  them  by  the  faithful  and  diligent  prac- 
tice of  their  holy  religion,  and  by  a  pure,  moral  life  lead  them  to 
the  truth ;  while  by  lukewarmness  and  an  immoral  life,  they  will 
only  strengthen  them  in  their  error,  and  thus  injure  the  Church. 
St.  Peter  also  requires  the  Christians,  because  it  is  God's  will 
(Ro?n.  xiii.  1.),  who  has  Himself  instituted  it,  to  obey  the  lawful 
authority,  and,  therefore,  to  pay  all  duties  and  taxes  faithfully. 
Christ  paid  the  customary  tribute  for  Himself  and  Peter  (Matt. 
xvii.  26.),  and  St.  Paul  expressly  commands,  that  toll  and  taxes 
should  be  paid  to  whomsoever  they  are  due.  (Bom.  xiii.  7.)  St.  Peter 
finally  advises  servants  to  obey  their  masters  whether  these  are 
good  or  bad,  and  by  so  doing  be  agreeable  to  God  who  will  one 
day  reward  them  for  it. 

ASPIRATION.  Grant  me  the  grace,  0  Jesus!  to  consider 
myself,  as  long  as  I  live,  as  a  pilgrim  and  as  such  to  use  all 
temporal  goods.  Give  me  patience  in  adversities,  and  so 
strengthen  me,  that  I  may  willingly  obey  the  lawful  autho- 
rity, though  its  laws  and  regulations  should  come  hard  and 
its  tribute  press  upon  me. 

GOSPEL,  (John  xvi.  16 — 22.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples :  A  little  while ,  and  now  you  shall  not  see 
me:  and  again  a  little  while,  and  you  shall  see  me:  because 
I  go  to  the  Father.  Then  some  of  his  disciples  said  one  to 
another:  What  is  this  that  he  saith  to  us:  A  little  while,  and 
you  shall  not  see  me:  and  again  a  little  while,  and  you  shall 
see  me,  and,  because  I  go  to  the  Father?  They  said  there- 
fore: What  is  this  that  he  saith:  A  little  while1?  we  know 
not  what  he  speaketh.  And  Jesus  knew  that  they  had  a  mind 
to  ask  him;  and  he  said  to  them:  Of  this  do  you  inquire 
among  yourselves,  because  I  said:  A  little  while,  and  you 
shall  not  see  me:  and  again  a  little  while  and  you  shall  see 
me.  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you,  that  you  shall  lament  and 
weep,  but  the  world  shall  rejoice:  and  you  shall  be  made 
sorrowful,  but  your  sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy.  A  wo- 
man, when  she  is  in  labour,  hath  sorrow,  because  her  hour 
is  come:  but  when  she  hath  brought  forth  the  child,  she 
remembereth  no  more  the  anguish,  for  joy  that  a  man  is 
born  into  the  world.     So  also  you  now  indeed  have  sorrow, 


298         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 


little  while  and  you 
while  and  you  shall 


but  1  will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice;  and 

your  joy  no  man  shall  take  from  you. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  Christ's  word:  A 
shall  not  see  me;  and  again  a  little 

see  me? 
St.  Chrysostom  applies  these  words,  which  Christ  spoke  to  His 
apostles  a  few  hours  before  His  passion,  to  the  time  between  the 
death  of  Jesus  and  His  resurrection ;  but  St.  Augustine  to  the 
time  between  the  resurrection  and  the  ascension,  and  then  to  the 
Last  Judgment  at  the  end  of  the  world,  and  he  adds :  "This  little 
while  seems  long  to  us  living,  but  ended,  we  feel  how  short  it  is." 
In  affliction  we  should  console  ourselves  by  reflecting,  how  soon 
it  will  end,  and  that  it  cannot  be  compared  with  the  future  glory, 
that  is  ever  awaiting  in  heaven  him  who  patiently  endures. 


CONSOLATION  IN  TRIALS  AND  ADVERSITIES.  299 

Why  did  our  Saviour  tell  His  disciples  of  their  future  joys  and 

sufferinys  ? 
That  they  might  the  more  easily  bear  the  sufferings  that  were 
to  come,  because  we  can  be  prepared  for  sufferings  we  know  are 
coming ;  because  they  knew  that  their  sufferings  were  only  slight 
and  momentary  in  comparison  with  the  everlasting  joy  which 
awaited  them;  like  the  pains  of  a  woman  in  giving  birth  to  a 
child,  which  are  great  indeed,  but  short,  and  soon  forgotten  by 
the  mother  in  joy  at  the  birth  of  the  child.  "  Tell  me,"  says  St. 
Chrysostom,  "if  you  were  elected  king  but  were  obliged  to  spend 
the  night  preceding  your  entrance  into  your  capital  city,  where 
you  were  to  be  crowned,  with  much  discomfort  in  a  stable,  would 
you  not  joyfully  endure  it  in  the  expectation  of  your  kingdom  ? 
And  why  should  not  we  in  this  valley  of  tears  live  willingly 
through  adversities,  in  expectation  of  one  day  obtaining  the  king- 
dom of  heaven? 

PETITION.  Enlighten  me,  0  Holy  Spirit!  that  I  may  re- 
alize that  this  present  life  and  all  its  hardships  are  but  slight 
and  momentary,  and  strengthen  me  to  patiently  endure  the 
adversities  of  life  in  the  hope  of  future  heavenly  joys. 

CONSOLATION  IN  TRIALS  AND  ADVERSITIES. 
You  shall  weep  and  lament.  (./o/m  xvi.  20.) 

THat  Christian  is  most  foolish  who  fancies,  that  the  happiness 
of  this  world  consists  in  honors,  wealth,  and  pleasures,  while 
Christ,  the  eternal  Truth,  teaches  the  contrary,  promising  eternal 
happiness  to  the  poor  and  oppressed,  and  announcing  eternal  af- 
fliction and  lamenting  to  those  rich  ones  who  have  their  comfort 
in  this  world.  How  much,  then,  are  those  to  be  pitied  who  as 
Christians  believe,  and  yet  live  as  if  these  truths  were  not  for 
them,  and  who  think  only  how  they  can  spend  their  days  in  luxury, 
hoping  at  the  same  time  to  go  to  heaven  where  all  the  saints, 
even  Christ  the  Son  of  God  Himself,  have  entered  only  by  crosses 
and  sufferings. 

PRAYER  IN  TRIBULATION.  0  best  Jesus!  who  hast 
revealed,  that  we  can  enter  heaven  only  by  many  tribulations 
(Acts  xiv.  21.),  hast  called  them  blessed  who  in  this  world 
are  sad,  oppressed,  and  persecuted,  but  patiently  suffer,  and 
will  therefore  be  consoled  and  rejoiced,  and  who  hast  also 
taught  us ,  that  without  the  will  of  Thy  Heavenly  Father, 
not  the  slightest  evil  is  done,  not  one  hair  of  our  head  can 
be  bent  (Luke  xxi.  13.):  I  firmly  believe,  that  I  shall  become 
the  more  happy  the  more  I  am  persecuted  and  oppressed,  if 
I  only  patiently  suffer.     I  therefore  submit  entirely  to  Thy 


300        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 

divine  will,  for  I  know  that  even  though  all  hell,  with  its 
adherents,  should  rise  against  me,  it  could  do  me  not  the 
slightest  injury  without  Thy  permission. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  EASTER. 

THe  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass  is  a  canticle  of  praise  and 
thanks:  Sing  to  the  Lord  a  new  canticle,  Allel.,  be- 
cause the  Lord  hath  done  wonderful  things,  Alleluia:  he 
hath  revealed  his  justice  in  the  sight  of  the  Gentiles, 
Allel.  Allel.  Allel.  His  right  hand  and  his  holy  arm  hath 
saved  us.  (Ps.  xcvii.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  makest  the 
faithful  to  be  of  one  mind :  grant  that  Thy  people  may  love 
what  Thou  commandest,  and  desire  what  Thou  promisest : 
that,  amidst  the  uncertainties  of  this  world,  we  may  place 
our  affections  where  there  are  true  joys.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE.  (James  i.  17—21.)  Dearly  beloved:  Every  best 
gift,  and  every  perfect  gift,  is  from  above,  coming  down  from 
the  Father  of  lights,  with  whom  there  is  no  change,  nor 
shadow  of  alteration.  For  of  his  own  will  hath  he  begotten 
us  by  the  word  of  truth,  that  we  might  be  some  beginning 
of  his  creatures.  You  know,  my  dearest  brethren.  And  let 
every  man  be  swift  to  hear,  but  slow  to  speak,  and  slow  to 
anger.  For  the  anger  of  man  worketh  not  the  justice  of  God. 
Wherefore  casting  away  all  uncleanness,  and  abundance  of 
naughtiness,  with  meekness  receive  the  ingrafted  word,  which 
is  able  to  save  your  souls. 

INSTRUCTION.  Of  all  the  gifts  that  come  from  God,  the 
most  excellent  is,  that,  by  the  word  of  truth,  the  gospel,  with  His 
means  of  grace,  especially  by  the  regeneration  in  baptism ,  He 
has  made  us  His  children,  thus  raising  us  to  be  the  first  of  all 
creatures,  that  is,  to  a  dignity  far  above  them.  How  great  is  this 
honor,  and  how  earnestly  we  should  strive  to  keep  it!  What 
makes  this  end  easier  than  willingly  to  hear  the  word  of  truth, 
the  gospel,  when  preached  to  us  in  sermons  ?  The  admonition  of 
the  apostle  to  be  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak,  and  slow  to  anger, 
contains  true  wisdom,  for:  In  the,  multitude  of  words  there 
shall  not  want  sin,  but  he  that  refraineth  his  lips,  is 
most  wise  (Prop.  x.  19.);  and  God,  therefore,  gave  us  two  ears 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 


301 


and  but  one  tongue,  that  we  might  hear  more  than  we  speak,-and 
not  so  easily  become  angry,  which  often  comes  from  much  speaking. 

ASPIRATION.  Aid  me,  0  Lord,  to  preserve  the  dignity 
received  in  baptism,  grant  me  a  great  love  for  Thy  divine 
word,  and  strengthen  me  to  subdue  my  tongue  and  to  use 
it  only  for  Thy  glory. 


GOSPEL.  (Johnxvi.  5  —  14.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
his  disciples:  I  go  to  him  that  sent  me,  and  none  of  you 
asketh  me:  Whither  goest  thou?  But  because  I  have  spoken 
these  things  to  you,  sorrow  hath  filled  your  heart.  But  I  tell 
you  the  truth :  it  is  expedient  to  you  that  I  go :  for  if  I  go 


302        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 

not,  the  Paraclete  will  not  come  to  you :  but  if  I  go,  I  will 
send  him  to  you.  And  when  he  is  come,  he  will  convince  the 
world  of  sin,  and  of  justice,  and  of  judgment.  Of  sin:  because 
they  believed  not  in  me.  And  of  justice :  because  I  go  to  the 
Father;  and  you  shall  see  me  no  longer.  And  of  judgment: 
because  the  prince  of  this  world  is  already  judged.  I  have 
yet  many  things  to  say  to  you :  but  you  cannot  bear  them 
now.  But  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he  will  teach 
you  all  truth.  For  he  shall  not  speak  of  himself;  but  what 
things  soever  he  shall  hear,  he  shall  speak:  and  the  things 
that  are  to  come,  he  shall  shew  you.  He  shall  glorify  me : 
because  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  shew  it  you. 

INSTRUCTION.  As  the  disciples  in  their  grief  at  Christ's 
going  to  His  passion  and  death,  after  the  accomplishment  of  which 
He  returned  to  His  Father,  never  once  asked  Him:  "Whither  goest 
Thou?"  so  many  Christians,  because  of  their  attachment  to  this 
world  and  its  pleasures,  never  ask  themselves:  "Where  am  I 
going,  whither  leads  my  way  ?  By  my  sinful  life  I  am  perhaps 
going  towards  hell,  or  will  my  little  fervor  for  the  right,  my  luke- 
warm prayers  take  me  to  heaven?  Ask  yourself  in  all  earnest- 
ness, my  Christian,  whither  leads  the  way  you  are  going?  Is  it 
not  the  right  path?  then  turn  back  and  follow  Jesus  who  only  by 
the  cross  and  suffering  entered  heaven. 

Why  could  not  the  disciples  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  until  Christ  had 
ascended  into  hear eti? 

Because  they  were  attached  to  their  Master,  Christ,  as  children 
to  their  mother,  with  too  sensual  a  love,  and  because  Christ  was 
first  to  return  in  His  humanity  to  God,  before  God,  the  Holy 
Ghost,  could  abide  in  man  in  the  fulness  of  grace.  If  therefore 
the.  human  love  of  the  apostles  obstructed  the  reception  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  how  can  the  Holy  Ghost  dwell  in  men  of  carnal  sense, 
inflamed  with  impure  love  ? 

How  will  the  Holy  Ghost  convince  the  world  of  sin,  of  justice, 
and  of  judgment? 

He  will  convince  the  world,  that  is,  the  Jews  and  gentiles,  of 
sin,  by  showing  them  through  the  preaching,  the  sanctity  and  the 
miracles  of  the  apostles  as  well  as  by  gradual  inward  enlighten- 
ment, the  grievous  sins  which  they  have  committed  by  their  in- 
fidelity and  their  vices;  of  justice,  by  unveiling  their  false  jus- 
tice, showing  them  that  only  Christ  whom  they  unjustly  rejected, 
is  just  and  the  fountain  of  justice;  of  judgment,  by  causing 
them  to  see  themselves  condemned  in  their  prince  and  head,  the 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 


303 


devil,  whom  they  in  their  malice  served,  and  who  is  now  driven 
by  the  apostles  in  the  name  of  Jesus  from  idols  and  from  the 
bodies  of  men,  and  whose  kingdom  is  destroyed. 

Why  did  not  Christ  tell  His  apostles  all  He  had  to  tell  them? 

Because  they  could  not  yet  comprehend  its  sublimity;  because 
they  were  still  too  weak,  and  too  much  attached  to  Jewish  cus- 
toms, and  because  they  were  also  depressed;  He  therefore  pro- 
mised them  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  would  fit  them  for  it  by  His  en- 
lightenment, and  would  teach  all  to  them. 

How  does  the  Holy  Ghost  teach  all  truth  ? 
By  guiding  the  Church,  that  is,  its  infallible  administration,  by 
His  light,  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  necessary  for  the  salvation 
of  souls,  preserving  it  from  error ;  and  by  leading  those  members 
of  the  Church  who  seekHis  light  and  place  no  obstacle  in  its  way, 
ever  further  on  in  the  necessary  knowledge  of  truth. 

What  is  meant  by:  He  shall  not  speak  of  himself,  but  what 
things  soever  he  shall  hear,  he  shall  speak? 

By  this  is  meant,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  will  tell  us  only  that 
which  He  has  heard  from  all  eternity  from  the  Father  and  Son ; 
His  teaching  will,  therefore,  perfectly  agree  with  Christ's  teach- 
ings, and  not  be  contrary  to  them,  for  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeds 
from  the  Father  and  Son  and  is  equal  God  with  them,  and  that 
which  He  teaches,  is  also  their  doctrine,  which  is  expressed  in  the 
words:  He  shall  receive  of  mine. 

ASPIRATION.  Ah,  my  Lord  and  my  God!  direct  my  feet 
in  the  way  of  Thy  commandments  and  preserve  my  heart 
pure  from  sin,  that  Thy  Holy  Spirit  may  find  nothing  de- 
serving reproach  in  me,  that  He  may  teach  me  all  truth,  and 
lead  me  to  Thee,  the  eternal  Truth,  in  heaven.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY 

AFTER  EASTEE. 


se.  (Ps.  lxv.) 


N  thanks  for  the  redemption  the  Church  sings 
at  the  Introit:  With  the  voice  of  joy 
make  this  to  be  heard.  Alleluia.  Publish 
to  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  earth:  that 
the  Lord  hath  redeemed  his  people. 
Alleluia,  Alleluia.  (Jsai  xlviii.  20.)  Shout 
with  joy  to.  God,  all  the  earth:  sing  a 
psalm  to  his  name:  give  glory  to  his 
Glory,  &c. 


304         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  from  whom  all  that 
is  good  proceeds:  grant  that  Thy  people,  by  Thy  inspiration, 
may  resolve  on  what  is  right,  and  by  Thy  direction,  put  it 
in  practice.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE.  (James  i.  22 —  27.)  Dearly  beloved:  Be  ye  doers 
of  the  word,  and  not  hearers  only,  deceiving  your  own  selves. 
For  if  a  man  be  a  hearer  of  the  word  and  not  a  doer;  he 
shall  be  compared  to  a  man  beholding  his  own  countenance 
in  a  glass.  For  he  beheld  himself  and  went  his  way,  and  pre- 
sently forgot  what  manner  of  man  he  was.  But  he  that  hath 
looked  into  the  perfect  law  of  liberty,  and  hath  continued 
therein,  not  becoming  a  forgetful  hearer,  but  a  doer  of  the 
work :  this  man  shall  be  blessed  in  his  deed.  And  if  any  man 
think  himself  religious,  not  bridling  his  tongue,  but  deceiv- 
ing his  own  heart,  this  man's  religion  is  vain.  Religion  clean 
and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father,  is  this :  to  visit  the 
fatherless  and  the  widows  in  their  tribulation:  and  to  keep 
one's  self  unspotted  from  the  world. 

EXPLANATION.  True  piety,  as  St.  James  here  says,  con- 
sists in  fulfilling  the  divine  will  heard  and  recognized ;  in  subduing 
the  tongue,  the  most  dangerous  and  injurious  of  all  our  members; 
in  love  and  charity  towards  the  poor  and  destitute,  and  in  con- 
tempt of  the  world,  against  the  false  principles,  foolish  customs, 
and  scandalous  examples  of  which  we  should  guard,  that  we  may 
not  become  infected  and  polluted  by  them.  Test  thyself,  whether 
thy  life  be  of  this  kind. 

ASPIRATION.  0  Jesus!  Director  of  the  soul!  Give  me 
the  grace  of  true  piety  as  St.  James  describes  its  practice. 

GOSPEL.  (John  xvi.  23 — 30.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples:  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you:  if  you  ask  the 
Father  any  thing  in  my  name,  he  will  give  it  you.  Hitherto 
you  have  not  asked  any  thing  in  my  name.  Ask  and  you 
shall  receive;  that  your  joy  may  be  full.  These  things  I  have 
spoken  to  you  in  proverbs.  The  hour  cometh  when  I  will  no 
more  speak  to  you  in  proverbs,  but  will  shew  you  plainly  of 
the  Father.  In  that  day  you  shall  ask  in  my  name :  and  I 
say  not  to  you,  that  I  will  ask  the  Father  for  you.  For  the 
Father  himself  loveth  you,  because  you  have  loved  me,  and 
have  believed  that  I  came  out  from  God.  I  came  forth  from 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 


305 


the  Father,  and  am  come  into  the  world:  again  I  leave  the 
world,  and  go  to  the  Father.  His  disciples  say  to  him:  Be- 
hold, now  thou  speakest  plainly,  and  speakest  no  proverb. 
Now  we  know  that  thou  knowest  all  things,  and  thou  need- 
est  not  that  any  man  should  ask  thee.  By  this  we  believe 
that  thou  earnest  forth  from  God. 

Why  does  God  wish  us  to  make  requests  of  Him  ? 
That  we  may  recognize  and  confess,  that  all  good  comes  from 
Him ;  that  we  may  acknowledge  our  poverty  and  weakness  which 
in  all  things  need  the  help  of  God;  that  we  may  thus  glorify  Him 
and  render  ourselves  less  unworthy  of  the  gifts  which  He  has 
promised  us. 


20 


306        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 

What  is  meant  by  asking  in  the  name  of  Jesus? 

By  this  is  meant  praying  with  confidence  in  the  merits  of 
Jesus,  "who,"  as  St.  Cyril  sa}  s,  "being  God  with  the  Father,  gives 
us  the  good,  and  as  mediator  carries  our  petitions  to  His  Father." 
The  Church  therefore  ends  all  her  prayers  with  the  words: 
"Through  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ."  It  is  also  meant  to  pray  for 
that  which  Christ  Himself  wishes  to  have  given  us,  that  is,  what- 
soever belongs  to  our  soul's  salvation;  for  to  pray  for  temporal 
things  merely  in  order  to  live  happily  in  this  world,  is  not  pleas- 
ing to  Christ  and  avails  us  nothing.  "He  who  prays  for  what 
hinders  salvation,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "does  not  pray  in  the 
name  of  Jesus."  Thus  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples:  Hitherto 
you  have  asked  nothing  in  my  name,  "because,"  as  St. Gre- 
gory says,  "they  did  not  ask  for  that  which  conduces  to  eternal 
salvation." 

Why  is  it  that  sometimes  God  does  not  hear  our  prayers? 

Because  we  often  pray  for  things  that  are  injurious,  and  like 
a  good  father,  God  denied  them  to  us,  in  order  to  give  us  some- 
thing better;  because  He  wishes  to  prove  our  patience  and  perse- 
verance in  prayer;  because  we  generally  do  not  pray  as  we  ought, 
for  to  be  pleasing  to  God,  prayer  should  be  made  when  in  a  state 
of  grace  and  with  confidence  in  Christ's  merits,  for  the  prayer  of 
a  just  man  availeth  much  with  God  {James  v.  16.) ;  we  must  pray 
with  humility  and  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  with  attention, 
fervor,  sincerity,  and  with  perseverance. 

When  should  we  especially  pray? 

At  morning,  noon,  and  night,  before  and  after  meals,  and  as 
often  as  the  clock  strikes ;  for  as  God  thinks  every  moment  of  us 
and  overloads  us  with  His  grace,  it  is  but  right,  that  we  should 
think  often  during  the  day  of  Him,  with  thanks  for  His  blessings. 
We  should  also  pray  during  the  Church  service,  or  if  prevented 
from  attending  Church,  at  home;  in  time  of  severe  temptation; 
at  the  reception  of  the  holy  Sacraments ;  when  commencing  any 
important  undertaking,  and  at  the  hour  of  death. 

How  can  we  in  accordance  with  Christ's  leachinys  (Luke  xviii.  1.), 

pray  at  all  time? 

By  raising  our  hearts  to  God  at  different  times  during  the 
day,  for  which  purpose  the  aspirations,  as  they  are  called,  are 
very  useful,  these  are  acts  of  faith,'hope,  love,  humility,  &c,  which 
are  aroused  in  our  hearts;  by  short  ejaculations  as:  "0  Jesus! 
grant  me  to  love  Thee!  Thee  only  do  I  desire  to  love!  0  be 
merciful  to  me!  Lord,  hasten  to  help  me!"*and  by  making  the 
good  intention,  when  commencing  our  work,  to  do  all  for  the  love 
of  God,  and  according  to  His  most  holy  will. 


SHORT  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  OUR  FATHER.        307 

What  is  the  signification  of  the  different  ceremonies  Catholics  use 
at  their  prayers? 
The  general  signification  is,  that  God  must  be  served,  honored, 
and  adored,  not  only  with  the  soul  but  with  the  body  as  well; 
when  we  pray  aloud,  we  mean  to  praise  God,  not  only  with  the 
mind  but  also  with  our  lips ;  when  we  pray  with  bowed  and  un- 
covered head,  with  folded,  uplifted,  or  outstretched  hands,  with 
bent  knees,  bowed  and  prostrate  body,  we  shew  our  reverence 
and  subjection  to  the  majesty  of  God,  before  whom  we  who  are 
but  dust  and  ashes,  cannot  enough  humble  ourselves.  These  dif- 
ferent ceremonies  of  prayer  are  frequently  mentioned  in  both  the 
Old  and  the  New  Testament,  and  Christ  and  His  apostles  used 
them,  as  for  instance,  the  bending  of  the  knees,  falling  on  the  face,  &c. 

What  is  the  best  prayer? 
The  "Our  Father",  which  Christ  Himself  taught  us,  and  com- 
mands us  to  repeat.  It  is,  therefore,  when  said  with  devotion,  the 
most  powerful  of  prayers.  {Matt.  vi.  Luke  xi.) 

SHORT  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  "OUR  FATHER". 

I  Of  what  does  the  Our  Father  consist? 

T  consists  of  an  address,  as  an  introduction  to  the  prayer, 
and  of  seven  petitions  in  which  is  contained  all  that  we 
should  ask  for  the  honor  of  God,  and  our  own  salvation.  The 
address  is  this:  "Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven." 

To  what  does  the  word  "Father"  encourage  us? 
To  the  love  of  God  who  has  made  us,  by  His  Son,  His  children, 
and  heirs  of  His  kingdom ;  to  thankfulness  for  the  immeasurable 
grace  of  our  creation,  preservation,  redemption,  and  sanctifica- 
tion ;  to  confidence  in  the  infinite  goodness  and  mercy  with  which 
God,  the  best  Father,  watches  over  us;  and  to  the  firm  resolution 
of  remaining  always  the  good  children  of  this  good  Father. 

What  does  the  word  "Our"  signify  ? 
That  in  the  communion  of  saints  we  should  pray  for  and  with  , 
all  the  children  of  God;  that  we  should  be  humble  and  preserve 
brotherly  love  towards  all  men. 

Why,  since  God  is  everywhere  present,  is  it  said,  "  Who  art  in 

heaven?" 
To  remind  us  that  we  are  not  yet  in  our  fatherland,  and  that 
our  true  home  is  heaven ;  to  urge  us  to  long  with  all  desire  for 
heaven,  where  our  Father  is,  and  where  He  has  prepared  us  our 
-  inheritance. 

For  what  do  we  ask  in  the  first  petition:  "Hallowed  be  Thy  name?" 

That  we  and  all  men  may  truly  know,  love,  and  serve  God; 

thus  we  ask:  that  all  unbelievers  may  be  converted  to  God,  and 


20-' 


308        SHOET  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  OUR  FATHER. 

to  the  knowledge  of  truth ;  that  all  heresies  and  seducing  arts 
may  lose  their  power;  that  all  vices  may  be  uprooted,  and  all 
sinners  brought  to  true  penance,  and  the  practice  of  virtue;  that 
we  ourselves  may  say,  think,  do  nothing  which  is  unbecoming  in 
a  child  of  God;  and  that  all  Christians  may  become  more  and 
more  pious  and  saintly. 

For  what  do  we  pray  in  the  second  petition:  "Thy  kingdom  come?" 
That  the  Church  of  God,  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  may  reach 
over  the  whole  earth,  and  the  kingdom  of  sin  and  the  devil  may  be 
destroyed;  that  Christ  may  reign  in  our  hearts  and  in  the  hearts 
of  all ;  and  that  God  may  deign  to  receive  us,  having  well  ended 
our  course  on  earth,  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

For  what  do  we  ask  in  the  third  petition:  "Thy  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven?" 

We  ask  for  heavenly  strength,  thai  the  will  of  God  may  be 
done  by  us  as  cheerfully  and  joyfully  as  it  is  by  the  angels  and 
saints  in  heaven,  and  that  we  may  humbly  resign  ourselves  to  it 
in  all  things,  however  hard  it  may  be  to  do  so.  We  connect  with 
this  petition  the  promise,  that  we  will  not  only  fulfil  God's  com- 
mandments, but  that  we  will  also  accept  and  bear  all  that  His 
holy  providence  may  impose  upon  us  or  upon  others. 

In  these  three  petitions  we  seek,  as  taught  by  Christ,  first  the 
kingdom  of  God,  that  all  the  rest  may  be  added  unto  us.  /^/Av?xii.31.) 

For  what  do  we  ask  in  the  fourth  petition:  "Give  us  this  day  our 

daily  Oread?" 
For  all  that  we  need  for  the  well  being  of  our  spiritual  and 
physical  life,  which  is  all  comprised  in  the  word  "bread":  as  the 
necessary  daily  food,  the  word  of  God,  the  grace  to  do  good,  the 
body  of  our  Lord  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament;  herein  is  included 
the  prayer,  that  God  would  prevent  lightning  and  hail,  failure  of 
crops,  and  other  damages,  but  give,  on  the  contrary,  fruitful 
weather. 

Why  does  it  say,  "this  day"  and  "daily?" 

The  words  "this  day"  signify,  that  we  should  put  away  all 
unnecessary  cares,  placing  our  confidence  in  God  who  will  each 
day  give  us  the  day's  necessary  food;  by  the  word  "daily"  we 
are  taught  to  avoid  all  waste  of  food,  and  to  eat  only  as  much  as 
is  necessary;  for  he  who  wastes  his  food,  eats  not  merely  his 
daily  bread,  but  the  bread  of  many  days. 

What  do  we  ask  for  in  the  fifth  petition:  "Forgive  us  our  trespasses?" 
We  ask  forgiveness,  as  poor  sinners,  for  the  debts  which  we 
daily  make  to  God  by  our  sins,  promising  in  return  not  that  our 
debtors,  that  is,  those  who  have  injured  us,  shall  some  day  be 
forgiven,  but  that  they  are  already  forgiven ;  those  who  make  this 
petition  and  yet  live  in  enmity  towards  their  neighbor,  lie  in  the 
face  of  God,  and  will  not  receive  forgiveness.  {Mark  xi.  25,  26.) 


INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  PROCESSIONS  &c.  309 

What  is  asked  for  in  the  sixth  petition:  "Lead  us  not  into- 
temptation  ?" 

In  this  it  is  asked,  that  God  will  avert  from  us  all  temptations, 
either  entirely  or  not  abandon  us  in  them,  as  we  too  often  de- 
serve, but  strengthen  us  that  we  may  not  consent  to  temptations 
from  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil ;  we  cannot,  indeed,  be 
entirely  free  from  them  in  this  world,  they  are  even  necessary 
and  useful  for  our  salvation :  for  without  temptation  there  is  no 
combat,  without  combat  no  victory,  and  without  victory  no  crown. 

What  do  we  ask  for  in  the  seventh  petition:  "Deliver  us  from  evil?" 
That  God  will  deliver  us  from  the  only  real  evil,  sin,  and  from 
the  occasions  of  it,  also  from  an  unprovided  death  and  from  hell, 
and  also  that  He  may  keep  off  temporal  evils,  such  as  war,  fa- 
mine, pestilence,  &c. 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  PROCESSIONS  ON 
ROGATION  DAYS. 

PWhat  are  processions? 
Rocessions  are  the  solemn,  public  marching  together  of  a 
number  of  persons,  which  in  the  Catholic  Church  are  in- 
stituted according  to  the  very  earliest  directions  of  the  fathers, 
partly  to  encourage  the  piety  of  the  faithful,  partly  in  remem- 
brance of  graces  received,  in  thanksgiving  for  them,  or  to  obtain 
the  divine  assistance,  and  refer  to  the  great  mysteries  of  salvation. 
Those  who  take  part  in  them  with  true  piety,  will  reap  salutary 
harvests  of  Christian  virtue  from  them. 

Are  processions  something  new  ? 

No,  they  were  the  custom  in  the  very  earliest  centuries  of  the 
Church,  as  testified  by  the  acts  of  the  martyrs,  of  Cyprian,  Lucius, 
Boniface,  and  the  fathers  of  the  Church,  Basil,  Chrysostom,  Am- 
brose, Gregory,  and  others.  They  are  also  founded  on  Scripture. 
Thus  King  David  caused  the  ark  of  the  covenant  to  be  carried  in 
solemn  procession  to  Jerusalem  (ii.  Kings  vi.),  and  the  same  thing 
did  Solomon,  his  soil,  when  he  placed  the  ark  in  the  new  temple, 
(iii.  Kings  viii.) 

The  ancients  used  to  call  the  going  out  or  going  forth  from  Church 
procedere,  "going  away,"  hence  the  word  procession,  going  out, 
marching  about. 

What  do  processions  signify  ? 
To  the  faithful  they  are  a  powerful  incentive  to  fervor 
in  prayer;  when  hundreds,  even  thousands  of  faithful  praise 
God  aloud,  or  cry  to  Him  for  help  and  mercy,  must  not  even  the 
coldest  heart  be  roused  to  vivid,  fervent  devotion,  since  Christ 
has  promised  to  be  present  even  where  two  or  three  are  as- 
sembled together  in  His  name?  Processions  are  a  figure  of  the 


310  INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  PROCESSIONS 

pilgrim  life  of  the  Christian  upon  earth;  we  are  strangers 
here  below,  and  wanderers,  our  journey  stretches  from  this  valley 
of  tears  to  the  heavenly  Sion ;  and  the  procession  therefore  at 
the  end  goes  into  the  house  of  God;  our  journey  leads  over  the 
thorny  ways  of  life,  and  the  procession  therefore  marehes  in  the 
open  air,  where  the  pilgrim  is  exposed  to  all  kinds  of  weather ; 
processions  are  an  open  acknowledgment  that  totheAlmighty 
God  alone  praise,  thanks,  and  adoration  are  due,  while  they  are 
a  public  profession  of  our  faith  in  Christ,  the  Crucified;  they  are 
a  solemn  thanksgiving  for  being  permitted  to  profess  Christ, 
our  Lord,  before  the  whole  world,  as  also  for  all  the  graces  ob- 
tained through  Him;  they  are  a  public  testimonial  of  our 
faith  in  the  one,  holy,  Catholic  Church,  whose  members  are 
united  by  the  same  bond  of  faith,  and  who  form  under  their  head, 
Christ,  one  family  in  God.  Therefore  the  marching  from  one 
Church  to  the  other,  the  bending  of  the  banners  in  mutual  salu- 
tation when  parts  of  the  processions  meet  each  other.  Finally,  they 
are  a  sign  of  the  triumph  of  Christian  faith  over  the  dark- 
ness of  heathenism.  If  processions  are  solemnized  with  such  in- 
tentions, with  order  and  dignity,  with  fervent  devotion  in  the 
light  of  faith,  they  are  indeed,  under  the  direction  of  a  worthy 
priest,  pleasing  spectacles  for  angels  and  men,  soon  silencing  the 
sneers  and  derision  of  faithless  men. 

Why  are  banners  and  the  cross  carried  in  processions  ? 

The  cross  signifies,  that  we  are  assembled,  as  Christians,  in 
the  name  of  Jesus,  who  was  crucified,  in  whose  name  we  begin 
and  end  our  prayers,  through  whose  merits  we  expect  all  things 
from  the  Heavenly  Father,  and  whom  we  must  follow  all  through 
our  journey  to  heaven;  the  red  and  white  banners  indicate,  that 
we  must  walk  in  all  innocence  under  the  banner  of  Christ,  and 
fight  unto  death  against  sin,  against  the  world  and  the  devil,  and 
be  as  ready  as  once  were  the  martyrs  to  give  our  life  for  our 
faith ;  the  blue  banners  show,  that  we  must  walk  the  road  of  self- 
denial  and  mortification,  with  really  humble  and  penitent  feelings 
for  our  sins.  The  banners  are  also  emblematic  of  Christ's  victory 
over  death  and  hell,  and  of  the  triumph  of  His  religion  over  the 
pagans  and  Jews. 

Why  do  we  go  around  the  fields  in  processions ? 
To  beg  the  merciful  God  to  bless  the  fields  with  His  fatherly 
hand,  give  and  preserve  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  as  He  fills 
the  animals  with  blessings,  and  gives  them  food  at  the  proper 
time,  so  may  He  give  to  us  also  our  necessary  food. 

What  is  the  origin  of  the  processions  on  St.  Mark's  day  and  in  Holy 

Cross  Week? 
The  procession  on  St.  Mark's  day  was  instituted  even  before 
the  time  of  Pope  Gregory  the  Great  (607)  who,  however,  brought 


ON  ROGATION  DAYS.  3H 

them  into  fervent  practice,  "in  order,"  as  he  says,  "to  obtain  in 
a  measure  forgiveness  of  our  sins."  The  same  pontiff  introduced 
another  procession  called  the  "sevenfold  procession,"  because  the 
.faithful  in  Rome  took  part  in  it  in  seven  divisions,  from  seven 
different  Churches,  meeting  in  the  Church  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
It  was  also  named  the  "Pest  procession,"  because  it  was  ordered 
by  St.  Gregory  to  obtain  the  cessation  of  a  fearful  pestilence 
which  was  at  that  time  raging  in  Rome,  and  throughout  all  Italy, 
which  so  poisoned  the  atmosphere,  that  one  opening  his  mouth 
to  gape  or  sneeze  would  suddenly  fall  dead  (hence  the  custom  of 
saying  "God  bless  you",  to  one  sneezing,  and  the  sign  of  the 
cross  on  the  mouth  of  one  who  gapes).  In  this  procession  the 
picture  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  which  according  to  tradition  was 
painted  by  St.  Luke,  was  carried  by  order  of  the  Pope,  that  this 
powerful  mother  might  be  asked  for  her  intercession,  after  which 
the  pestilence  did  really  cease.  It  is  said,  that  the  processions  in 
Rogation  Week  owe  their  establishment  to  St.  Mamertus,  Bishop 
of  Vienne  in  France;  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  city  there 
were,  in  the  year  469,  terrible  earth-quakes  which  caused  great 
destruction,  the  fruits  perished,  and  various  plagues  afflicted  the 
people;  the  saintly  bishop  assembled  the  faithful,  recommended 
them  to  the  aid  of  the  merciful  God,  and  led  them  in  procession 
around  the  fields.  Such  processions  spread  over  France,  and 
gradually  throughout  the  Christian  Church;  they  are  held  in 
order  to  obtain  from  God  the  averting  of  universal  evils,  such  as 
war,  famine,  and  pestilence,  and  are,  at  the  same  time,  a  prepa- 
ration for  the  Ascension  of  Christ,  who  is  our  most  powerful  me- 
diator with  His  Father,  and  whom  we  should  especially  invoke 
during  these  days. 

With  what  intentions  should  we  take  part  in  the  processions? 

With  the  intention  of  glorifying  God,  of  thanking  Him  for  all 
His  graces,  and  to  obtain  aid  and  comfort  from  Him  in  all  our 
corporal  and  spiritual  needs;  with  the  view  of  professing  our 
faith  openly  before  the  whole  world,  and  with  the  sincere  reso- 
lution of  always  following  Christ,  the  Crucified,  in  the  path  of 
penance  and  mortification.  He  who  entertains  other  intentions 
and  takes  part,  perhaps,  for  temporal  advantages,  or  for  sinful 
pleasures,  or  to  af  oid  labor,  &c,  sins  against'God  and  the  Church, 
which  weeps  over  such  abuses  and  condemns  them. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE 
ASCENSION  OF  OUR  LORD. 


A 


T  the  Intro  it  the  Church  sings  the  words  which  are  spoken 
after  the  ascension  by  the  angels  to  the  apostles  and  dis- 


312  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL 

ciples:  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  look  you  with  surprise 
up  to  heaven?  Alleluia.  As  you  have  seen  him  ascending 
to  heaven,  so  shall  he  again  return.  Allel.  Allel.  Allel. 
(Acts  i.  11.)  Clap  your  hands,  all  ye  nations:  shout  unto 
God  with  the  voice  of  joy.  (Ps.  46.)    Glory,  &c. 

PKAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  0 
Almighty  God,  that  we,  who  believe  that  Thy  only  Son,  our 
Redeemer,  ascended  this  day  into  heaven,  may  also  have  our 
hearts  always  fixed  on  heavenly  things.  Thro'  the  same. 

LESSON.  (Acts  i.  1  — 11.)  The  former  treatise,  I  made, 
0  Theophilus,  of  all  things  which  Jesus  began  to  do  and  to 
teach,  until  the  day  on  which,  giving  commandments  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  the  apostles  whom  he  had  chosen,  he  was 
taken  up.  To  whom  also  he  shewed  himself  alive  after  his 
passion,  by  many  proofs,  by  forty  days  appearing  to  them, 
and  speaking  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  eating  together 
with  them,  he  commanded  them,  that  they  should  not  depart 
from  Jerusalem,  but  should  wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Fa- 
ther ,  which  you  have  heard  (saith  he)  by  my  mouth :  for 
John  indeed  baptized  with  water,  but  you  shall  be  baptized 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  not  many  days  hence.  They  therefore 
who  were,  come  together,  asked  him  saying:  Lord,  wilt  thou 
at  this  time  restore  again  the  kingdom  of  Israel?  But  he 
said  to  them :  It  is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times  or  mo- 
ments, which  the  Father  hath  put  in  his  own  power;  but  you 
shall  receive  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon  you, 
and  you  shall  be  witnesses  to  me  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all 
Judea,  and  Samaria,  and  even  to  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth.  And  when  he  had  said  these  things,  while  they  looked 
on,  he  was  raised  up;  and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their 
sight.  And  while  they  were  beholding  him  going  up  to 
heaven,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white  garments. 
Who  also  said:  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  you  looking  up 
to  heaven?  This  Jesus  who  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven, 
shall  so  come  as  you  have  seen  him  going  into  heaven. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Luke  who  in  his  gospel,  addressed  to 
Theophilus,  a  Christian  of  note  in  Antioch,  gave  an  account  of 
the  life,  sufferings,  and  death  of  Jesus  up  to  the  time  of  His  as- 
cension into  heaven,  continues  his  account  in  the  acts  of  the 
apostles,  in  which  he  describes  in  simple  words  that  which  Jesus 
did  during  the  forty  days  following  His  resurrection,  and  the 


OF  THE  ASCENSION  OF  OUR  LOED. 


313 


manner  in  which  in  sight  of  His  disciples  He  ascended  into  heaven. 
Rejoice  with  Christ  to-day,  that  He  has  come  into  possession  of 
His  dearly  bought  kingdom  in  heaven,  and  pray:  I  rejoice,  0 
King  of  heaven  and  earth,  in  the  glory  Thou  hast  this  day  attain- 
ed in  heaven.  Sing  to  God,  ye  kingdoms  of  the  earth; 
sing  ye  to  the  Lord;  sing  ye  to  God,  who  mounteth  ab- 
ove the  heaven  of  heavens,  to  the  East.  Give  glory  to 
God  for  Israel,  his  magnificence  and  his  power  is  in 
the  clouds.  God  is  wonderful  in  his  saints;  the  God  of 
Israel  is  he,  who  will  give  power  and  strength  to  his 
people.    Blessed  be  God.    (Ps.  lxvii.  33— 36.) 


GOSPEL.    (Mark  xvi.  14 — 20.)    At  that  time:  Jesus  ap- 
peared to  the  eleven  as  they  were  at  table,  and  he  upbraided 


314  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL 

them  with  their  incredulity  and  hardness  of  heart,  because 

they  did  not  believe  them  who  had  seen  him  after  he  was 

risen  again.     (And  he  said  to  them:  Go  ye  into  the  whole 

world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that  be- 

lieveth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved:  but  he  that  believeth 

not,  shall  be  condemned.  And  these  signs  shall,  follow  them 

that  believe :  In  my  name  they  shall  cast  out  devils :  they 

shall  speak  with  new  tongues:  they  shall  take  up  serpents: 

and  if  they  shall  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt 

them :  they  shall  lay  their  hands  upon  the  sick  and  they  shall 

recover.)    And  the  Lord  Jesus,  after  he  had  spoken  to  them, 

was  taken  up  into  heaven,  and  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of 

God.  But  they  going  preached  every  where :  the  Lord  working 

withal,  and  confirming  the  word  with  signs  that  followed. 

The  part  of  this  gospel  ivhich  is  enclosed  in  brackets,   is  the 
gospel  for  the  feast  of  St.  Francis  Xavier. 

Why  does  Christ  say  to  His  apostles:  Go  ye  into  the  whole  world 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  all  creatures? 
To  show  that  no  one  is  to  usurp  the  office  of  preaching,  but 
must  look  for  his  mission  from  the  lawful  pastor  of  the  Church. 
And  when  Christ  sends  His  apostles  into  the  whole  world,  and  to 
all  nations  without  exception,  He  shows  His  willingness  to  save 
all  men,  and  if  this  willingness  is,  in  the  case  of  many,  not  ac- 
complished, the  lack  is  not  to  be  attributed  to  our  Lord  God,  but 
to  man,  who  either  does  not  accept  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  or 
accepting,  does  not  live  in  accordance  with  it,  or  renders  himself 
by  his  obduracy  in  vice,  unworthy  that  the  gospel  should  be 
preached  to  him. 

Are  faith  and  baptism  sufficient  for  salvation  ? 
No,  faith  that  is  not  active  in  love,  not  fruitful  in  good  works, 
and  therefore  not  meritorious  {Gal.  v.  6.),  is  not  sufficient  for  sal- 
vation. "Such  faith,"  says  St.  Anselm,  "is  not  the  faith  of  a 
Christian,  but  the  faith  of  the  devil."  Only  he  will  be  saved  who 
truly  believes  in  Christ  and  His  doctrine,  and  lives  in  accordance 
with  it. 

Is  ours  not  the  true  faith,  because  all  the  faithful  do  not  receive 
the  signs  which  Christ  promised? 
St.  Gregory  very  beautifully  replies  to  this  question:  "Be- 
cause the  Redeemer  said,  that  true  faith  would  be  accompanied 
by  miracles,  you  must  not  think  that  you  have  not  the  faith,  be- 
cause these  signs  do  not  follow;  these  miracles  had  to  be  wrought 
in  the  beginning  of  the  Church,  because  faith  in  her  had  to  be 


OF  THE  ASCENSION  OF  OUR  LORD.  315 

increased  by  these  visible  signs  of  divine  power."  And  even  now 
when  such  signs  are  necessary  for  the  propagation  of  the  faith, 
and  victory  over  unbelief,  God  gives  His  faithful  power  to  work 
them. 

Are  there  such  signs  seen  even  noiv  in  the  Catholic  Church? 

Yes,  in  both  spiritual  and  material  ways;  for  there  have  at  all 
times  been  saints  in  the  Church,  who,  as  seen  from  their  lives, 
have  wrought  miracles,  on  account  of  their  faith,  which  even  the 
unbelievers  cannot  deny ;  for  instance  St.  Francis  Xavier,  who  in 
the  sight  of  the  heathens,  raised  several  dead  persons  to  life.  In 
the  spiritual  manner  all  pious  Catholics  still  work  such  miracles ; 
for,  as  St.  Chrysostom  says,  "they  expel  devils  when  they  drive 
out  sin,  which  is  worse  than  the  devil,  from  themselves;  they 
speak  with  new  tongues  when  they  converse  no  longer  of  vain 
and  sinful,  but  of  spiritual  and  heavenly  matters."  "They  take 
up  serpents,"  says  St.  Gregory,  "when  they  understand  how,  by 
zealous  exhortations,  to  lift  others  from  the  shame  of  vice,  with- 
out being  themselves  poisoned  by  them ;  they  drink  deadly  things 
without  being  hurt  by  them,  when  they  hear  tempting  talk  with- 
out being  corrupted  or  led  to  evil  by  it ;  they  lay  their  hands 
upon  the  sick  and  heal  them,  when  they  teach  the  ignorant, 
strengthen  by  their  good  example  those  who  are  wavering  in 
virtue,  keep  the  sinner  from  evil,  and  similar  things."  Strive  to 
do  this  upon  all  occasions,  my  Christian,  for  God  willingly  gives 
you  His  grace  for  it,  and  you  will  thus  be  of  more  use  to  yourself 
and  others,  and  honor  God  more  than  by  working  the  greatest 
miracles. 

Where  and  how  did  Christ  ascend  into  heaven? 

There  where  His  sufferings  began,  from  Mount  Olivet,  by 
which  we  learn,  that  crosses  and  afflictions,  which  are  endured 
with  patience  and  resignation,  will  raise  us  to  heaven.  "Christ 
ascended  into  heaven  by  His  own  power,  because  He  is  God,  and 
is  now  in  His  glorified,  spiritualized  humanity,  sitting  at  the  right 
hand  of  His  Father,  where  He  is  our  continual  mediator  with  Him. 

In  whose  presence  did  Christ  ascend  into  heaven? 
In  the  presence  of  His  apostles,  and  many  of  His  disciples, 
whom  He  had  previously  blessed  {Luke  xxiv.  51.),  and  who,  as  St. 
Leo  says,  derived  consoling  joy  from  His  ascension.  Rejoice,  also, 
0  Christian  soul,  for  Christ  has  to-day  opened  heaven  for  you, 
and  you  may  enter  it,  if  you  desire,  in  lively  faith  in  Christ,  if 
you  perform  works  pleasing  to  God.  Therefore  St.  Augustine  very 
beautifully  says:  "Let  us  ascend  in  spirit  with  Christ,  that  when 
His  day  comes,  we  may  follow  with  our  body.  Yet  you  must 
know,  beloved  brethren,  that  not  pride,  nor  avarice,  nor  impurity, 
nor  any  other  vice  ascends  with  Christ;  for  with  the  teacher  of 
humility  pride  ascends  not,  nor  with  the  author  of  goodness  ma- 


316  INSTRUCTION  ON  MIRACLES. 

lice ,  nor  with  the  Son  of  the  Virgin  impurity."  Let  us  then 
ascend  with  Him  by  trampling  upon  our  vices  and  evil  inclina- 
tions, thus  building  a  ladder  by  which  we  can  ascend;  for  we 
make  a  ladder  to  heaven  of  our  sins  when  we  tread  them  down 
in  combatting  them. 

[  ASPIRATION.  0  King  of  glory!  0  powerful  Lord!  who 
hast  this  day  ascended  victorious,  above  all  heaven,  leave 
us  not  as  poor  orphans,  but  send  us  from  the  Father  the 
Spirit  of  truth  whom  Thou  hast  promised.  Alleluia. 

Why  is  the  paschal  candle  extinguished  after  the  gospel  on  this  day? 
To  signify  that  Christ,  of  whom  the  candle  is  a  figure,  has 
gone  from  His  disciples. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  MIRACLES. 

And  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe. 

{Mark  xvi.  17.) 

A  What  is  a  miracle? 

miracle,  as  defined  by  St.  Thomas  of  Aquinas,  is  anything 
beyond  the  ordinary,  fixed  state  of  things  that  is  done 
through  God.  Thus  when  the  sun  stands  still  in  his  course,  when 
thousands  are  fed  with  five  loaves  and  two  small  fishes,  when  by 
a  word  or  simple  touch  the  dead  are  raised  to  life,  the  blind  see, 
and  the  deaf  hear,  these  are  things  contrary  to  nature,  and  are 
miracles  which  can  only  be  performed  by  God  or  those  persons 
to  whom  God  has  given  the  grace. 

That  God  can  work  miracles,  cannot  be  denied.  God  has  made 
the  laws  of  nature,  and  at  any  time  it  pleases  Him,  He  can  sud- 
denly suspend  them,  and  that  God  has  at  times  done  so,  we  have 
more  solid  and  undeniable  proofs  than  we  have  for  the  most  re- 
nowned and  best  authenticated  facts  of  history;  for  far  more 
witnesses  testify  to  miracles,  the  whole  world  has  believed  them, 
and  been  converted  by  them ;  these  miracles  have  been  sworn  to 
by  far  more  credible  witnesses;  more  than  eleven  millions  of 
martyrs  have  died  to  confirm  and  maintain  their  truth;  no  one 
gives  up  his  life  for  lies  and  deceptions;  the  Jews  and  pagans 
have  admitted  them,  but  have  ascribed  them  not  to  God,  but  to 
witchcraft  and  the  power  of  demons ;  and  precisely  by  this  did 
they  prove  and  acknowledge  the  truth  of  miracles,  because  in 
order  to  deny  them,  they  were  driven  to  false  and  absurd  ex- 
planations of  them. 

Can  men  work  miracles? 
No  man  of  and  through  himself  can  work  a  miracle,  God  only 
works  miracles  through  man  to  whom  He  gives  the  power.  That 
men  have  wrought  miracles  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  as,  for  example, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER.  317 

the  apostles  and  the  saints,  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church 
in  all  ages  bears  testimony. 

Can  miracles  be  worked  by  the  relics  of  saints,  pictures,  SfC  ? 

The  Church,  in  the  Council  of  Trent,  solemnly  declares,  that 
we  are  never  to  believe  that  there  is  in  any  picture  or  relic  any 
hidden  power  by  which  a  miracle  can  be  worked,  and  that  we  are 
not  to  honor  or  ask  any  such  thing  of  them.  Therefore  no  miracle 
can  ever  be  worked  by  them,  but  God  can  perform  miracles 
through  them,  and  He  has,  as  the  holy  Scriptures  and  the  history 
of  the  Church  of  Christ  both  prove.  But  when  through  certain 
pictures  (usually  called  miraculous  or  grace  working  pictures) 
miracles  do  take  place,  that  no  deception  may  occur,  the  Church 
commands,  that  such  a  picture  shall  be  exposed  for  the  veneration 
of  the  faithful,  until  the  truth  of  the  miracles  performed,  is  by  a 
rigorous  examination  established  beyond  a  doubt;  she  then  causes 
such  pictures  to  be  respectfully  preserved  as  monuments  of  the 
goodness  and  omnipotence  of  God. 

Why  are  there  not  as  many  miracles  in  our  times  as  there  were  in 
the  first  days  of  the  Church? 
Because  the  Church  is  no  longer  in  need  of  such  extraordinary 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  her  teachings.  Thus  St.  Augustine 
writes:  "He  who  in  the  face  of  the  conversion  of  the  world  to 
Christianity  demands  miracles,  and  strives  to  doubt  those  which 
have  been  wrought  in  favor  of  this  most  wonderful  change,  is- 
himself  an  astonishing  miracle  of  irrationality  and  stupidity;"  and 
St.  Chrysostom  says:  "The  question  is  sometimes  asked:  How 
happens  it  there  are  no  miracles  now-a-days?  The  answer  is, 
because  the  knowledge  of  Christ  is  propagated  all  over  the  earth, 
and  the  Church  is  like  a  tree  which,  having  once  taken  deep  root 
and  grown  to  a  certain  height,  no  longer  needs  to  be  carefully 
watered  and  supported." 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY 
AFTEE  EASTER. 

I  His  Sunday  and  the  whole  week  should  serve  as  a  prepara- 
JL  tion  for  the  festival  of  Pentecost,  that  we  may  enable  our- 
selves, by  good  works  and  pious  devotional  exercises,  to  partici- 
pate in  the  graces  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  At  the  Introit  the  Church 
sings:  Hear,-  0  Lord,  my  voice,  with  which  I  have  cried 
out  to  thee.  Alleluia.  My  heart  hath  said  to  thee:  I  have 
sought  thy  face:  I  will  seek  thy  face,  0  Lord:  turn  not 
thy  face  from  me.  Alleluia.  Alleluia,  The  Lord  is  my  light 
and  my  salvation:  whom  shall  I  fear?  {Ps.  xxvi.  7—9.) 
Glory,  &c. 


318         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  almighty  and  eternal 
God,  inspire  Thy  servants  with  true  devotion,  and  grant  that 
we  may  serve  Thy  divine  Majesty  with  sincere  hearts.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Peter  iv.  7  — 11.)  Most  dearly  beloved:  Be 
prudent,  and  watch  in  prayers.  But  before  all  things  have  a 
constant  mutual  charity  among  yourselves:  for  charity  co- 
vereth  a  multitude  of  sins.  Using  hospitality  one  towards 
another  without  murmuring.  As  every  man  hath  received 
grace,  ministering  the  same  one  to  another :  as  good  stewards 
of  the  manifold  grace  of  God.  If  any  man  speak,  let  him 
speak  as  the  words  of  God.  If  any  man  minister,  let  him  do 
it  as  of  the  power  which  God  administereth :  that  in  all 
things  God  may  be  honoured  through  Jesus  Christ :  to  wkom 
is  glory  and  empire  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen. 

EXPLANATION.  The  practice  of  the  virtues  which  St.  Peter 
here  prescribes  for  the  faithful,  are  a  splendid  preparation  for  the 
reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  nothing  renders  us  more  worthy 
of  His  visit  than  true  love  for  our  neighbor,  which  willingly  as- 
sists and  gives;  the  good  use  of  God's  gifts,  and  the  true  fulfil- 
ment of  the  duties  of  our  state  of  life.  Strive,  therefore,  to  practise 
these  virtues  and  thus  make  yourself  less  unworthy  of  the  gifts 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Say  on  this  day,  and  daily  during  the  week  this 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  and  fill 
the  hearts  of  Thy  faithful,  and  kindle  in  them  the  fire  of  Thy 
divine  love,  who  hast  assembled  the  nations  of  all  tongues  in 
unity  of  faith. 

GOSPEL.  (JoknxY.  26  —  27.,  xvi.  1  —  4.)  At  that  time: 
Jesus  said  to  his  disciples :  When  the  Paraclete  cometh  whom 
I  will  send  you  from  the  Father,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  who  pro- 
ceedeth  from  the  Father,  he  shall  give  testimony  of  me :  and 
you  shall  give  testimony,  because  you  are  with  me  from'  the 
beginning.  These  things  have  I  spoken  to  you,  that  you  may 
not  be  scandalized.  They  will  put  you  out  of  the  synagogues : 
yea  the  hour  cometh,  that  whosoever  killeth  you,  will  think 
that  he  doth  a  service  to  God.  And  these  things  will  they  do 
to  you,  because  they  have  not  known  the  Father,  nor  me. 
But  these  things  I  have  told  you:  that  when  the  hour  shall 
come,  you  may  remember  that  I  told  you  of  them. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  EASTER.  319 


Why  is  the  Holy  Ghost  called  the  Paraclete? 
Because  He  consoles  those  who  suffer  persecution  for  justice's 
sake,  that  is,  who  are  persecuted  because  of  their  truly  Christian 
life,  and  their  defence  of  truth  and  justice,  whether  by  word  or 
pen,  or  by  their  life,  as  did  the  apostles  and  other  saints,  who 
were  filled  with  the  greatest  and  sweetest  delight  while  suffering 
for  Jesus'  sake. 

How  did  the  Holy  Ghost  yine  testimony  of  Christ? 
Through  the  apostles  and  disciples  whom  He  made  so  eloquent 
and  so  courageous,  that  they  intrepidly  professed  and  preached 
that  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  true  Messiah.  This  doctrine 
He  confirmed  by  wonderful  miracles,  and,  as  it  were,  sealed  it  by 
their  blood  which  by  His  grace  they  shed  for  it. — The  Holy  Ghost 
gives  even  now  testimony  of  Christ  through  the  instructing  Church, 


320  MORAL  LESSON  CONCERNING  SCANDAL. 

that  is,  the  preachers,  through  whom  He  speaks,  and  who  must, 
therefore,  be  listened  to  reverently.  We  also  must  give  testimony 
of  Christ  and  profess  by  our  lives,  by  patience  in  crosses  and  af- 
flictions that  He  is  our  teacher,  our  Lord,  and  our  God;  for  if  we 
do  not  thus  acknowledge  Him  in  this  world,  He  will  not  acknow- 
ledge us  one  day  before  His  Father  in  heaven.   {Matt.  x.  33.) 

Did  the  Jews  sin  in  persecuting  and  killing  the  apostles? 

Undoubtedly;  for  although  they  wrongly  believed  they  were 
thus  doing  God  a  service,  their  ignorance  and  error  was  very 
sinful  and  deserving  of  punishment;  for  they  could  easily  have 
known  and  been  instructed  in  the  truth. 

In  such  punishable  ignorance  are  also  those  Christians  who, 
as  they  neglect  all  Christian  instruction,  hardly  know  what  is 
necessary  for  salvation,  and  make  nothing  of  many  things  which 
are  grievous  sins;  as  also  those  who  are  in  doubt,  whether  they 
justly  or  unjustly  possess  such  and  such  things,  and  yet  for  fear 
of  being  bound  to  restore  them,  neglect  to  settle  the  doubt. 

What  are  the  points  which  every  Christian  must  know  and  believe 
in  order  to  be  saved? 
They  are  the  six  which  follow:  that  there  is  but  One  God, 
who  has  created  and  governs  all  things;  that  God  is  a  just  judge, 
who  rewards  the  good  and  punishes  the  evil ;  that  there  are  in 
the  Deity  three  persons,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost; 
that  the  Son  of  God  became  man  for  love  of  us,  taught  us,  and  by 
His  death  on  the  cross  redeemed  us;  that  the  Holy  Ghost  sancti- 
fies us  by  His  grace,  without  which  we  could  not  live  wrell  or  be 
saved;  that  man's  soul  is  immortal. 

PETITION.  Send  us,  0  Lord  Jesus!  the  Paraclete,  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  proceeds  at  the  same  time  from  the  Father 
and  from  Thee,  that  He  may  console  and  strengthen  us  in 
all  our  afflictions.  Graciously  protect  us,  that  we  may  give 
no  scandal  to  any  one,  nor  allow  ourselves  or  others  to  be 
enticed  into  sin.  Urge  us  by  Thy  Holy  Spirit  to  learn  all  the 
truths  of  faith,  to  live  in  accordance  with  them,  and  arrive 
at  Thee.  Amen. 

MORAL  LESSON  CONCERNING  SCANDAL. 

These  things  have  I  said  to  you,   that  you  may  not  be 
scandalized.  (John  x vi .  1 .) 

I  How  is  scandal  given  ? 

F  something  is  done  or  left  undone,  even  when  it  is  known, 
that  others  will  thus  take  occasion  to  sin.  This  is  done  in 
many  different  ways ;  if,  for  instance,  you  dress  improperly,  speak 
improper  words,  or  sing  bad  songs,  by  which  you  can  see,  that 


INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  PREPARATION  FOR  PENTECOST.     321 

your  neighbor  will  be  tempted  to  think,  desire,  or  act  wrongly, 
or  what  is  worse,  if  you  act  badly  in  the  presence  of  others,  or 
bring  bad  books,  books  against  good  morals,  or  against  the  holy 
faith  among  people;  if  you  incite  others  to  anger,  to  cursing,  to 
vengeance,  or  if  you  prevent  them  from  attending  Church,  the 
sermon,  or  doctrinal  instruction,  &c.  In  all  these  things  you  be- 
come guilty  of  the  sin  of  scandal,  and  are,  besides,  guilty  of  all 
the  sins  which  come  from  the  scandal  given. 

If  at  the  judgment  we  are  unable  to  answer  for  our  own  sins, 
how  then  can  we  answer  for  the  innumerable  sins  caused  by  the 
scandal  we  have  given?  Therefore  Christ  pronounces  a  terrible 
"woe"  to  those  who  give  scandal.  Woe  to  the  man,  He  says, 
by  whom  scandal  cometh!  It  were  better  for  him,  that 
a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that  he 
were  drowned  in  the  depths  of  the  sea.   {Matt,  xviii.  6.) 

How  do  parents  give  scandal? 
By  giving  their  children  bad  example;  by  excessive  anger,  by 
cursing  and  swearing;  by  avarice,  injustice  and  cheating;  by 
discord  and  quarrels;  by  gluttony  in  eating  and  drinking;  by  ex- 
travagance and  luxury  in  dress;  by  sneering  at  religion,  good 
morals,  &c. ;  by  not  keeping  their  children  from  evil  company  and 
associations,  even  bringing  them  into  them ;  by  not  punishing  and 
breaking  up  their  children's  vices.  How  much  parents  sin  in  such 
scandals,  cannot  be  expressed;  at  the  Day  of  Judgment  their 
children  will  be  their  accusers! 

How  do  householders  give  scandal  to  their  servants  and  those 

under  them? 
As  parents  do  to  their  children;  by  keeping  them  away,  or 
not  urging  them  by  their  own  example  or  command  to  attend 
Church  on  Sundays  and  holidays;  by  giving  them  meat  on  fast- 
days  ;  by  commanding  them  to  do  sinful  things,  such  as  stealing, 
injuring  others,  &c. 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  PREPARATION  FOR 
PENTECOST. 

1.  W/  E  should  withdraw,  after  the  example  of  the  Blessed 

T  Y     Virgin  and  apostles,  to  some  solitary  place,  or,  at  least, 

avoid,  as  much  as  possible,  intercourse  with  others,  speak  but 

little,  and  attend  with  earnestness  and  perseverance  to  prayer; 

for  in  solitude  God  speaks  to  man. 

2.  We  should  cleanse  our  conscience  by  a  contrite  confession, 
become  reconciled  to  our  neighbor,  if  we  have  lived  in  enmity ; 
for  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  a  spirit  of  peace  and  purity,  lives  only  in 
pure  and  peaceful  souls.  {Ps.  lxxv.  3.) 

3.  We  should  give  alms  according  to  our  means,  for  it  is  said 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  {Acts  x.)  of  the  gentile  centurion  Cor- 


21 


322      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  GREAT  FESTIVAL  OF  PENTECOST. 

nelius,  that  he  made  himself  by  prayer  and  almsdeeds  worthy  of 
the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

4.  We  should  strongly  desire  to  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
give  expression  to  this  olesire  by  frequent  aspirations  to  God, 
making  use  of  the  prayer:  "Come,  0  Holy  Ghost,  &c." 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  GREAT  FESTIVAL 
OF  PENTECOST. 

I  What  festival  is  this  ? 

T  is  the  day  on  which  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  visibly,  in  the 
form  of  fiery  tongues,  upon  the  apostles  and  disciples,  who 
with  Mary,  the  Mother  of  Jesus,  were  assembled  together  in 
prayer  in  a  house  at  Jerusalem.  {Acts  ii.) 

Why  is  this  day  called  Pentecost? 
The  word  "Pentecost"  is  taken  from  the  Greek,  and  signifies 
fifty,  and,  as  St.  Jerome  explains  it,  this  day  was  the  last  of  the 
fifty  days,  commencing  with  Easter,  which  the  early  Christians 
celebrated  as  days  of  rejoicing  in  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord. 

Why  is  this  day  observed  so  solemnly? 
Because  on  this  day,  the  Holy  Ghost  having  descended  upon 
the  apostles,  the  law  of  grace,  of  purification  from  sin,  and  the 
sanctification  of  mankind,  was  for  the  first  time  announced  to  the 
world;  because  on  this  day  the  apostles,  being  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  commenced  the  work  of  purifying  and  sanctifying 
mankind,  by  the  baptism  of  three  thousand  persons  who  were 
converted  by  the  sermon  of  St.  Peter;  and  because  on  this  day 
the  Church  of  Jesus  stepped  visibly  as  a  community  into  this 
world,  and  publicly  professed  her  faith  in  her  crucified  Saviour. 

Why  did  the  Holy  Ghost  come  upon  the  Jews'  Pentecost? 
Because  on  their  Pentecost  the  Jews  celebrated  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  giving  of  the  law  on  Mount  Sinai,  and  God  would 
show  by  sending  the  Holy  Ghost  on  this  day,  that  the  Old  Law 
had  ceased  and  the  New  Law  commenced.  God  also  chose  this 
time,  that  the  Jews  who  on  this  day  gathered  from  all  countries 
at  Jerusalem  to  celebrate  the  Pentecost,  might  be  witnesses  of  the 
miracle,  and  hear  the  New  Law  announced  by  the  apostles. 

Why  on  the  viyil  of  Pentecost  is  the  baptismal  font  blessed,  as  on 

Holy  Saturday? 

Because  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  Author  of  all  sanctity  and  the 
Fountain  of  baptismal  grace,  and  because  in  the  Acts  (i.  5.)  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  itself  called  a  baptism. 

In  the  Introit  of  Mass  the  Church  sings  in  joy  at  the  descent 
of  the  Holy  Ghost:  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  hath  filled  the 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  Til  E  GREAT  FESTIVAL  OF  PENTECOST.        323 

whole  earth,  Allel.:  and  the  whole  universe  hath  heard 
his  voice,  Allel.  Allel.  {Wisd.  i.  7.)  Let  God  arise,  and  his 
enemies  be  dispersed:  let  them  who  hate  him,  fly  be- 
fore his  face.  (Ps.  67.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  by  the  light 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  didst  this  day  instruct  the  hearts  of  the 
faithful:  grant,  by  the  direction  of  the  same  Holy  Spirit,  that 
we  may  relish  what  is  right,  and  always  enjoy  His  conso- 
lation. Thro'— in  the  unity  of  the  same,  &c. 

LESSON.  (Acts  il  I  — U.)  When  the  days  of  Pentecost 
were  accomplished,  they  were  all  together  in  one  place:  and 
suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from  heaven,  as  of  a  mighty 
wind  coming,  and  it  filled  the  whole  house  where  they  were 
sitting.  And  there  appeared  to  them  parted  tongues  as  it 
were  of  fire,  and  it  sat  upon  every  one  of  them :  and  they 
were  ail  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they  began  to  speak 
with  divers  tongues  according  as  the  Holy  Ghost  gave  them 
to  speak.  Now  there  were  dwelling  at  Jerusalem  Jews,  de- 
vout men  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven.  And  when  this 
was  noised  abroad,  the  multitude  came  together,  and  were 
confounded  in  mind,  because  that  every  man  heard  them 
speak  in  his  own  tongue.  And  they  were  all  amazed  and 
wondered,  saying:  Behold,  are  not  all  these,  that  speak,  Ga- 
lileans, and  how  have  we  heard,  every  man  our  own  tongue 
wherein  we  were  born?  Parthians,  and  Medes,  and  Elamites, 
and  inhabitants  of  Mesopotamia,  Judea,  and  Cappadocia, 
Pontus  and  Asia,  Phrygia,  and  Pamphylia,  Egypt  and  the 
parts  of  Lybia  about  Cyrene,  and  strangers  of  Rome,  Jews 
also  and  Proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians:  we  have  heard  them 
speak  in  our  own  tongues  the  wonderful  works  of  God. 

Why  did  the  Holy  Ghost  come  upon  the  apostles  in  the  form  of 

fiery  tonyues? 
To  show  that  the  Holy  Ghost  governs  the  tongues  of  the 
apostles  and  preachers  when  announcing  the  word  of  God;  to  in- 
flame their  hearts  and  the  hearts  of  the  faithful  with  the  love  of 
God  and  of  their  neighbor. 

Why  did  the  Holy  Ghost  appear  amid  the  rushing  as  of  a 

mighty  wind? 
To  direct  the  attention  of  the  people  to  the  coming  descent  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  call  them  together  to  hear  the  sermon  of 
the  Apostle  Peter. 


21s 


324       INSTEUCTION  FOE  THE  GREAT  FESTIVAL  OF  PENTECOST. 

What  special  effects  did  the  Holy  Ghost  produce  in  the  apostles? 
He  freed  them  from  all  doubt  and  fear ;  gave  them  His  light 
for  the  perfect  knowledge  of  truth ;  inflamed  their  hearts  with 
the  most  ardent  love,  and  incited  in  them  the  fiery  zeal  for  the 
propagation  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  strengthened  them  to  bear 
all  sufferings  and  persecutions  {Acts  v.  41.),  and  gave  them  the 
gift  of  speaking  in  various  languages,  and  of  discerning  spirits. 


GOSPEL.  {John  xiv.  23 — 31.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples:  If  any  one  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  word, 
and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  to  him,  and 
will  make  our  abode  with  him:  he  that  loveth  me  not,  keep- 
eth  not  my  words.    And  the  word  which  you  have  heard,  is 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  GREAT  FESTIVAL  OF  PENTECOST.       325 

not  mine:  but  the  Father's  who  sent  me.  These  things  have 
I  spoken  to  you,  abiding  with  you.  But  the  Paraclete,  the 
Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  will 
teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  mind, 
whatsoever  I  shall  have  said  to  you.  Peace  I  leave  with  you, 
my  peace  I  give  to  you:  not  as  the  world  giveth,  do  I  give 
unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  nor  let  it  be  afraid. 
You  have  heard  that  I  have  said  to  you :  I  go  away  and  I 
come  again  to  you.  If  you  loved  me,  you  would  indeed  be 
glad,  because  I  go  to  the  Father :  for  the  Father  is  greater 
than  I.  And  now  I  have  told  you  before  it  come  to  pass :  that 
when  it  shall  come  to  pass,  you  may  believe.  I  will  not  now 
speak  many  things  with  you.  For  the  prince  of  this  world 
cometh,  and  in  me  he  hath  not  any  thing.  But  that  the  world 
may  know  that  I  love  the  Father :  and  as  the  Father  hath 
given  me  commandment,  so  do  I. 

Why  is  the  Holy  Ghost  expressly  called  "Holy",  since  this  attribute 
is  due  to  each  of  the  divine  persons? 

Because  He  is  the  Author  of  inward  sanctity  and  of  all  super- 
natural gifts  and  graces,  and  therefore  to  Him  is  specially  ascribed 

the  work  of  man's  sanctification. 

* 

What  does  the  Holy  Ghost  effect  in  men  ? 
He  so  sanctifies  them  that  they  learn  the  truths  of  faith  and 
salvation,  and  the  beauty  of  virtue ;  He  moves  them  to  the  desire 
of  the  good,  and  strengthens  them  in  its  performance,  and  finally, 
He  gives  them  His  fruits  and  gifts. 

What  are  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost? 
According  to  the  Prophet  Isaias  they  are  seven:  1.  The  gift 
of  wisdom,  which  enables  us  to  know  God  rightly,  to  esteem 
heavenly  beyond  temporal  advantages,  and  to  have  taste  and  joy 
only  for  divine  things.  2.  The  gift  of  understanding,  by 
which  we  know  and  understand  that  which  is  proposed  to  us  to 
believe ;  children  and  adults  should  pray  fervently  for  this  gift, 
especially  before  sermons,  and  instructions  in  the  catechism.  3. 
The  gift  of  counsel,  which  gives  us  the  knowledge  necessary 
to  direct  ourselves  and  others  in  uncertain  matters,  a  gift  espe- 
cially necessary  for  superiors,  for  those  ab'out  choosing  their  state 
of  life,  and  for  married  people  who  live  unhappily,  and  do  not 
know  how  to  help  themselves.  4.  The  gift  of  fortitude,  which 
strengthens  us  to  endure  and  courageously  overcome  all  adversi- 
ties and  persecutions  for  virtue's  sake.    5.  The  gift  of  know- 


326  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  MONDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

ledge,  by  which  we  know  ourselves,  our  duties,  and  how  to  ful- 
fil them  in  a  manner  pleasing  to  God.  6.  The  gift  of  piety, 
which  induces  us  to  have  God  in  view  in  all  our  actions,  and  our 
hearts  inclined  by  love  to  His  service.  7.  The  gift  of  the  fear 
of  the  Lord,  by  which  we  not  only  fear  the  just  punishment, 
but  even  His  displeasure  at  every  sin,  more  than  all  other  things 
in  the  world. 

What  are  the  fruits  of  the  Holy  Ghost? 
As  St.  Paul  {Gal.  v.  22-23.)  enumerates  them,  they  are  twelve: 
1.  Charity.  2.  Joy.  3.  Peace.  4.  Patience.  5.  Benignity.  6.  Good- 
ness. 7.  Longanimity.  8.  Mildness.  9.  Faith.  10.  Modesty.  11.  Con- 
tinency.  12.  Chastity.  To  obtain  these  fruits  as  well  as  the  gifts 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  should  daily  say  the  prayer:  "Come,  0 
Holy  Ghost,  &c." 

Why  does  Christ  say:  The  Father  is  yr eater  than  J? 
As  Christ  was  at  the  same  time  God- and  Man,  the  Father  was 
certainly  greater  than  the  Man  Christ,  but  Christ  as  God  is  in  all 
things  equal  to  His  Father. 

Why  does  Christ  say:  I  will  not  now  speak  many  things 

with  yon? 
Christ  spoke  these  words  shortly  before  His  passion,  and  He 
wished  by  them  to  say,  that  the  time  was  near  at  hand  when  Sa- 
tan, by  his  instruments,  the  wicked  Jews,  would  put  Him  to  death, 
not  because  Satan  had  this  power  over  Him,  but  because  He  Him- 
self wished  to  die  in  obedience  to  His  Father. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  MONDAY  AFTER 

PENTECOST. 

(Called  WHIT  MONDAY.) 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  is  the  same  as  on  the  Feast  of  Corpus 
Chris ft. 

?RAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  didst  give  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  Thy  apostles,  hear  the  prayers  of  Thy  people, 
that  they  may  enjoy  a  happy  peace,  who,  by  Thy  grace,  have 
received  the  gift  of  true  faith. 

LESSON.  (Actsx.  34.,  42—48.)  In  those  days:  Peter  open- 
ing his  mouth,  said :  ^Brethren,  the  Lord  commanded  ns  to 
preach  to  the  people*  and  to  testify  that  it  is  he  who  was 
appointed  by  God  to  be  judge  of  the  living  and  of  the  dead. 
To  him  all  the  prophets  give  testimony,  that  through  his 
name  all  receive  remission  of  sins,  who  believe  in  him.  While 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  MONDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  327 

Peter  was  yet  speaking  these  words,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on 
all  them  that  heard  the  word.  And  the  faithful  of  the  cir- 
cumcision, who  came  with  Peter,  were  astonished,  for  that 
the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  poured  out  upon  the  Gen- 
tiles also.  For  they  heard  them  speaking  with  tongues,  and 
magnifying  God.  Then  Peter  answered :  Can  any  man  forbid 
water,  that  these  men  should  not  be  baptized,  who  have  re- 
ceived the  Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  we.  And  he  commanded 
them  to  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

EXPLANATION.  This  lesson  relates  the  manner  in  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  descended  upon  the  believing  gentiles  who  were 
assembled  with  the  centurion  Cornelius,  and  heard  the  sermon  of 
St.  Peter  with  hearts  burning  for  knowledge. — Do  you,  also,  strive 
to  assist  at  sermons  with  a  heart  desirous  of  learning,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  will  enlighten  you ;  and  do  not  forget  before  the  ser- 
mon to  invoke  the  Holy  Ghost. 

GOSPEL.  (John  iu.  16  —  21.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
Nicodemus :  God  so  loved  the  world,  as  to  give  his  only  be- 
gotten Son;  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him,  may  not  perish, 
but  may  have  life  everlasting.  For  God  sent  not  his  Son  into 
the  world,  tt)  judge  the  world,  but  that  the  world  may  be 
saved  by  him.  He  that  believeth  in  him,  is  not  judged.  But 
he  that  doth  not  believe,  is  already  judged :  because  he  be- 
lieveth not  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God.  And 
this  is  the  judgment:  because  the  light  is  come  into  the  world, 
and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  the  light :  for  their  works 
were  evil.  For  every  one  that  doth  evil,  hateth  the  light,  and 
cometh  not  to  the  light,  that  his  works  may  not  be  reproved. 
But  he  that  doth  truth,  cometh  to  the  light,  that  his  works 
may  be  made  manifest,  because  they  are  done  in  God. 
How  may  we  know  the  love  of  God  for  us  men? 

By  His  giving  us  His  only  Son  for  our  Teacher  and  Redeemer, 
yielding  Him  up  for  our  sakes  to  the  most  ignominious  and  pain- 
ful death  of  the  cross.  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  as  to 
give  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth 
in  Him,  may  not  perish,  but  may  have  life  everlasting. 
(John  iii.  16.) 

Why,  in  spite  of  this  love,  are  there  so  many  lost? 
Because  so  many  despise  this  love  of  God  and  cast  away 
Christ,  the  Light  of  the  world,  that  is,  do  not  follow  His  teachings, 


328 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  MONDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


even  hate  Him,  loving  better  the  darkness,  that  is,  the  suggestions 
of  Satan,  the  pleasures  of  this  world,  whose  prince  is  Satan. 
Has  not  the  Holy  Ghost  come  into  this  world  as  a  light? 
Yes;  for  He  inwardly  enlightens  the  hearts  of  men  by  His 
grace,  that  they  may  properly  understand  the  truths  of  salvation; 
and  as  the  natural  light  leads  us  out  of  darkness,  so  the  Holy 
Ghost  by  His  supernatural  light  leads  us  out  of  the  darkness  of 
ignorance,  and  from  the  snares  and  dangers  of  the  world  and  the 
devil,  into  eternal  happiness. 

MOTIVES  FOR  THE  LOVE  OF  GOD. 
God  so  loved  the  world,  as  to  give  His  only  begotten  Son. 

W{John  iii.  16.) 
Hat  will  we  render  to  God  for  the  love  He  has  shown 
and  every  day  and  every  moment  shows  to  us?    He  has 


MOTIVES  FOR  THE  LOVE  OF  GOD.  329 

loved  us  from  all' eternity  when  we  were  not,  and  when,  conse- 
quently, He  could  not  expect  any  return  of  love  from  us,  and  al- 
though He  knew,  that  we  would  be  sinners  and  enemies  to  Him,  He 
loved  us  with  infinite  love,  showing  His  love  by  creating  us,  and  all 
things  for  us.  But  for  His  goodness  and  love  even  this  was  not  en- 
ough ;  to  release  us  from  the  misery  of  sin,  He  gave  us  His  beloved, 
only  Son,  who,  clothing  Himself  with  our  mortal  flesh,  and  having 
become  in  all  things,  except  sin,  our  equal,  shed  the  last  drop  of 
His  blood  on  the  cross  as  a  ransom  for  our  sins ;  gives  Himself 
to  us  for  our  nourishment  in  the  most  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the 
Altar;  offers  Himself  daily,  in  the  Mass,  to  His  Heavenly  Father 
for  us,  and  is,  day  and  night,  present  with  us  in  the  most  glorious 
Sacrament.  What  more  could  the  infinite  love  of  God  do  for  us? 
There  was  something  more  that  He  could  give,  and  that  we  were 
to  receive :  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  with  all  His  gifts  and  favors  was 
given  to  us  in  holy  Baptism. 

"If  now,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "we  love  him  who  does  us  good, 
assists  us  in  our  needs,  undergoes  danger  in  our  behalf,  how,  then, 
must  we  love  Him  who  has  given  us  all  that  we  have ;  who  has 
given  us  the  angels  for  our  guardians,  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  to 
shine  for  us,  the  earth  for  our  dwelling,  the  elements,  the  plants, 
the  animals  to  supply  our  necessities,  our  food,  our  pleasure; 
who  continually  preserves  us,  that  we  fall  not  back  into  our  ori- 
ginal nothingness;  who  constantly  guards  us  from  innumerable 
dangers  and  evils;  who  has  not  only  endangered  His  life,  but  has 
really  suffered  the  most  bitter  death  for  us ;  who  so  mercifully 
forgives  us  all  our  sins,  heals  all  our  weaknesses,  keeps  our  lives 
from  perdition,  and  crowns  us  with  grace  and  mercy!"  (Ps.  cii.) 

Let  us  therefore  with  our  whole  heart  love  this  good  and  lov- 
ing God,  who  has  already  loved  us  without  any  merit  of  ours, 
and  be  ashamed  that  we  have  until  now  loved  Him  so  little,  and 
performed  so  little  for  love  of  Him.  God  seems  to  live  only  for 
us,  to  occupy  Himself  only  with  us,  and  we — alas!  instead  of 
living  for  Him  alone,  have  until  now  lived  only  for  the  world,  lived 
only  to  offend  Him !  Let  us  cast  ourselves  down  in  sorrow  before 
the  face  of  God ,  and  exclaim  often  with  St.  Francis  of  Assisi : 
"My  God  and  my  all!  What  art  Thou?  and  what  am  I,  but  a 
worm  of  the  earth?  Most  Holy  Lord!  Would  that  I  loved  Thee! 
Sweetest  Lord!  Would  that  I  loved  Thee!"  and  with  St.  Ignatius: 

Only  Thy  grace,  For  it  makes  me  so  rich, 

Only  Thy  love',  That  I  ask  no  more; 

Only  that,  0  Lord,  If  I  am  Thine  and  Thou  mine, 

Only  that  give  me.  Then  shall  I  be  eternally  happy. 


330 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  TUESDAY  AFTER 
PENTECOST. 

ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  CONFIRMATION. 

When  the  apostles  who  were  in  Jerusalem,  had  heard  that 
Samaria  had  received  the  word  of  God:  they  sent  to 
them  Peter  and  John.  Who  when  they  were  come,  pray- 
ed for  them,  that  they  miyht  receive  the  Holy  Ghost. 
For  he  was  not  as  yet  come  upon  any  of  them:  hut  they 
were  only  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Then  they  laid  their  hands  upon  them,  and  they  re- 
ceived the  Holy  Ghost.  (Acts  viii.  14 — 17.) 

YIs  confirmation  a  real  Sacrament? 
Es,  for  it  has  the  three  true  marks  of  a  real  Sacrament :  a 
visible  sign;  an  invisible  sanctifying  grace;  the  institution 
by  Christ. 

Did  Christ  really  institute  this  Sacrament? 
Christ  is  the  Author  of  this  Sacrament  as  He  is  of  all  the  others, 
with  this  difference  only,  as  St.  Thomas  of  Aquinas  says,  that  He 
instituted  this  only  by  promise  and  not  by  the  actual  giving  of  it; 
for  it  was  necessary,  that  He  should  die,  should  rise  from  the 
dead,  and  ascend  into  heaven  (John  xvi.  7.)  before  giving  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  which  consists  the  proper  effect  of  this 
Sacrament.  This  according  to  the  tradition  of  the  fathers,  is  the 
doctrine  of  the  infallible  Church.  Thus  St.  Clement,  a  disciple  of 
the  apostles,  writes  that  St.  Peter  taught  it  to  him,  and  that  the 
other  apostles  had  also  announced  it,  in  accordance  with  the 
command  of  the  Lord.  That  the  apostles  administered  this 
Sacrament  by  Christ's  command,  is  clear  from  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  (viii.  14-17.)  which  state,  that  Peter  and  John  laid  their 
hands  upon  the  newly  baptized  at  Samaria,  and  prayed  over  them, 
thus  giving  them  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  St.  Paul  also 
did  to  the  baptized  at  Ephesus.  (Acts  xix.  5,  6.) 

What  is  the  visible  sign  in  confirmation? 

The  imposition  of  the  bishop's  hands,  the  anointing  with  holy 
chrism,  and  the  words  which  the  bishop  unites  with  it:  "N.  N.,  I 
sign  thee  with  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  confirm  thee 
with  the  chrism  of  salvation,  in  the  name  of  the  Fa- 
ther, &c." 

What  graces  are  given  bg  this  Sacrament? 

This  Sacrament  gives  to  those  who  have  been  baptized  the 
Holy  Ghost  with  the  plenitude  of  His  grace,  and  thus  completes 
baptismal  grace ;  for  which  reason  confirmation  is  also  called  by 
the  holy  fathers:  "Completion",  "Sealing".    It  especially  gives 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  TUESDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  331 

strength  to  profess  the  faith  firmly,  and  to  live  in  accordance  with 
it,  and  is  therefore  called  "Confirmation"  from  the  Latin  fir- 
mare,  to  "strengthen",  to  "confirm";  it  elevates  man,  who  has 
by  baptism  become  a  child  of  God,  to  the  dignity  of  a  soldier  of 
Christ,  enrolls  him  as  a  warrior  under  the  banner  of  the  cross, 
imprints  upon  him  an  indelible  mark,  and  thus  distinguishes 
him  from  those  who  have  been  baptized,  but  not  confirmed,  and 
it  can  therefore  be  but  once  received. 

Who  has  power  to  administer  confirmation  ? 
The  usual  ministers  of  this  Sacrament  are  the  bishops  only ; 
for  according  to  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  (viii.  16.)  only  the  apost- 
les and  their  successors  who  are  bishops,  can  give  the  Holy  Ghost 
by  imposition  of  hands.  This  right  of  the  bishops  St.  Augustine 
calls  an  old  custom,  and  given  to  them  by  the  apostles. 

What  is  the  holy  chrism  which  the  bishop  uses  in  confirmation? 
The  holy  chrism  which,  as  Pope  Fabian  testifies,  Christ  com- 
manded to  be  used  in  confirmation,  consists  of  balsam  and  olive - 
oil  mixed  together,  and  signifies  the  plenitude  of  grace  which 
comes  down  from  Christ  through  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  one  to 
be  confirmed;  the  balsam  represents  the  good  odor  of  the  edi- 
fying life  which  the  one  confirmed  should  lead,  as  said  by  the 
apostle:  We  are  a  good  odor  of  Christ  (ii.  Cor.  ii.  15.);  the 
balsam  also  indicates,  that  as  the  body  of  a  dead  person  em- 
balmed with  it,  is  guarded  from  corruption,  so  the  soul  by  the 
heavenly  grace  obtained  in  confirmation,  is  preserved  from  the  in- 
fection of  sin. 

Why  is  the  forehead  anointed  in  the  form  of  a  cross  with  chrism  ? 
To  remind  the  Christian  that  he  is  never  to  be  deterred  by 
either  shame  or  fear  from  the  public  acknowledgment  of  the  name 
of  Jesus,  but  fight  valiantly  as  a  true  soldier  of  Christ,  under  the 
banner  of  the  cross  against  all  the  enemies  of  his  salvation. 

Why  does  the  bishop  impose  his  hands  upon  those  about  to  be 

confirmed? 
This  shows  that  the  actual  communication  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
taking  place,  as  the  apostles  did  and  wrote  (Hebr.  vi.  2.),  and  that 
the  person  confirmed  stands  especially  under  God's  protection. 

What  prayers  are  said  by  the  bishop  while  he  imposes  his  hands 

upon  those  beiny  cojifi?'med? 
,  They  are :  "Almighty,  eternal  God,  who  hast  deigned  to  create 
anew  these  Thy  servants  by  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  hast 
also  bestowed  upon  them  the  remission  of  all  their  sins,  pour  out 
upon  them  the  sevenfold  gifts  of  Thy  Holy  Ghost  from  heaven." 
Amen. 

"The  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding."  Amen. 
"The  spirit  of  counsel  and  of  fortitude."  Amen. 


332  INSTRUCTION  FOR  TUESDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

"The  spirit  of  knowledge  and  of  piety."  Amen. 

"Fill  them  with  the  spirit  of  fear  towards  Thee,  and  sign  them 
with  the  sign  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  granting  them  eternal  life, 
through  the  same  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  who  with  Thee  in  the 
unity  of  the  same  God  the  Holy  Ghost  liveth  and  reigneth  in  all 
eternity."  Amen. 

Why  does  the  bishop  especially  ask  for  the  spirit  of  the  fear  of 

the  Lord? 

Because  the  filial  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  foundation  of  all 
^ood,  the  beginning  of  all  wisdom,  the  fountain  of  life,  and  gains 
tor  him  who  possesses  it,  eternal  happiness.  (Ps.  cxi.  1.) 

Why  does  the  bishop  yive  the  one  confirmed  a  liyht  blow  on  the  cheek? 

To  remind  him  that  .like  Christ  and  the  apostles,  he  must  cou- 
rageously bear  all  adversities  and  persecutions  for  the  holy  faith, 
and  thus  obtain  that  true  peace  the  bishop  wishes  him. 

Why  do  the  sponsors  lay  their  right  hands  on  the  shoulder  of  the 
one  to  be  confirmed? 

That  it  may  be  understood,  that  they  are  witnesses  of  the 
renewal  of  his  faith;  that  they  will  exhort  him  to  faithfully  pre- 
serve the  faith ;  that  they  will  walk  before  him  in  the  true  path 
of  virtue  by  good  example.  [In  regard  to  the  spiritual  affinity 
arising  from  confirmation,  see  the  instruction  concerning  baptism  in 
the  instruction  for  the  festival  of  the  Holy  Trinity] 

Is  confirmation  necessary  for  salvation  ? 
It  is  not  absolutely  necessary  for  salvation,  but  he  who  having 
the  opportunity  should  neglect  to  receive  it,  would  commit  a 
grievous  sin,  even  a  mortal  sin,  because  he  openly  shows  by  this, 
that  he  has  no  regard  for  God  the  Holy  Ghost  and  for  His  as- 
sistance. Baptism  lays  the  foundation  for  the  Christian  religion, 
but  confirmation  crowns  the  work  baptism  has  commenced,  be- 
cause in  confirmation,  as  the  Roman  Catechism  teaches,  the  form 
of  a  true  Christian  is  perfected. 

What  must  be  done  by  one  who  is  to  be  confirmed? 
He  must  be  in  a  state  of  grace,  and  cleansed  by  a  good  con- 
fession from  the  sins  committed  after  baptism,  for  to  receive  this 
Sacrament  while  in  mortal  sin,  would  be  to  commit  another  mortal 
sin ;  he  should  be  well  instructed  in  the  truths  of  faith,  especially 
in  those  relating  to  confirmation;  he  should  have  a  sponsor  or 
witness  who  has  been  confirmed ;  he  should  arouse  in  himself  a 
great  desire  for  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  asking  God  for  them ; 
he  should  receive  the  Sacrament  with  great  reverence  and  de- 
votion, and  while  being  confirmed  should  make  in  his  heart  the 
promise  to  become  and  remain  henceforth  a  true,  zealous  Catho- 
lic, never  to  be  unfaithful  to  Christ  and  His  holy  Church ;  finally, 
those  who  are  to  be  confirmed,  must  never  forget  that  they  must 


ON  WEDNESDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  333 

be  present  from  the  first  imposition  of  hands  by  the  bi- 
shop, because  this  is  the  especial  sign  to  which  the  granting  of 
the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  annexed.  It  is  seen  from  all  this, 
that  it  is  not  advisable  to  allow  infants  to  be  confirmed,  because 
they  do  not  know  what  they  receive,  nor  can  they  be  properly 
prepared,  and  they  can  be  saved  even  if  they  die  without  con- 
firmation. 

What  should  be  done  after  receiving  confirmation? 
Those  confirmed  should  not  go  immediately  out  of  Church, 
but  should  kneel  down  in  a  quiet  part  of  it,  thanking  the  Holy 
Spirit  for  the  gracesTeceived ;  renewing  the  promise  to  serve  God 
faithfully  henceforth,  to  preserve  the  faith,  never  to  be  ashamed 
of  it,  and  always  to  live  in  accordance  with  it.  They  should  show 
themselves  daily  by  an  edifying  life  to  be  true  Catholic  Christians, 
and  thus  add  to  the  truth,  that  unbelievers  also  may  see  the 
fruits  of  confirmation,  and  learn  to  love  and  respect  a  Church, 
that  gives  such  glorious  gifts  to  her  children. 

PRAYER  AFTER  CONFIRMATION. 
fTo  be  said  often  during  the  year.] 

I  thank  Thee,  0  Holy  Ghost,  that  Thou  hast  given  me  Thy 
grace  in  the  Sacrament  of  Confirmation,  and  hast  strength- 
ened me  against  all  temptations  and  persecutions,  and  I  most 
humbly  beseech  Thee,  that  by  Thy  inward  inspirations  Thou 
mayst  continually  so  impel  me,  that  in  all  the  dangers  of  my 
salvation,  I  may  faithfully  cooperate  with  the  graces  I  have 
received,  and  never  from  fear  or  false  shame  transgress  the 
commandments  of  God  and  the  Church.  Let  me  die  rather 
than  ever  offend  Thee,  0  Holy  Ghost,  refuse  to  heed  Thy  in- 
spirations, or  drive  Thee  from  me  by  a  mortal  sin.  Amen. 

ON  WEDNESDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

/Ember  day. J 

LESSON.  {Acts  v.  12—10.)  In  those  days:  Were  many 
signs  and  wonders  wrought  among  the  people.  And  they 
were  all  with  one  accord  in  Solomon's  porch.  But  of  the  rest 
no  man  durst  join  himself  with  them;  but  the  people  magni- 
fied them.  And  the  multitude  of  men  and  women  that  be- 
lieved in  the  Lord,  was  more  increased:  insomuch  that  they 
brought  forth  the  sick  into  the  streets,  and  laid  them  on 
beds  and  couches,  that  when  Peter  came,  his  shadow  at  least 
might  overshadow  any  of  them,  and  they  might  be  delivered 
from  their  infirmities.    And  there  came  also  together  to  Je- 


334  0N  WEDNESDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

rusalem  a  multitude  out  of  the  neighbouring  cities,  bringing 
sick  persons,  and  such  as  were  troubled  with  unclean  spirits, 
who  were  all  healed. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostles  assembled  daily  under  the 
portico  through  which  the  gentiles  were  allowed  to  enter  the 
temple,  in  order  to  open  their  eyes  by  the  great  miracles  which 
God  performed  by  the  apostles,  and  to  prepare  and  bring  them 
to  receive  the  Christian  faith.  St.  Peter  was  especially  distin- 
guished, for  even  his  shadow  healed  diseases,  and  afterwards  he 
was  the  first  to  receive  the  gentiles  into  the*  Church.  Thus  in  the 
apostles  were  verified  Christ's  wrords:  He  that  believeth  in 
me,  the  works  that  I  do,  he  shall  do  also,  and  greater 
than  these  shall  he  do.  (Johnxiv.  12.) 

GOSPEL.  (John  vi.  44 — 52.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
the  multitude  of  the  Jews :  No  man  can  come  to  me  except 
the  Father,  who  hath  sent  me,  draw  him :  and  I  will  raise 
him  up  at  the  last  day.  It  is  written  in  the  prophets :  "  And 
they  shall  all  be  taught  of  God."  Every  one  that  hath  heard 
of  the  Father,  and  hath  learned,  cometh  to  me.  Not  that  any 
man  hath  seen  the  Father,  but  he  who  is  of  God,  he  hath 
seen  the  Father.  Amen,  Amen,  I  say  unto  you:  He  that  be- 
lieveth in  me,  hath  everlasting  life.  I  am  the  bread  of  life. 
Your  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  desert,  and  are  dead.  This 
is  the  bread  which  cometh  down  from  heaven :  that  if  any 
man  eat  of  it,  he  may  not  die.  I  am  the  living  bread  which 
came  down  from  heaven.  If  any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he 
shall  live  for  ever:  and  the  bread  that  I  will  give,  is  my  flesh 
for  the  life  of  the  world. 

INSTRUCTION.  From  these  words  of  Jesus  that  no  man 
comes  to  Him  unless  drawn  by  the  Father,  that  is,  as  St.  Cyril 
says,  unless  the  Father  move  him  through  exhortations,  in- 
structions, or  revelations,  it  is  seen  that  the  grace  of  God  is  ne- 
cessary for  conversion,  for  faith  and  eternal  happiness.  "But  that 
you  may  be  drawn,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "pray."  Ask  God  in- 
cessantly for  help  and  grace,  that  He  may  draw  you  wholly  to 
Him,  nourish  and  strengthen  you  with  the  true  bread,  the  flesh 
of  His  Son,  and  you  will  thus  gain  eternal  life. 


335 

ON  FEIDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 
[Emberday.] 

LESSON.  {Joel  ii.  23—27.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God: 
And  you,  0  children  of  Sion,  rejoice,  and  be  joyful  in  the  Lord 
your  God:  because  he  hath  given  you  a  teacher  of  justice, 
and  he  will  make  the  early  and  the  latter  rain  to  come  down 
for  you  as  in  the  beginning.  And  the  floors  shall  be  filled 
with  wheat,  and  the  presses  shall  overflow  with  wine  and  oil. 
And  I  will  restore  to  you  the  years  which  the  locust,  and  the 
bruchus,  and  the  mildew,  and  the  palmer-worm  hath  eaten: 
my  great  host  which  I  have  sent  upon  you.  And  you  shall 
eat  in  plenxy  and  shall  be  filled:  and  you  shall  praise  the 
name  of  the  Lord  your  God,  who  hath  done  wonders  with 
you,  and  my  people  shall  not  be  confounded  for  ever.  And 
you  shall  know  that  I  am  in  the  midst  of  Israel :  and  I  am 
the  Lord  your  God,  and  there  is  none  besides:  and  my  people 
shall  not  be  confounded  for  ever,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 

EXPLANATION.  In  the  verses  of  the  first  and  second  chap- 
ter preceding  these,  the  prophet  announces  to  the  Jews  God's 
punishments  because  of  their  sins,  urges  them  to  repentance,  and 
promises  them  a  happy  day  in  which  the  Teacher  of  justice,  the 
Messiah,  would  visit  them  with  all  graces.  0  happy  penance 
which  prepares  for  him  who  performs  it,  such  great  blessings  both 
in  this  world  and  in  the  world  to  come ! 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  v.  17  — 26.)  At  that  time:  It  came  to 
pass  on  a  certain  day,  that  Jesus  sat  teaching.  And  there 
were  Pharisees  and  doctors  of  the  law  sitting  by,  that  were 
come  out  of  every  town  of  Galilee  and  Judea  and  Jerusalem; 
and  the  power  of  the  Lord  was  to  heal  them.  And  behold, 
men  brought  in  a  bed  a  man  who  had  the  palsy :  and  they 
sought  means  to  bring  him  in,  and  to  lay  him  'before  him. 
And  when  they  could  not  find  by  what  way  they  might  bring 
him  in,  because  of  the  multitude,  they  went  up  upon  the 
roof,  and  let  him  down  through  the  tiles  with  his  bed  into  the 
midst,  before  Jesus.  And  when  he  saw  their  faith,  he  said : 
Man,  thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee.  And  the  Scribes  and  the 
Pharisees  began  to  think,  saying:  Who  is  this  who  speaketh 
blasphemies?  Who  can  forgive  sins,  but  God  alone?  And 
when  Jesus  knew  their  thoughts,  answering,  he  said  to  them: 


336  0N  SATURDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

What  is  it  you  think  in  your  hearts?  Which  is  easier  to  say: 
Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee;  or  to  say:  arise  and  walk?  But 
that  you  may  know  that  the  Son  of  Man. hath  power  on  earth 
to  forgive  sins,  (he  saith  to  the  sick  of  the  palsy)  I  say  to 
thee,  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed  and  go  into  thy  house.  And  im- 
mediately rising  up  before  them,  he  took  up  the  bed  on  which 
he  lay;  and  he  went  away  to  his  own  house,  glorifying  God. 
And  all  were  astonished;  and  they  glorified  God.  And  they 
were  filled  with  fear,  saying:  We  have  seen  wonderful  things 
to-day. 

[For  the  explanation  of  this  gospel  see  eighteenth"6unday  after 
Pentecost.] 

ON  SATUKDAY  AFTEE  PENTECOST. 

[Emberday.J 

EPISTLE.  {Rom.  v.  1—  5.)  Brethren:  Being  justified  by- 
faith  ,  let  us  have  peace  with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  By  whom  also  we  have  access  through  faith,  into 
this  grace  wherein  we  stand,  and  glory  in  the  hope  of  the 
glory  of  the  sons  of  God.  And  not  only  so:  but  we  glory  also 
in  tribulations,  knowing  that  tribulation  worketh  patience; 
and  patience  trial;  and  trial  hope.  And  hope  confoundeth 
not;  because  the  charity  of  God  is  poured  forth  in  our  hearts 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  is  given  to  us. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Catholic  Church  has  always  maintain- 
ed, that  not  faith  alone,  which  the  devils  have  also,  but  faith 
active  by  love  and  showing  itself  by  good  works  justifies  man.  The 
Catholic  Church  teaches  this  in  opposition  to  those  heretics  who 
assert,  that  by  faith  in  Christ  man  is  already  justified,  bringing  as 
proofs  of  their  assertion  the  words  of  this  chapter  which  St.  Paul 
speaks  concerning  faith.  The  Church's  doctrine  in  this  respect  is 
confirmed  by  St.  Paul  himself  in  many  texts  from  his  epistles  (i.  Cor. 
xiii.  2.;  i.  Tim.  vi.  18.;  Tit.  hi.  18.),  and  by  the  traditions  of  all  the 
fathers  of  the  Church.  —  Believe  in  Jesus  and  His  word,  but  also 
practise  this  faith  in  works  of  love,  and  you  will  be  saved. 

GOSPEL.  (Lukeiv.  38 — 44.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  rising 
up  out  of  the  synagogue,  went  into  Simon's  house.  And 
Simon's  wife's  mother  was  taken  with  a  great  fever:  and 
they  besought  him  for  her. — And  standing  over  her  he  com- 
manded the  fever,  and  it  left  her.    And  immediately  rising, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  HOLY  TRINITY.     337 

she  ministered  to  them.  And  when  the  sun  was  clown,  all 
they  that  had  any  sick  with  divers  diseases,  brought  them  to 
him.  But  he  laying  his  hands  on  every  one  of  them,  healed 
them.  And  devils  went  out  from  many,  crying  out  and  say- 
ing :  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God.  And  he  rebuking  them,  suf- 
fered them  not  to  speak :  for  they  knew  that  he  was  Christ. 
And  when  it  was  day,  going  out  he  went  into  a  desert  place: 
and  the  multitudes  sought  him,  and  came  unto  him:  and 
they  stayed  him  that  he  should  not  depart  from  them.  To 
whom  he  said:  To  other  cities  also,  I  must  preach  the  king- 
dom of  God :  for  therefore  am  I  sent.  And  he  was  preaching 
in  the  synagogues  of  Galilee. 

[For  the  explanation  see  Thursday  in  the  third  week  of  Lent.J 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
HOLY  TRINITY. 

THis  festival  comes  just  after  Pentecost,  because  as  soon  as 
they  were  instructed  and  consoled  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  the 
apostles  began  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity  openly  to  teach 
and  to  preach  that  which  Christ  had  taught  them. 
Why  is  this  festival  celebrated? 

That  we  may  openly  profess  our  faith  in  the  doctrine  of  the 
Holy  Trinity,  which  is  the  first  of  Christian  truths,  the  foundation 
of  the  Christian  religion,  and  the  most  sublime  of  all  our  myste- 
ries; and  that  we  may  render  thanks  to  each  of  the  three  Divine 
Persons  for  that  which  they  have  done  for  our  salvation ;  for  the 
Father  has  created  us,  the  Son  has  redeemed  us,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  sanctified  us. 

In  praise  and  honor  of  the  most  Holy  Trinity,  the  Church 
sings  in  the  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass:  Blessed  be  the  Holy 
Trinity  and  Undivided  Unity,  which  we  honor,  having 
seen  the  shining  of  its  glory.  (Tod.  xii.)  0  Lord,  our 
Lord,  how  admirable  is  thy  name  in  the  whole  earth! 
(Ps.  viii.  1.)   Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Almighty  and  Eternal  God, 
who  hast  given  to  Thy  servants,  that  in  the  profession  of  the 
true  faith  they  may  know  the  glory  of  the  Eternal  Trinity, 
and  in  the  power  of  that  glory  adore  its  unity:  grant,  that 
by  our  firmness  in  this  same  faith,  we  may  be  protected 
from  all  adversities.   Through,  &c. 


22 


338    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  HOLY  TRINITY. 

EPISTLE.  (Bom.  xi.  33—36.)  0  the  depth  of  the  riches 
of  the  wisdom  and  of  the  knowledge  of  God!  How  incom- 
prehensible are  his  judgments,  and  how  unsearchable  his 
ways!  For  who  hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord?  Or  who 
hath  been  his  counsellor?  Or  who  hath  first  given  to  him, 
and  recompense  shall  be  made  him?  For  of  him,  and  by  him, 
and  in  him  are  all  things:  to  him  be  glory  forever.  Amen. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul's  wonderment,  in  this  epistle,  is 
caused  by  the  inscrutable  judgment  of  God  in  rejecting  the  Jews 
and  calling  the  gentiles.  The  Church  avails  herself  of  these  ex- 
pressions of  St.  Paul,  to  express  her  reverential  astonishment  at 
this  incomprehensible  mystery  of  the  most  Holy  Trinity,  which  sur- 
passes our  understanding,  and  yet  is  the  worthy  object  of  our  faith, 
our  hope,  and  our  love.  But  although  neither  angels  nor  men  can 
fathom  and  comprehend  this  mystery,  and  although  he  who  tries 
to  comprehend  it,  must  fear  of  being  overcome  by  it,  it  cannot  be 
difficult  for  the  sound  human  intellect  to  believe  it,  since  it  is  in- 
dubitably and  evidently  revealed  by  God,  and  we  in  many  natural 
and  human  things  accept  for  true  and  certain  much  that  we  cannot 
comprehend.  Let  us  submit  our  intellect,  therefore,  and  yield 
ourselves  up  to  the  faith;  as  there  was  indeed  a  time  when  men 
were  martyred,  when  even  all  ages  and  conditions  preferred  to 
die  rather  than  for  one  instant  let  this  faith  go,  so  let  us  rather 
wait  until  our  faith  is  changed  to  contemplation,  until  we  see  the 
Triune  God,  face  to  face,  as  It  is,  and  in  the  sight  of  that  coun- 
tenance become  eternally  happy.  There  should  all  our  hopes, 
wishes,  and  desires  be  directed,  and  we  should  cease  all  fruitless 
investigations,  endeavoring  by  humble  faith  and  active  love,  to 
prove  worthy  of  It's  blissful  contemplation;  for  if  we  do  not  love 
Him  who  is  our  all,  our  last  end  and  aim,  and  lovingly  desire  Him, 
we  will  have  no  hope  of  one  day  possessing  Him. 

ASPIRATION.  0  incomprehensible,  Triune  God!  0  Abyss 
of  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness!  To  Thee  all  glory  and 
adoration!  In  Thee  I  lose  myself;  I  cannot  contain  Thee,  do 
Thou  contain  me.  I  believe  in  Thee,  though  I  cannot  com- 
prehend Thee ;  do  Thou  increase  my  faith ;  I  hope  in  Thee, 
because  I  have  promised  myself  all  good  from  Thee;  do  Thou 
enliven  my  hope;  I  love  Thee,  because  Thou  art  worthy  of 
all  love;  do  Thou  inflame  ever  more  my  love,  that  in  Thy 
love  I  may  live  and  die.  Amen. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt,  xxviii.  18—20.)  And  Jesus  coming 
spoke  to  them,  saying :  All  power  is  given  to  me  in  heaven 
and  on  earth.    Going  therefore,  teach  ye  all  nations,  baptiz- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  HOLY  TRINITY.    339 


ing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  what- 
soever I  have  commanded  you;  and  behold,  I  am  with  you  all 
days  even  unto  the  consummation  of  the  world. 

EXPLANATION.  As  God,  Christ  had,  from  all  eternity,  all  and 
the  same  power  that  His  Father  had;  as  man,  He  has  this  same  power 
by  the  union  of  His  divinity  with  His  humanity,  and  on  account  of 
the  infinite  merits  of  His  passion.  In  virtue  of  this  power,  He  said 
to  His  apostles,  before  the  ascension,  that,  as  His  Heavenly  Father 
had  sent  Him,  even  so  He  sent  them  to  all  nations,  without  ex- 
ception, to  teach  all  that  He  had  commanded,  and  to  receive  them, 
by  means  of  baptism,  into  the  Church ;  at  the  same  time  He  pro- 
mised to  be  with  them  to  the  end  of  the  world,  that  is,  that  He 


22* 


340    INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM. 

would  console  them  in  sufferings,  strengthen  them  in  persecution, 
preserve  them  from  error,  and  always  protect  them  and  their 
successors,  the  bishops  and  priests,  even  unto  the  consummation 
of  the  world. 

[See  Instruction  on  the  doctrine  of  the  infallibility  of  the  Church, 
the  first  Sunday  after  Easter.] 

ASPIRATION.  Be  with  us,  0  Lord,  for  without  Thee  our 
pastors  cannot  produce  fruit,  nor  their  hearers  accomplish 
any  thing  from  their  words.  Be  with  us  always,  for  we 
always  need  Thy  help.  All  power  is  given  to  Thee,  Thou 
hast,  then,  the  right  to  command,  and  we  are  bound  to  obey 
Thy  commands,  which,  by  Thy  Church,  Thou  hast  made 
known  to  us.  This  we  have  promised  in  baptism,  and  now 
before  Thy  eyes,  we  renew  those  vows.  Grant,  now,  thai 
those  promises  which  without  Thee  we  could  not  have  made, 
and  without  Thee  cannot  keep,  may  be  fulfilled  in  our  actions. 
Leave  us  not  to  ourselves,  but  be  Thou  with  us,  and  make 
us  obedient  to  Thee,  that  by  cheerful  submission  to  Thee,  we 
may  receive  happiness. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF 
BAPTISM. 

Teaching  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

{Matt,  xxviii.  19.) 

YIs  baptism  a  Sacrament? 
Es,  because  in  it  the  grace  of  God  is  received  by  means  of 
an  external  sign,  instituted  by  Christ. 

What  is  this  external  sign? 
The  immersion  into,  or  the  pouring  on  of  water,  accompanied 
by  the  words:  "I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen." 

What  does  the  baptismal  grace  effect? 

It  frees  man,  from  original  sin,  and  from  all  sins  committed 
before  baptism,  causing  Him  to  be  born  again,  in  a  spiritual  sense, 
in  Christ,  made  a  new  creature,  a  child  of  God,  and  joint  heir  with 
Christ. 

How  many  kinds  of  baptism  are  there? 

There  are  three  kinds:  The  baptism  of  desire,  which  con- 
sists in  a  heartfelt  desire  for  the  baptism  of  water,  joined  to  a 
perfect  love  of  God,  or  a  perfect  sorrow  for  sins  committed,  and 
the  purpose  to  obey  all  God's  commands;  the  baptism  of  blood, 
by  which  one  gives  his  blood  and  suffers  martyrdom  for  the  true 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM.  341 

faith,  without  having  received  the  baptism  of  water;  the  baptism 
of  water,  which  is  the  Sacrament  ot  Baptism. 

What  do  the  different  ceremonies  of  this  Sacrament  signify? 

They  are  the  external  signs  of  that  which  baptism  works  in- 
wardly upon  the  soul,  and  should  impress  the  spectators  with 
deep  reverence  for  this  Sacrament. 

Why  is  it  customary  to  have  a  godfather  or  godmother  to  hold  the 

child  in  baptism? 
That  there  may  be  a  witness  that  the  child  has  received  bap- 
tism ;  that  in  case  of  the  death  of  the  parents,  the  godparents  may 
assume  their  place,  and  have  the  child  instructed  in  the  neces- 
sary religious  truths.  St.  Augustine  speaking  of  the  duties  of 
godparents,  very  beautifully  says:  "They  should  use  all  care, 
often  to  admonish  in  true  love  their  godchildren,  that  they  may 
strive  to  lead  a  pure  life;  they  should  warn  them  against  all  de- 
traction, all  improper  songs,  and  keep  them  from  pride,  envy, 
anger,  and  revenge,  they  should  watch  over  them  that  they  may 
preserve  the  Catholic  faith  unbroken,  attend  the  Church  services, 
listen  to  the  word  of  God,  and  obey  the  priests  and  their  parents." 
This  takes  for  granted  that  the  godparents  are  true  believers,  and 
of  unquestionable  morality ;  and  that  no  one  not  a  Catholic  is  chosen 
for  a  sponsor.  For  such  a  one  would  not  instruct  the  child  in  the 
Catholic  faith  himself,  or  see  that  others  do  it,  but  would  be  more 
likely,  as  experience  shows,  to  seek  to  draw  the  child  over  to  error. 

What  results  from  this  sponsorship? 
In  baptism,  as  in  confirmation,  a  spiritual  affinity  originates 
between  the  sponsors,  the  one  who  baptizes  or  confirms,  with  the 
one  baptized  or  confirmed,  and  with  its  parents,  so  that,  by  a  de- 
cision of  the  Church,  a  godfather  or  godmother  cannot  contract 
marriage  with  any  of  these  parties,  unless  the  impediment,  is  re- 
moved by  dispensation,  that  is,  by  a  special  permission  received 
from  a  spiritual  superior.  But  the  sponsors  have  no  spiritual  re- 
lationship to  each  other. 

Why  has  the  Church  instituted  this  spiritual  relation? 

From  reverence  for  these  holy  Sacraments,  and  that  by  this 
spiritual  bond,  the  sponsors  may  be  more  closely  connected  with 
their  godchildren,  and  be  kept  to  the  better  fulfilment  of  their 
duties  towards  them. 

Why  is  the  person  to  be  baptized  not  at  once  allowed  to  enter  into 

the  Church? 

To  indicate  that  until  he  has  thrown  off  the  disgraceful  yoke 
Of  sin,  and  has  entirely  submitted  to  Christ  the  Lord,  and  His 
authority,  he  is  unworthy  to  enter,  because  baptism  is  the  door  of 
God's  grace,  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  the  communion  of 
saints. 


342    INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM. 

Why  does  the  person  receive  a  saint's  name  ? 

That  by  this  name  he  may  be  enrolled,  through  baptism,  into 
the  number  of  Christians  whom  St.  Paul  calls  saints;  that  he  may 
have  a  patron  and  intercessor,  and  that  the  saint  whose  name  he 
bears,  may  be  his  model  and  exemplar,  by  which  he  may  regulate 
his  own  life. 
Why  does  the  priest  breathe  in  the  face  of  the  one  to  be  baptized? 

That  the  power  of  the  evil  spirit  may  be  destroyed,  his  hellish 
fire  drawn  from  the  heart,  and  instead  of  it,  according  to  the 
example  set  by  Jesus,  the  life  giving  Holy  Ghost  {John  xx.  22.)  be 
breathed  into  him,  and  spiritual  life  bestowed  upon  him. 

Why  does  the  priest  impose  his  hand  so  many  times  upon  the  head 
of  the  person  to  be  baptized? 
To  show  that  he  is  now  the  property  of  God,  stands  under  His 
protection,  and  hears  His  Church. 

What  is  signified  by  the  many  exorcisms  or  adjurations? 
That  the  evil  spirit's  connection  with  the  person  should  cease, 
who  thenceforth  should  not  heed  the  temptations  to  evil,  and  that 
Satan  be  expelled,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  from  him. 

Why  is  the  person  so  often  signed  with  the  sign  of  the  cross? 

To  signify  that  through  the  power  of  Christ's  merits  and  of 
His  death  on  the  cross,  baptism  washes  away  original  sin ;  that 
the  person  intends  to  be  henceforth  a  follower  of  Christ  the  Cru- 
cified, and  to  fight  valiantly,  under  the  banner  of  the  cross, 
against  the  enemies  of  his  salvation,  and  will  follow  Christ  on  the 
way  of  the  cross,  even  unto  death. 

Why  is  salt  placed  in  the  person's  mouth? 
This  is  done  to  signify  that  by  the  doctrine  of  faith,  and  the 
gift  of  grace,  he  is  preserved  from  the  rottenness  of  sin ;  that  he 
should  have  a  taste  for  good  works,  and  find  his  pleasure  in  the 
nourishment  of  divine  wisdom. 

Why  are  his  ears  and  nose  touched  with  spittle  ? 
That  as  Christ  put  spittle  on  the  eyes  of  the  man  born  blind, 
and  thus  enabled  him  to  see,  so,  by  baptism,  the  spiritual  blind- 
ness of  the  soul  is  removed,  and  his  mind  receives  light  to  behold 
heavenly  wisdom.  "Also,"  as  St.  Ambrose  says,  "the  person  is 
thus  instructed  to  open  his  ears  to  priestly  admonitions,  and  be- 
come a  sweet  perfume  of  Christ." 

Why  does  the  priest  ask:  "Dost  thou  renounce  the  devil,  and  all 

his  works,  and  all  his  pomps  ?" 

That  the  Christian  may  know,  that  his  vocation  requires  him 

to  renounce  and  combat  the  devil,  all  his  works,  and  suggestions, 

and  all  his  pomps.    Thus  St.  Ambrose  very  beautifully  says  to  a 

newly  baptized :    "When  the  priest  asked:  Dost  thou  renounce 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM.     343 

the  devil  and  all  his  works,  what  didst  thou  reply?  "I  renounce 
them."  Dost  tho  urenounce  the  world,  its  glitter,  and  its  pleasures? 
"I  renounce  them."  Think  of  these  promises,  and  let  them  never 
depart  from  thy  mind.  Thou  hast  given  thy  handwriting  to  the 
priest,  who  stands  for  Christ;  when  thou  hast  given  thy  note  to  a 
man,  thou  art  bound  to  him.  Now  thy  word  is  not  on  earth,  but 
preserved  in  heaven." 

Why  is  the  person  anointed  on  the  shoulder  and  breast  with  holy  oil? 

As  Sts.  Ambrose  and  Chrysostom  explain,  this  is  done  to  streng- 
then him  to  make  a  valiant  contest  for  Christ;  as  the  old  fighters 
anointed  themselves  with  oil  before  they  entered  the  arena,  so  is 
he  anointed,  on  the  breast,  that  he  may  attain  courage  and  force 
bravely  to  combat  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  and  on  the 
shoulder,  that  he  may  be  strong  to  bear  the  yoke  of  Christ's 
commands  constantly  and  untiringly,  and  go  running  with  un- 
broken faithfulness,  over  the  toilsome  racecourse  of  life,  to  God, 
and  in  His  holy  service. 

Why  are  the  "Our  Father",  and  "I  believe  in  God",  said  at 

baptism  ? 

That,  when  it  is  a  grown  person,  an  acknowledgment  of  faith 
may  by  this  means  be  made  in  the  face  of  the  Church;  and  that, 
when  it  is  only  a  child  that  is  baptized,  the  sponsors  should  do 
this  in  its  place,  and  be  thus  reminded  to  carefully  attend,  that 
their  godchildren  are  well  instructed  in  these  as  in  all  other 
Christian  truths. 

Why  does  the  priest  expressly  ask  the  person  if  he  will  be 

baptized? 

Because  as  man,  through  Adam,  of  his  own  free  will  obeyed 
the  devil,  so  now  when  he  would  be  received  among  the  number 
of  Christ's  children,  he  must,  to  obtain  salvation,  of  his  own  free 
will  obey  the  precepts  of  God. 

Why  is  water  poured  three  limes  upon  the  person's  head? 

This  is  done,  as  St.  Gregory  the  Great  writes,  with  the  in- 
tention of  honoring  the  three  days  our  Lord  remained  in  the  se- 
pulchre. In  early  times  the  Church  immersed  the  person  three 
times  in  the  water,  but  from  different  causes  this  custom  has  been 
given  up. 

Why  is  the  person  anointed  on  the  top  of  the  head  with  chrism  ? 

This  anointing  is,  so  to  speak,  the  crown  of  the  young  Chris- 
tian. As  in  the  Old  Law  the  kings  were  anointed  (i.  Kings  x.  1.), 
as  Jesus  is  the  Anointed  One,  and  as  the  Apostle  St.  Peter  calls 
the  Christians  a  chosen  race,  a  kingly  priesthood,  a  holy 
people  (i.  Peter  ii.  9.),  so  the  baptized  by  means  of  this  unction 
is  embodied  in  Christ,  the  Anointed  One,  and  participates  in  His 


344        INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  RENEWAL  OF  BAPTISMAL  VOWS. 

priesthood  and  kingly  dignity.  What  an  exalted  position  is  the 
Christian's!  He  is  the  anointed  one  of  the  Lord,  and  in  a  spiri- 
tual sense  a  priest,  because  he  constantly  brings  himself  to  the 
Lord  God  as  a  pleasing  sacrifice  in  prayer,  mortification,  &c.  He 
is  king  when  he  rules  over  his  inclinations,  submits  them  to  rea- 
son, and  reason  to  the  Lord.  Besides  this  he  is  king  by  the  claims 
which,  through  baptism,  he  possesses  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Through  the  chrism  he  becomes  the  blessed  temple  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  sacred  vessel  which  in  time,  through  communion,  will 
contain  the  precious  body  and  the  precious  blood  of  Christ.  How 
does  he  insult  himself,  when  by  a  grievous  sin  he  tramples  his 
exalted  dignity  under  his  feet,  and  stains  his  soul,  the  temple  of 
the  Holy  Ghost ! 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  white  dress,  the  cap,  or  the  little  hand- 
kerchief which  the  baptized  receives? 
The  holy  fathers  teach  that  this  represents  the  glory  to  which 
by  baptism  we  are  born  again;  the  purity  and  beauty  with  which 
the  soul,  having  been  washed  from  sin  in  the  Sacrament  of  bap- 
tism, is  adorned,  and  the  innocence  which  the  baptized  must  pre- 
serve through  his  whole  life. 

Why  is  a  lighted  candle  placed  in  his  hand? 

This  represents  the  flame  of  love  for  God  and  our  neighbor 
which  the  child  must  henceforth  continually  carry,  like  the  five 
wise  virgins  {Matt.  xxv.  13.),  on  the  path  to  meet  the  Lord,  that 
when  his  life  is  ended,  he  may  be  admitted  to  the  eternal  wedding- 
feast  ;  it  is  also  an  emblem  of  the  Christian  doctrine  which  pre- 
serves the  baptized  from  the  darkness  of  error,  ignorance,  and 
sin,  illumines  his  understanding,  and  leads  him  safely  in  the  way 
of  virtue ;  it  signifies  also  the  light  of  good  example  which  he 
should  keep  ever  burning. 

Can  any  one  baptize  in  an  emergency? 

Yes ;  that  no  one  may  be  deprived  of  salvation,  even  the  fa- 
ther or  mother  in  case  of  extreme  danger  can  baptize  their  child. 

What  must  be  particularly  observed  in  such  baptisms? 
The  person  who  baptizes  must  be  careful  to  use  only  river-, 
well-,  or  rain-water;  rose-water  or  other  mixed  or  distilled  wa- 
ters must  not  be  used;  to  wet  the  child's  head,  saying  at  the 
same  time  devoutly  and  distinctly  these  words:  "N.  N.,  I  baptize 
thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost;"  having  all  the  while  the  intention  of  baptizing  as  the 
Church  does,  in  the  manner  required  by  Christ. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  RENEWAL  OF  BAPTISMAL 

AVOWS. 
11  the  dignities  and  graces  which  we  receive  in  holy  baptism, 
God  secures  to  us  for  the  future,  but  only  on  the  condition 


DOCTRINE  OF  THE  THREE  IN  ONE  GOD.  345 

that  we  keep  our  baptismal  vows.  Every  Christian  in  baptism 
makes  a  bond  with  God  through  the  mediation  of  Christ  who  has 
sealed  it  with  His  blood.  This  bond  consists  on  man's  part  in 
the  promise  to  renounce  forever  the  devil  and  all  his  works,  and 
all  his  pomps,  that  is,  constantly  to  suppress  the  threefold  lust  of 
the  eyes,  the  flesh,  and  the  pride  of  life,  by  which  the  devil  leads 
us  to  sin,  and  to  believe  all  that  God  has  revealed,  and  that  His 
holy  Church  proposes  to  our  belief,  and  diligently  and  properly 
to  make  use  of  all  the  means  of  salvation  flowing  from  the  Church. 
On  God's  part  this  bond  consists  in  cleansing  us  from  all  sin,  in 
bestowing  all  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  adopting  us  as  His 
children,  and  in  the  assurance  of  the  inheritance  of  heaven.  This 
bond  should  last  till  death;  it  is  never  broken  by  the  infinitely 
true  and  faithful  God,  but  so  often  by  weak  and  fickle  man,  who 
is  too  often  inclined  to  break  it,  and  should,  therefore,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  desire  of  the  Church,  often  remind  himself  of  it, 
and  from  time  to  time  renew  it  in  the  sight  of  God.  This  should 
be  particularly  done  before  receiving  the  holy  Sacrament  of  Con- 
firmation, before  first  Communion,  on  the  vigils  of  Easter  and 
Pentecost,  at  the  blessing  of  baptismal  water,  on  the  anniversaries 
of  baptism  and  confirmation,  before  making  any  solemn  vow,  be- 
fore entering  into  matrimony,  when  in  danger  of  death.  This 
renewal  of  baptismal  vows  can  be  made  in  the  following  manner : 
Placing  ourselves  in  the  presence  of  God,  we  kneel  down,  fold 
our  hands,  and  say  with  fervent  devotion : 

I  believe  in  God  the  Father,  Almighty  Creator  of  heaven  and 
earth. 

I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  His  only  Son,  our  Lord,  who  was 
born  and  suffered. 

I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  the 
communion  of  saints,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  the  resurrection  of 
the  body,  and  life  everlasting. 

I  renounce  the  devil,  all  his  works,  and  all  his  pomps. 

Christ  Jesus !  With  Thee  I  am  united,  to  Thee  alone  I  cling, 
Thee  only  will  I  follow,  for  Thee  to  live,  for  Thee  to  die  is  my 
desire.  In  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Amen. 


DOCTRINE  OF  THE  THREE  IN  ONE  GOD. 

What  is  God? 
Od  is  of  Himself  the  most  perfect  being,  the  highest,  best 
good,  who  exists  from  all  eternity,  by  whom  heaven  and 
earth  are  created,  and  from  whom  all  things  derive  and  hold  life 
and  existence,  for  of  Him,  and  by  Him,  and  in  Him  are 
all  things.  (Rom.  xi.  36.) 


G 


346     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

What  is  the  Blessed  Trinity? 
The  Blessed  Trinity  is  this  same  one  God  who  exists  in  one 
single  nature  and  substance,  and  at  the  same  time  in  three  per- 
sons, the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

s    Is  each  of  these  three  persons  God? 

Yes,  because  each  of  them  has  the  divine  nature  and  substance. 

Are  they  not  three  Gods? 

No,  because  all  three  of  these  persons  have  one  and  the  same 
divine  nature  and  substance. 

Is  any  one  of  these  three  persons  older,  miyhlier,  or  greater  than 

the  others? 

By  no  means,  for  they  are  all  three  from  eternity  entirely 
equal  to  each  other  in  the  divine  omnipotence,  greatness,  and  ma- 
jesty, and  must,  therefore,  be  equally  adored  and  venerated. 

Ought  one  to  give  himself  up  to  the  investigation  of  the  most 
Blessed  Trinity? 

No;  "for,"  says  the  saintly  Bishop  Martinus,  "the  mystery  of 
the  Trinity  cannot  be  comprehended  by  the  human  intellect,  no 
one  however  eloquent  of  tongue  could  exhaust.it;  if  entire  books 
were  written  about  it,  so  that  the  whole  world  were  filled  with 
them,  yet  the  unspeakable  wisdom  of  God  would  not  be  expressed. 
God  who  is  indescribable,  can  in  no  way  be  described.  When  the 
human  mind  ceases  to  speak  of  Him,  then  it  but  begins  to  speak." 
Therefore  the  true  Christian  throws  his  intellect  under  the  feet 
of  faith,  not  seeking  long  to  understand  that  which  the  human 
mind  can  as  little  comprehend,  as  a  tiny  hole  in  the  sand  can  con- 
tain the  immeasurable  sea.  An  humble  and  active  faith  will  make 
us  worthy  some  day  in  the  other  world,  to  see  with  the  greatest 
bliss  this  mystery  as  it  is,  for  in  this  consists  eternal  life,  that  by 
a  pious  life  we  may  glorify  and  know  the  only  true  God,  Christ 
Jesus,  His  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST, 

on  which  is  celebrated  the  Feast  of  the  most  Holy  Trinity. 

THe  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass  is  an  encouragement  to  con- 
fidence in  God's  mercy:  Lord,  I  have  trusted  in  thy 
mercy,  my  heart  shall  rejoice  in  thy  salvation,  I  will 
sing  to  the  Lord  who  giveth  me  good  things.  How 
long,  0  Lord,  wilt  thou  forget  me?  Unto  the  end?  How 
long  dost  thou  turn  away  thy  face  from  me?  (/^.xii.1-6.) 
Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.       347 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  the  strength  of 
such  as  hope  in  Thee:  mercifully  hear  us  calling  on  Thee:  and 
since  mortal  weakness  can  do  nothing  without  Thee,  grant 
us  the  assistance  of  Thy  grace;  that  in  observing  Thy  com- 
mandments, we  may  please  Thee  both  in  will  and  action. 
Thro1. 

EPISTLE.  (Johniv.  8 — 21.)  Dearly  beloved:  God  is  cha- 
rity. By  this  hath  the  charity  of  God  appeared  towards  us, 
because  God  hath  sent  his  only  begotten  Son  into  the  world, 
that  we  may  live  by  him.  In  this  is  charity:  not  as  though 
we  had  loved  God,  but  because  he  hath  first  loved  us,  and 
sent  his  Son  to  be  a  propitiation  for  our  sins.  My  dearest,  if 
God  hath  so  loved  us:  we  also  ought  to  love  one  another.  No 
man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time.  If  we  love  one  another, 
God  abideth  in  us,  and  his  charity  is  perfected  in  us.  In  this 
we  know  that  we  abide  in  him,  and  he  in  us :  because  he 
hath  given  us  of  his  spirit.  And  we  have  seen,  and  do  testify, 
that  the  Father  hath  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  the 
world;  whosoever  shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God, 
God  abideth  in  him,  and  he  in  God,  and  we  have  known,  and 
have  believed  the  charity,  which  God  hath  to  us.  God  is 
charity;  and  he  that  abideth  in  charity,  abideth  in  God,  and 
God  in  him.  In  this  is  the  charity  of  God  perfected  in  us, 
that  we  may  have  confidence  at  the  day  of  judgment :  be- 
cause as  he  is,  we  also  are  in  this  world.  Fear  is  not  in  cha- 
rity :  but  perfect  charity  casteth  out  fear,  because  fear  hath 
pain.  And  he  that  feareth,  is  not  perfected  in  charity.  Let 
us  therefore  love  God,  because  God  first  hath  loved  us.  If 
any  man  say,  I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  brother :  he  is  a  liar. 
For  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he  seeth,  how  can 
he  love  God  whom  he  seeth  not?  And  this  commandment 
we  have  from  God,  that  he,  who  loveth  God,  love  also  his 
brother. 

EXPLANATION.  Stronger  motives  for  the  love  of  God  and 
of  our  neighbor  than  these  cited  by  St.  John,  who,  because  of  his 
ardent  love  of  God,  was  named  the  "loved  disciple",  cannot  be 
brought.  If  we  but  consider  and  reflect  upon  them,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  resist  his  words.  The  motives  for  the  love  of  God  are 
diffusely  explained  in  the  instruction  for  the  Monday  after  Pente- 
cost, and  may  be  omitted  here.  We  should  be  induced  to  love  our 
neighbor  by  the  love,  which  God  has  for  him,  for  whatever  God 


348      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

loves  is  certainly  worthy  of  our  love;  and  we  cannot  love  God, 
when  we  do  not  love  our  neighbor.  "Since  your  neighbor,"  says 
St.  Augustine,  "is  your  brother,  and  yet  you  do  not  love  him,  how 
can  you  love  God  whose  commandment  you  thus  reject?" 


GOSPEL.  (Luke  vi.  36 — 41 .)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
his  disciples:  Be  ye  merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful. 
Judge  not,  and  you  shall  not  be  judged.  Condemn  not,  and 
you  shall  not  be  condemned.  Forgive,  and  you  shall  be  for- 
given. Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  to  you;  good  measure  and 
pressed  down  and  shaken  together  and  running  over  shall  be 
given  into  your. bosom.  For  with  the  same  measure  that  you 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.       349 

shall  mete,  withal  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again.  And  he 
spoke  also  to  them  a  similitude:  Can  the  blind  lead  the  blind? 
do  they  not  both  fall  into  the  ditch?  The  disciple  is  not  ab- 
ove his  master:  but  every  one  shall  be  perfect,  if  he  be  as 
his  master.  And  why  seest  thou  the  mote  in  thy  brother's 
eye ;  but  the  beam  that  is  in  thy  own  eye,  thou  considerest 
not  ?  or  how  canst  thou  say  to  thy  brother :  Brother,  let  me 
pull  the  mote  out  of  thy  eye ,  when  thou  thyself  seeest  not 
the  beam  in  thy  own  eye?  Hypocrite,  cast  first  the  beam  out 
of  thine  own  eye,  and  then  thou  shalt  see  clearly  to  take  out 
the  mote  from  thy  brother's  eye. 

Be  ye  merciful  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful! 

If  we  would  be  children  of  the  Heavenly  Father,  we  must  imi- 
tate Him  in  mercy  and  goodness ;  and  as  He  lets  His  sun  shine 
on  the  good  and  the  bad,  and  allows  the  dew  of  His  grace  to  fall 
alike  on  the  just  and  the  unjust,  even  so  must  we  love  not  our 
friends  merely,  but  our  eneinies  also. 

Judge  not,  and  you  shall  not  be  judged;  condemn  not, 
and  you  shall  not  be  condemned! 

Two  kinds  of  judgments  are  here  forbidden  by  Christ:  the  rash 
or  presumptuous,  and  the  arrogant  judgment.  The  rash  judg- 
ment, which  is  usually  a  groundless  suspicion,  is  forbidden,  be- 
cause by  it  the  love  and  honor  of  our  neighbor  is  injured,  for  no 
one  can  look  into  the  heart,  and  see  the  motive  of  another's 
omissions  and  commissions ;  of  these  no  one  but  God  can  judge, 
who  tries  the  heart  and  reins,  and  knows  the  intention.  The  ar- 
rogant judgment,  is  even  more  to  be  condemned,  and  is  when 
one  judges  another  without  any  right,  as  his  superior,  to  do  so. 
By  both  of  these  judgments  man  usurps  a  right  of  God,  as  St. 
Dorotheus  says,  takes  vengeance  irom  God,  and  robs  himself  of 
all  divine  protection.  "A  double,  yes,  a  triple  sin  it  is,"  says  St. 
Chrysostom,  "to  judge  another,  and  without  pity  draw  the  beam 
from  his  eye." 

Forgive,  and  you  shall  be  forgiven! 
Christ  says  by  this,  that  we  shall  receive  forgiveness  from 
God  for  the  injuries  we  have  committed  against  Him,  only  upon 
the  condition  that  we  from  our  hearts  forgive  others  their  in- 
juries to  us.  "For,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "how  canst  thou  raise 
thy  hand  to  heaven,  or  move  thy  tongue  and  ask  forgiveness,  when 
thou  wilt  not  forgive?  When  thou  wishest,  that  God  forgive  thy 
sins,  He  will  not  do  it,  because  thou  hast  an  angry  feeling 
towards  thy  brother." 


350      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

Give ,  and  it  shall  be  given  to  you! 
We  are  poor  and  greatly  need,  that  God  should  give  to  us; 
and,  therefore,  like  petitioners,  we  say  every  day :  "Give  us  this 
day  our  daily  bread."  But  God  answers  us:  Give,  and  it  shall 
be  given  to  you.  You  are  my  poor  and  you  have  other  poor 
among  you,  do  you  then  to  these  poor,  as  you  would  that  I  should 
do  to  you.  The  goodness  and  love  of  God  should  always  be  our 
model,  although  we  can  never  reach  it,  for  between  our  love  and 
goodness,  and  the  love  and  goodness  of  God,  there  is  a  manifest 
difference.  We  can  give  but  little,  while  God  gives  much,  but  for 
the  little  which  we  give  to  the  poor,  God  gives  us  a  good  mea- 
sure, pressed  d,own,  and  shaken  together,  and  running 
over.  The  promise  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  to  you  applies 
also  to  all  other  works  which  we  do  for  the  love  of  God,  for  He 
rewards  everything,  even  the  slightest  thing  done  in  His  name, 
with  infinite  bounty  and  richness,  here  upon  this  earth  with  new 
graces  and  benefits,  and  with  eternal  glory  in  heaven. 

Can  the  blind  lead  the  blind? 
By  these  words  the  Saviour  teaches,  that  no  one  should  re- 
buke or  reproach  his  neighbor  for  faul'ts  from  which  he  himself 
is  not  free,  for  as  the  disciple  is  not  above  the  master,  the  master 
ought  certainly  to  be  perfect;  that  one  blind  person  shall  not  lead 
another,  that  the  advice  may  not  be  required:  Cast  first  the 
beam,  that  is,  the  great  faults,  out  of  thine  own  eye;  and 
then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  take  the  mote,  that  is,  the 
small  faults,  out  of  thy  brother's  eye.  The  blind  who  leads 
another  and  falls  into  the  ditch,  is  also  he  who  is  led  by  his  carnal 
desires,  and  does  not  permit  himself  to  be  led  by  the  light  of  faith, 
and  guided  by  the  hand  of  divine  grace.  This  is  the  most  dang- 
erous and  most  fearful  blindness,  because  it  inevitably  leads  to 
destruction. 

ASPIRATION.  0  that  I  had  been  always  good  and  merci- 
ful to  my  neighbor,  that  I  might  also,  one  day,  find  grace 
with  God!  0  that  I  had  never  rashly  judged  any  one,  that 
I  might,  one  day,  be  not  strictly  judged  and  condemned  by 
God  for  my  sins !  Ah,  my  God !  I  regret  from  my  heart  these 
wrongs,  and  hope  forgiveness  for  them  from  Thee,  as  1  also 
from  my  heart  forgive  those  who  have  offended  me!  En- 
lighten my  blindness,  0  Lord,  that  I  may  guard  against  such 
sins  in  future,  and  not  follow  the  desires  of  the  flesh,  that  I 
may  find  the  right  path  to  heaven,  and  by  a  good  example 
lead  others  there.  Amen. 


351 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  CORPUS  CHRISTI. 

BWhy  is  this  day  called  Corpus  Chris ti? 
Ecause  on  this  Thursday  the  Catholic  Church  celebrates  the 
commemoration  of  the  institution  of  the  most  blessed  Sa- 
crament of  the  Altar,  or  the  festival  of  the  Body  of  our  Lord; 
therefore  the  Latin  name  corpus  Christi:  "body  of  Christ." 

Who  instituted  this  festival  ? 
The  head  of  the  Church,  Pope  Urban  IV.,  who,  in  the  decree 
concerning  it,  gives  the  following  explanation  of  the  institution 
and  grandeur  of  this  festival:  "Although  we  daily,  in  the  holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  renew  the  memory  of  this  holy  Sacrament, 
we  believe  that  we  must,  besides,  solemnly  commemorate  it 
every  year,  to  put  the  unbelievers  to  shame;  and  because  we  have 
been  informed,  that  God  has  revealed  to  some  pious  persons  that 
this  festival  should  be  celebrated  in  the  whole  Church,  we  direct 
that  on  the  first  Thursday  after  the  octave  of  Pentecost  the  faith- 
ful shall  assemble  in  Church,  join  with  the  priests  in  singing  the 
word  of  God  "  &c.  There  was  therefore  a  threefold  cause  for  the 
institution  of  this  festival :  The  grandeur  of  the  divine  mystery 
itself,  the  shaming  of  those  unbelievers  who  deny  the  truth  of 
this  mystery,  and  the  revelation  made  to  some  pious  persons.  This 
revelation  was  made  to  a  pious  nun  at  Liege,  named  Juliana, 
and  to  her  pious  friends  Eve  and  Isabella.  Juliana  had  frequently, 
when  praying,  a  vision  in  which  she  saw  the  bright  moon,  with 
one  part  of  it  somewhat  dark ;  and  at  her  request  God  gave  her 
to  understand  it  to  mean,  that  one  of  the  grandest  festivals  was 
yet  missing  in  the  Church :  the  festival  of  the  most  blessed  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Altar.  In  1246,  she  related  this  vision  to  Robert, 
Bishop  of  Liege,  who  after  having  investigated  the  matter  with  the 
aid  of  several  men  of  learning  and  devotion ,  among  whom  was 
Jacob  Pantaleon,  Archdeacon  of  Liege,  afterwards  Pope  Urban  IV., 
made  arrangements  to  introduce  this  festival  in  his  diocese ;  but 
death  prevented  him  from  doing  so.  After  the  bishop's  death  the 
Cardinal  Legate  Hugh  undertook  to  carry  out  his  directions,  and 
actually  celebrated  the  festival  for  the  first  time  in  the  year  1247, 
in  the  Church  of  St.  Martin  at  Liege.  Several  bishops  followed 
this  example,  and  the  festival  was  observed  in  several  dioceses, 
before  Pope  Urban  IV.  finally  in  1264  ordered  its  celebration  by 
the  whole  Church.  This  order  was  confirmed  by  Clement  V.  at 
the  Council  of  Vienna  in  1311,  and  the  Thursday  after  the  octave 
of  Pentecost  appointed  for  its  celebration.  In  1317,  Pope  JohnXXII. 
added  the  solemn  procession. 

Why  are  there  such  yrand  processions  on  this  day? 

For  a  public  profession  of  our  holy  faith  that  Christ  is  really, 
truly,  and  essentially  present  in  this  blessed  Sacrament;  for  a 


352  INSTRUCTION  FOR  CORPUS  CHRISTI. 

public  deprecation  of  all  injuries,  irreverence,  and  offences,  which 
have  been  and  are  committed  by  impious  men  against  Christ  in 
this  blessed  Sacrament;  for  the  solemn  veneration  and  adoration 
due  to  the  Son  of  God  in  this  Sacrament ;  in  thanksgiving  for  its 
institution,  and  for  all  the  graces  and  advantages  received  from 
it ;  and  finally,  to  draw  down  the  divine  blessing  upon  the  people 
and  the  country. 

Had  this  procession  a  prototype  in  the  Old  Law? 

Yes,  in  that  procession  which  carried  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant 
containing  the  manna,  the  figure  of  the  blessed  Sacrament. 

At  the  Introit  the  Church  in  her  joy,  sings  inDavid's  words: 
He  fed  them  with  the  fat  of  wheat,  Alleluia:  and  filled 
them  with  honey  out  of  the  rock.  Allel.  Allel.  Allel.  Exult 
in  God  our  help;  joyfully  sing  to  the  God  of  Jacob. 
(Ps.  lxxx.)    Glory,  &c. 

PKAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  in  this  wonder- 
ful sacrament,  hast  left  us  a  perpetual  memorial  of  Thy  Pas- 
sion ;  grant  us,  we  beseech  Thee,  so  to  reverence  th«  sacred 
mysteries  of  Thy  body  and  blood,  that  in  our  souls  we  may 
always  be  sensible  of  the  fruit  of  the  redemption  Thou  hast 
purchased  for  us.  Who  livest. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  xi.  23—29.)  Brethren:  I  have  received 
of  the  Lord,  that  which  also  I  delivered  to  you,  that  the  Lord 
Jesus,  the  same  night  in  which  he  was  betrayed,  took  bread, 
and  giving  thanks,  broke,  and  said:  Take  ye,  and  eat:  this 
is  my  body  which  shall  be  delivered  for  you:  this  do  for  the 
commemoration  of  me.  In  like  manner  also  the  chalice,  after 
he  had  supped,  saying :  This  Chalice  is  the  New  Testament 
in  my  blood :  this  do  ye,  as  often  as  you  shall  drink  it,  for 
the  commemoration  of  me.  For  as  often  as  you  shall  eat 
this  bread,  and  drink  this  chalice,  you  shall  shew  the  death 
of  the  Lord,  until  he  come.  Therefore  whosoever  shall  eat 
this  bread,  or  drink  of  the  chalice  of  the  Lord  unworthily, 
shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord.  But  let  a 
man  prove  himself:  and  so  let  him  eat  of  that  bread,  and 
drink  of  the  chalice.  For  he  that  eateth  and  drinketh  un- 
worthily, eateth  and  drinketh  judgment  to  himself,  not  dis- 
cerning the  body  of  the  Lord. 

GOSPEL.  (John  vi.  56— 59.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
the  multitude  of  the  Jews:  My  flesh  is  meat  indeed:  and  my 
blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  CORPUS  CHRISTI. 


353 


my  blood,  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him.  As  the  living  Father 

hath  sent  me,  and  I  live  by  the  Father;  so  he  that  eateth 

me,  the  same  also  shall  live  by  me.     This  is  the  bread  that 

came  down  from  heaven.  Not  as  your  fathers  did  eat  manna 

and  are  dead.  He  that  eateth  this  bread,  shall  live  forever. 

/  The  explanation  of  the  epistle  and  gospel  is  contained  in  the  in- 
struction which  comes  after  the  following  remarks  on  the  manna  of 
which  Jesus  here  speaks.] 

The  Jews  liberated,  by  the  powerful  hand  of  God,  from  Egyp- 
tian captivity,  went  dryfooted  through  the  Red  Sea,  whose  waters 
became  the  grave  of  their  pursuer,  the  king  Pharaoh,  and  of  his 
whole  army.  Having  arrived  in  the  desert  Sin  they  began  to  murmur 


23 


354   DETAILED  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  MOST  HOLY  SACRAMENT 

against  Moses  and  Aaron,  their  leaders,  on  account  of  lack  of  bread, 
and  demanded  to  be  led  back  to  Egypt  where  there  was  plenty. 
The  Lord  God  took  pity  on  His  people.  In  the  evening  He  sent 
into  their  camps  great  flocks  of  quails,  which  the  Jews  caught  and 
eat,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  next  day  the  whole  ground  was 
covered  with  white  dew,  and  in  the  desert  something  fine,  as  if 
pounded  in  a  mortar,  looking  like  frost  on  the  earth,  which  as 
soon  as  the  Jews  beheld,  they  exclaimed  in  surprise:  "Man  hu?" 
'•What  is  that?"  But  Moses  said  to  them,  "This  is  bread  which 
the  Lord  has  given  you."  And  they  at  once  began  to  collect  the 
food  which  was  white,  small  as  coriander-seed,  tasted  like  wheat- 
bread  and  honey,  and  was  henceforth  called  man,  manna,  by  them. 
God  let  this  manna  fall  for  them  every  morning,  Sabbaths  ex- 
cepted, for  forty  years,  and  the  Jews  lived  upon  it  in  the  desert, 
until  they  came  to  the  promised  land.  This  manna  was  a  figure 
of  the  blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Altar,  which  is  daily  prepared 
on  the  altar,  contains  all  sweetness,  and  nourishes  the  soul  of  him 
who  with  proper  preparation  receives  it,  so  that  whoever  eats  it 
worthily,  dies  not  though  his  body  sleeps  in  the  grave,  for  Christ 
will  awaken  him  to  eternal  life. 

DETAILED  INSTRUCTION 

ON  THE  MOST  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  THE  ALTAR, 
AND  ON  HOLY  COMMUNION. 

I  What  is  the  Sacrament  of  the  Altar? 

T  is  that  Sacrament  in  which  under  the  appearance  of  bread 
and  wine  the  body  and  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  are  re- 
ally, truly,  and  substantially  present. 

Is  it  a  true  Sacrament? 
Yes,  for  it  contains  a  visible  sign,  invisible  graces  for  the 
soul's  sanctification,  it  was  promised,  and  is  really  instituted  by 
Christ. 

When  and  in  what  manner  did  Christ  promise  this  Sacrament? 

About  one  year  before  its  institution  He  promised  it  in  the  syna- 
gogue at  Capharnaum,  according  to  St.  John  the  Evangelist  (vi.  24- 
65)  in  this  manner1:  When  Jesus,  near  the  Tiberian  Sea,  had  fed  five 
thousand  men  in  a  miraculous  manner,  with  a  few  small  loaves,  these 
men  would  not  leave  Him,  because  they  marvelled  at  the  miracle, 
were  anxious  for  their  bread,  and  desired  to  make  Him  their  king. 
But  Jesus  fled  to  a  high  mountain,  and  in  the  night  went  with 
His  disciples  to  Capharnaum  which  was  a  town  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  sea;  but  a  multitude  of  Jews  followed  Him  there,  and 
He  made  use  of  the  occasion  to  speak  of  the  mysterious  soulbread 
which  He  would  one  day  give  to  them  and  to  all  men.  He  first 
exhorted  them,  not  to  go  so  eagerly  after  the  perishable  bread  of 
the  body,  but  to  seek  the  bread  of  the  soul,  which  lasts  forever, 


OF  THE  ALTAR,  AND  ON  HOLY  COMMUNION.         355 

and  which  the  Heavenly  Father  would  give  them,  through  Him, 
in  abundance.  This  imperishable  bread  was  the  divine  word, 
His  holy  doctrine,  especially  the  doctrine  that  He  had  come  from 
heaven  to  guidems  to  eternal  life.  (vers.  25  -38.)  At  these  last 
words  the  Jews  murmured,  and  the  Saviour  quieted  them  by 
showing  them  that  no  one  could  believe  without  a  special  grace 
from  His  Heavenly  Father  (v.  43,  44),  that  He  was  the  Messiah, 
and  had  come  from  heaven.  After  this  introduction  setting  forth 
that  the  duty  of  faith  in  Him  and  in  His  divine  doctrine,  was 
a  spiritual  nourishment,  Christ  very  clearly  unfolded  the  my- 
stery of  another  bread  for  the  soul  which  was  to  be-  given  only 
at  some  future  time,  and  this,  the  Saviour  did  not  ascribe  to  the 
the  Heavenly  Father,  as  He  did  the  bread  of  the  divine  word,  but 
to  Himself  by  plainly  telling  who  was  this  bread:  I  am  the  liv- 
ing bread  which  came  down  from  heaven.  If  any  man 
eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  forever,  and  the  bread 
which  I  shall  giye,  is  my  flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world. 
{v.  51,  52.) 

But  the  Jews  would  not  believe  these  words,  so  clearly  ex- 
pressed, for  they  thought  their  fulfilment  impossible,  and  said : 
How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?  (v.  53.)  But 
Jesus  recalled  not  His  words,  answered  not  the  Jew's  objections, 
but  confirmed  that  which  He  had  said,  declaring  with  marked 
emphasis:  Amen,  amen,  I  say  unto  you,  unless  you  eat 
the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  drink  his  blood,  you 
shall  not  have  life  in  you.  (v.  54.)  He  that  eateth  my 
flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  everlasting  life, 
and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  For  my  flesh 
is  meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  that 
eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood,  abideth  in  me, 
and  I  in  him.  As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me,  and  I 
live  by  the  Father;  so  he  that  eateth  me,  the  same  also 
shall  live  by  me.  This  is  the  bread  that  came  down 
from  heaven  Not  as  your  fathers  did  eat  manna  and 
are  dead.  He  that  eateth  this  bread,  shall  live  forever. 
(v.  55-59.)  Jesus,  therefore,  said  distinctly  and  plainly,  that  at 
a  future  time  He  would  give  His  own  body  and  blood  as  the  true 
nourishment  Of  the  soul;  besides,  the  Jews  and  the  disciples  alike 
received  these  words  in  their  true  literal  sense,  and  knew  that 
Jesus  did  not  here  mention  His  body  and  blood  in  an  allegorical 
sense,  but  meant  to  give  them  His  own  real  flesh  and  blood  for 
food;  and  it  was,  because  they  believed  it  impossible  for  Jesus  to 
give  them  His  body  and  blood  for  food,  and  because  they  sup- 
posed He  would  give  them  His  dead  flesh  in  a  coarse,  sensual 
manner,  that  the  Jews  murmured,  and  even  several  of  His  dis- 
ciples said:  This  saying  is  hard,  and  who  can  hear  it?  But 
Jesus  persisted  in  His  words:  My  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  &c, 
and  calls  the  attention  of  His  disciples  to  another  miracle:  to  His 


23* 


'356   DETAILED  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  MOST  HOLY  SACRAMENT 

future  ascension,  which  would  be  still  more  incredible,  but  would 
come  to  pass;  and  by  the  words:  It  is  the  spirit  which  quick- 
eneth,  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing,  the  words  which  1 
have  spoken  to  you,  are  spirit  and  life  (#.64),  He  shows 
them,  that  this  mystery  could  be  believed  only  by  the  light  and 
grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  could  not  be  comprehended  by  a 
carnal,  sensual  method  of  thought,  and  the  partaking  of  His  body 
and  blood  would  not  be  in  a  coarse,  sensual  manner,  but  in  a 
mysterious  way.  But  in  spite  even  of  this,  many  of  His  disciples 
still  found  the  saying  hard,  and  left  Him,  and  went  no  longer  with 
Him.  (v.  67.)  They  found  the  saying  hard,  because,  as  our  Sa- 
viour expressly  said,  they  were  lacking  in  faith.  He  let  them  go, 
and  said  to  His  apostles:  Will  you  also  go  away?  thereby 
giving  it  to  be  seen  that  those  who  left  Him,  understood  Him 
clearly  enough,  and  that  His  words  did  contain  something  hard 
for  the  mind  to  believe.  But  the  apostles  did  n,ot  leave  Him,  they 
were  too  well  assured  of  His  divinity,  and  that  to  Him  all  was 
possible,  as  St.  Peter  clearly  expresses:  Lord,  to  whom  shall 
we  go?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life.  And  we 
have  believed  and  known  that  thou  art  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God.  (v.  69,  70.) 

From  the  account  given  by  St.  John,  it  is  plainly  seen  that 
Christ  really  promised  to  give  us  for  our  food  His  most  precious 
body  and  blood,  really  and  essentially,  in  a  wonderful,  myste- 
rious manner,  and  that  He  did  not  as  those  who  contemn  this  most 
holy  Sacrament  assert,  speak  figuratively  of  faith  in  Him.  If  Je- 
sus had  so  meant  it,  He  would  have  so  explained  it  to  the  Jews 
and  to  His  disciples  who  took  His  words  literally,  and  therefore 
could  not  comprehend,  how  Jesus  could  give  His  flesh  and  blood 
to  them  for  their  food.  But  Jesus  persisted  in  His  words,  that 
His  flesh  was  truly  food,  and  His  blood  really  drink,  He  even 
made  it  the  strictest  duty  to  eat  His  flesh  and  drink  His  blood 
(/'.  54) ;  He  shows  the  benefits  arising  from  this  nourishment  of 
the  soul  (v.  55),  and  the  reason  why  this  food  was  so  necessary 
and  useful  (v.  56);  and  when  His  disciples,  because  it  was  a  hard 
saying,  left  Him,  He  allowed  them  to  go,  for  they  would  not  be- 
lieve His  words,  and  could  not  believe  them  on  account  of  their 
carnal  manner  of  thinking.  For  this  holy  mystery  must  be  be- 
lieved, and  cannot  be  comprehended.  Jesus  has,  then,  promised, 
as  the  Catholic  Church  has  always  maintained  and  taught,  that 
His  body  and  blood  would  be  present  under  the  appearance  of 
bread  and  wine  in  the  blessed  Sacrament,  a  true  nourishment  for 
the  soul,  and  that  which  He  promised,  He  has  really  given. 

When  and  in  what  manner  did  Christ  institute  the  most  holy  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Altar  ? 

At  the  Last  Supper,  on  the  day  before  His  passion,  after  He 
had  with  His  apostles  eaten  of  the  paschal  lamb,  which  was  a 


OF  THE  ALTAR,  AND  ON  HOLY  COMMUNION. 


357 


prototype  of  this  mystery.  Three  sacred  Evangelists  Matthew 
(xxvi.  26-29),  Mark  (xiv.  22—24),  and  Luke  (xxii.  19—20)  relate 
in  few,  but  plain  words,  that  on  this  evening  Jesus  took  into  His 
hand  bread  and  the  chalice,  blessed  and  gave  both  to  His  disciples, 
saying:  This  is  my  body,  that  will  be  given  for  you; 
this  is  my  blood,  which  will  be  shed  for  you  and  for 
many.  Here  took  place  in  a  miraculous  manner,  by  the  allpower- 
ful  word  of  Christ,  the  mysterious  transformation,  here  Jesus 
gave  Himself  to  His  apostles  for  food,  and  instituted  that  most 
holy  meal  of  love  of  which  the  Church  says,  that  it  contains  all 
sweetness.  That  which  three  evangelists  plainly  relate,  St.  Paul 
contirms  in  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians  (xi.  23—29.  See  this 
day's  epistle.),  in  which  to  his  account  of  the  institution  of  the 
blessed  Sacrament  he  adds:  Whosoever  shall  eat  this  bread, 
or  drink  the  chalice  of  the  Lord  unworthily  (that  is,  in 


358   DETAILED  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  MOST  HOLY  SACRAMENT 

a  state  of  sin),  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and  blood  of 
the  Lord, ....  eateth  and  drinketh  judgment  to  himself. 
{v.  27—29.) 

From  these  words  and  those  of  the  three  sacred  evangelists 
already  mentioned,  it  is  clear  that  Jesus  really  fulfilled  His  pro- 
mise, really  instituted  the  most  holy  Sacrament,  and  gave  His 
most  sacred  body  and  blood  to  the  apostles  for  their  food.  No 
one  of  the  evangelists,  nor  St.  Paul,  informs  us  that  Christ  said : 
this  will  become  my  body,  or  this  signifies  my  body. 
All  agree  that  our  Saviour  said  this  is  my  body,  this  is 
my  blood,  and  they  therefore  decidedly  mean  us  to  under- 
stand that  Christ's  body  and  blood  are  really,  truly,  and  essen- 
tially present  under  the  appearance  of  bread  and  wine,  as  soon 
as  the  mysterious  change  has  taken  place.  And  this  is  con- 
firmed by  the  words:  that  is  given  for  you,  which  shall 
be  shed  for  you  and  for  many;  because  Christ  gave  neither 
bread  nor  wine,  nor  a  figure  of  His  body  and  blood,  for  our  re- 
demption ,  but  His  real  body,  and  His  real  blood,  and  St.  Paul 
could  not  assert  that  we  could  eat  the  body  and  blood  of  the 
Lord  unworthily,  if  under  the  appearance  of  bread  and  wine 
were  present  not  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  but  only  a 
figure  of  them,  or  if  they  were  only  bread  and  wine.  This  is  also 
proved  by  the  universal  faith  of  the  Catholic  Church,  which  in 
accordance  with  Scripture  and  the  oldest,  uninterrupted  Aposto- 
lic traditions  *)  has  always  believed  and  taught,  that  under  the 
appearance  of  bread  and  wine  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ 
are  present,  as  the  Oecumenical  Council  of  Trent  expressly  de- 
clares (Sess.  xiii.  c.  1.  can.  1.  de  sacros.  Euchar.):  "All  our  an- 
cestors who  were  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  have  spoken  of  this 
most  blessed  Sacrament,  have  in  the  plainest  manner  professed, 
that  our  Redeemer  instituted  this  wonderful  Sacrament  at  the 
Last  Supper,  when  having  blessed  the  bread  and  wine  He  assured 
the  apostles  in  the  plainest  and  most  exact  words,  that  He  was 


*)  Thus  St.  Ignatius  who  was  instructed  by  the  apostles  themselves,  re- 
bukes in  these  words  those  who  even  at  that  time  would  not  believe  in  the 
change  of  the  bread  and  wine  into  the  body  of  the  Lord:  'They  do  not  be- 
lieve that  the  real  body  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Redeemer  who  suffered  for  us 
and  has  risen  from  death,  is  contained  in  the  Sacrament  of  the  Altar."  (Ep. 
ad.  Smyr.J  Thus  St.  Irenaeus  who  was  a  disciple  of  St.  Polycarp,  a  pupil  of 
St.  John  the  Evangelist,  writes:  "Of  th3  bread  is  made  the  body  of  Christ." 
(Lib.  iv.  adv.  hcer.J  In  the  same  manner  St.  Cyril:  "Since  Christ  our  Lord 
said  of  this  bread,  This  is  my  body,  who  dares  doubt  it?  Since  He  said, 
Thi6  is  my  blood,  who  dares  to  say,  it  is  not  His  blood?"  (Lib.iw.  regul. 
Cat.)  and  in  another  place:  "Bread  and  wine  which  before  the  invocation  of 
the  most  Holy  Trinity. were  only  bread  and  wine,  become  after  this  invoca- 
tion the  body  and  blood  of  Christ."  (Gat.  myrt.  \.) 

What  can  the  unbelievers  say  to  this  old  testimony?  Do  they  know  the 
truth  better  than  those  apostles  who  themselves  saw  and  heard  Jesus  at  the 
Last  Supper,  and  who  taught  their  disciples  that  which  they  had  seen  and 
heard?    All  Christian  antiquily  proves  their  error! 


Of  the  altar,  and  on  holy  communion.  359 

giving  them  His  body  and  blood  itself;  and  if  any  one  denies, 
that  the  holy  Eucharist  really,  truly,  and  substantially  contains 
the  body  and  blood,  the  soul  and  divinity  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  therefore  the  whole  Christ,  and  asserts,  that  it  is  only  a 
sign  or  figure  without  virtue,  let  him  be  anathema." 

Did  Christ  institute  this  Sacrament  for  all  time? 

Yes,  for  when  He  had  promised  that  the  bread  which  He 
would  give,  was  His  flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world  (John 
vi.  52.),  and  had  said  expressly  that  whosoever  did  not  eat  His 
flesh  and  drink  His  blood,  would  not  have  life  in  him,  He,  at  the 
Last  Supper,  by  the  words:  Do  this  for  a  commemoration 
of  me  {Luke  xii.  19.),  gave  to  the  apostles  and  their  successors, 
the  priests,  the  power  to  receive  it  and  administer  it  as  a  soul- 
food,  which  power  the  apostles  and  their  successors,  the  priests, 
have  always  exercised  (i.  Cor.  x.  16.),  and  will  exercise  to  the  end 
of  the  world. 

How  long  after  the  change  does  Christ  remain  present  under  the 
appearance  of  bread  and  wine? 
As  long  as  the  appearances  remain ;  this  was  always  the  faith 
of  the  Church ;  therefore  in  the  Church's  early  days  when  she  was 
tried  in  the  fire  of  persecution  after  the  sacrifice,  the  sacred  body 
of  our  Lord  was  taken  home  by  the  Christians  to  save  the  my- 
stery from  the  pagans ;  at  home  they  preserved  it,  and  received  it 
by  their  own  hands,  as  testified  to  by  the  holy  fathers  of  the  Church 
Justin,  Cyprian,  Basil,  and  others.  But  when  persecution  had 
ceased,  and  the  Church  was  permitted  to  profess  the  faith  openly, 
and  without;  hinderance,  the  blessed  Sacrament  was  kept,  in  the 
Churches,  enclosed  in  precious  vessels  (ciborium,  remonstrance, 
or  ostensorium)  made  for  the  purpose;  and  in  later  times  it  was 
also  exposed,  on  solemn  occasions,  for  public  adoration. 

Do  we  Catholics  adore  bread  when  we  pay  adoration  to  the  blessed 
Sacrament  in  the  ciborium,  or  remonstrance,  or  tabernacle? 

No;  we  do  not  adore  bread,  for  there  is  no  bread  there,  but 
the  most  sacred  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  who,  in  the  form  of 
bread  is  truly  present.  Whereever  Christ  is,  adoration  is  due  Him, 
as  by  angels  so  by  men.  St.  Augustine  says:  "No  one  partakes 
this  body  until  he  has  first  adored  it,  and  we  not  only  do  not  sin 
when  we  adore  it,  but  would  sin-  if  we  did  not  adore  it."  And  the 
Council  of  Trent  excommunicates  those  who  assert,  that  it  is  not 
allowable  to  adore  Christ,  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  in  the 
blessed  Sacrament.  How  unjust  are  those  unbelievers  who  sneer 
at  this  adoration,  when  it  has  never  entered  into  the  mind  of  any 
Catholic  to  adore  the  external  appearances  in  this  Sacrament,  but 
the  Saviour  hidden  under  the  appearances ;  and  how  grievously 
do  those  indifferent  Catholics  sin  who  show  Christ  so  little  vene- 
ration in  this  Sacrament,  and  so  seldom  adore  Him  if  at  all ! 


360      DETAILED  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  MOST  HOLY  SACEAMENT 

What  are  the  external  signs  of  this  Sacrament? 
The  forms  of  bread  and  wine,  that  is,  their  taste,  their  shape, 
their  color;  but  the  substance  of  the  bread  and  wine  is  by  con- 
secration changed  into  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  and 
only  appearances  of  bread  and  wine  remain,  and  are  observable 
by  the  senses. 

Where  and  by  whom  is  this  consecration  effected? 
This  consecration  is  effected  on  the  altar  during  the  holy  Sa- 
crifice of  the  Mass  (therefore  the  name  Sacrament  of  the  Al- 
tar), when  the  priest,  not  in  his  own  name,  but  in  the  name  and 
by  the  power  of  Christ,  pronounces  over  the  bread  and  wine  the 
words  which  Christ  Himself  pronounced  when  He  instituted  this 
holy  Sacrament.-  St.  Ambrose  very  beautifully  writes  of  this: 
"When  it  comes  to  this  that  the  Sacrament  is  to  be  accomplished, 
the  priest  no  longer  uses  his  own  words,  but  Christ's  words, 
therefore  Christ's  words  consummate  the  Sacrament." 

Is  Christ  present  under  each  form? 
Christ  is  really  and  truly  present  under  both  forms,  present 
in  divinity  and  humanity,  body  and  soul,  flesh  and  blood.  This  is 
especially  grounded  on  St.  Paul's  words:  Knowing  that  Christ 
rising  again  from  the  dead,  dieth  now  no  more.  {Rom. 
vi.  9.)  Then  as  Christ  dies  no  more,  and  as  a  living  body  cannot 
be  living  without  soul  and  blood,  nor  with  the  blood  separated 
from  the  body,  it  follows  from  the  real  presence  of  Christ,  that 
He  is  entirely  present  under  each  of  the  forms,  and  the  Council 
of  Trent  therefore  says:  "Whoever  denies  that  in  the  awe  in- 
spiring Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  the  whole  Christ  is  present  in 
both  of  the  forms,  in  each  part  of  each  form,  where  a  separation 
has  taken  place,  let  him  be  anathema." 

Then  no  matter  how  many  receive  this  Sacrament,  does  each  one 

receive  Christ? 

Yes,  for  each  one  of  the  apostles  received  Christ  entirely,  and 
if  God  by  His  omnipotence  can  cause  it  so,  that  all  men  and  each 
individual  man  can  at  the  same  instant  rejoice  in  the  sun's  light, 
and  enjoy  it  in  its  entirety,  and  if  He  could  make  one  and  the 
same  voice  to  resound  in  the  ears  of  all  the  listeners,  is  He  not 
able  to  give  the  body  of  Christ  wThole  and  entire  to  as  many  as 
wish  to  receive  it? 
/*  it  necessary,  that  this  Sacrament  should  be  received  in  both  forms? 

No,  for  as  it  has  already  been  said,  Christ  is  present  wholly, 
with  flesh  and  blood,  humanity  and  divinity,  body  and  soul,  in 
each  of  the  forms.  Christ  promises  eternal  life  to  the  recipient 
of  one  form  only,  when  He  says:  If  any  man  eat  of  this  bread, 
he  shall  live'for  ever,  and  the  bread  that  I  will  give,  is 
my  flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world.  {John  vi.  52.)  The  first 
Christians,  in  times  of  persecution,  received  this  Sacrament  under 


OF  THE  ALTAU,  AND  ON  HOLY  COMMUNION.         361 

the  form  of  bread  secretly  in  their  houses.  Though  in  earlier 
times,  the  faithful,  like  the  priests,  received  the  chalice,  it  was 
not  strictly  required,  and  the  Church  for  important  reasons  has 
since  ordered  the  reception  of  Communion  under  but  one  form, 
and  this  because  by  the  great  crowding  of  the  people  to  holy  Com- 
munion, there  was  danger  that  the  blood  of  our  Lord  might  be 
spilled,  and  thus  dishonored ;  because  as  the  blessed  Sacrament 
must  always  be  ready  for  the  sick,  it  was  feared  that  the  form  of 
wine  might  be  injured  by  being  long  kept;  because  many  cannot 
endure  the  taste  of  wine;  because  in  some  countries  there  is  lack 
of  wine,  and  it  can  be  obtained  only  at  great  cost  and  with  much 
difficulty,  and  finally,  in  order  to  refute  the  error  of  those  who 
denied,  that  Christ  is  entirely  present  under  each  form. 

As  the  Church  for  important  reasons  has  made  this  regulation, 
she  can  also  change  it,  but  she  must  always  condemn  the  error  of 
those  who  assert,  that  under  the  form  of  bread  is  contained  the 
bloodless  body,  and  under  the  form  of  wine  the  lifeless  blood  of 
Christ;  for  Christ,  living  and  reigning  over  death,  has  no  dead, 
bloodless  body,  no  lifeless  blood. 

What  are  the  effects  of  the  reception  of  holy  Communion  ? 

The  graces  of  this  most  holy  Sacrament,  are,  as  the  Roman 
Catechism  says,  immeasurable;  it  is  the  fountain  of  all  grace,  for 
it  contains  the  Fountain  and  Author  of  all  Sacraments,  Christ  our 
Lord,  from  whom  as  from  a  fountain  flows  into  the  Sacraments 
all  they  have  of  good  and  perfect.  According  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  Church,  there  are  six  special  effects  of  grace  produced  by 
this  Sacrament  in  those  who  worthily  receive  it.  It  unites  the 
recipient  of  it  with  Christ,  which  Christ  plainly  shows  when 
He  says:  He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood, 
abideth  in  me  and  I  in  him  (John  vi.  57.);  whence  the  name 
Communion,  Union,  of  which  St.  Leo  writes:  "The  participation 
of  the  body  and  soul  of  Christ  transforms  us  into  that  which  we 
receive,"  and  from  this  union  with  Christ,  our  Head,  arises  also  a 
nearer  union  with  our  brethren  and  sisters  in  Christ,  into  one 
body.  (i.  Cor.  x.  17.)  It  preserves  and  increases  sancti- 
fying grace,  which  is  the  spiritual  life  of  the  soul,  for  our  Sa- 
viour says:  He  that  eateth  me,  the  same  also  shall  live 
by  me.  (John vi. 58.)  It  diminishes  in  us  the  threefold  evil 
concupiscence  and  strengthens  us  against  the  tempta- 
tions of  the  devil.  St.  Bernard  says:  This  holy  Sacrament 
produces  two  effects  in  us,  it  diminishes  sensation  in  small  sins,  it 
removes  the  full  consent  in  grievous  sins ;  if  any  of  you  feel  not 
so  often  now  the  harsh  emotion  of  anger,  of  envy,  or  impurity, 
you  owe  it  to  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord ;"  and  St.  Chry- 
sostom :  ■ '  When  we  communicate  worthily,  we  return  from  the 
table,  like  fiery  lions,  terrible  to  the  devils."  It  causes  us  to  per- 
form good  works  with  strength  and  courage;  for  he  who 


362  DETAILED  INSTRUCTION,  &c. , 

abides  in  Christ,  and  Christ  in  him,  bears  much  fruit.  {John  xv.) 
It  effaces  venial  sin,  and  preserves  from  mortal  sin,  as 
St.  Ambrose  says :  "This  daily  bread  is  used  as  a  help  against 
daily  weakness;"  and  as  by  the  enjoyment  of  this  holy  Sacrament, 
we  are  made  in  a  special  manner  the  property,  the  lambs  of  Christ, 
which  He  Himself  nourishes  with  His  own  heart's  blood,  He  does 
not  permit  us  to  be  taken  out  of  His  hands;  but  this  only  when 
we  cooperate  with  the  Saviour's  grace,  by  prayer,  vigilance,  and 
contest.  It  brings  us  to  a  glorious  resurrection  and  to 
eternal  happiness;  for  he  who  communicates  worthily,  posses- 
ses Him  who  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life  {John  xi.  25.), 
who  has  said:  He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my 
blood,  hath  everlasting  life:  and  I  will  raise  him  up  in 
the  last  day.  {John  y'l  55.)  He  has  therefore  in  Christ  a  pledge, 
that  he  will  rise  in  glory  and  live  for  ever.  If  the  receiving  of 
this  Sacrament  produces  such  great  results,  how  frequently,  with 
what  sincere  desire  should  we  hasten  to  enjoy  this  sweetest  food 
of  heaven,  this  fountain  of  all  grace!  The  first  Christians  received 
it  daily,  and  St.  Augustine  says:  "Daily  receive,  what  daily  be- 
nefits !"  and  St.  Cyril :  "The  baptized  may  know  that  they  remove 
themselves  far  from  eternal  life,  when  they  remain  a  long  time 
from  Communion."  Ah,  whence  comes,  in  our  days,  the  indiffe- 
rence, the  weakness,  the  impiety  of  so  many  Christians  but  from 
the  neglect  and  unworthy  reception  of  Communion!  My  Chris- 
tian, close  not  your  ears  to  Jesus'  voice  which  invites  you  so  ten- 
derly to  His  banquet:  Come  to  me' all  you  who  are  heavily 
burdened  and  I  will  refresh  you.  Go  often,  very  often  to 
Him ;  but  when  you  go  to  Him,  do  not  neglect  to  prepare  for  His 
worthy  reception,  and  you  will  soon  feel  its  effects  in  your  soul, 
and  you  will  find  all  that  has  been  said  of  it  to  be  true. 

In  what  does  the  worthy  preparation  for  this  holy  Sacrament 

consist? 

The  worthy  preparation  of  the  soul  consists:  in  purifying  our- 
selves by  a  sincere  confession  from  all  grievous  sins;  for  one 
who  receives  holy  Communion  while  in  mortal  sin,  draws  down 
upon  himself,  as  the  apostle  says,  judgment  and  condemnation; 
and  in  approaching  the  holy  table  with  deepest  humility,  sincere 
love,  and  fervent  desire.  The  worthy  preparation  of  the  body 
consists  in  fasting  from  twelve  o'  clock,  midnight,  before  receiv- 
ing Communion,  and  in  coming  properly  dressed  to  the  Lord's 
banquet. 

The  holy  Sacrament  of  the  Altar  is  preserved  in  the  taber- 
nacle, in  front  of  which  a  light  is  kept  burning,  day  and  night, 
partly  to  show  that  Christ,  the  light  of  the  world,  is  here  present, 
partly  that  we  may  bear  in  mind  that  every  Christian  congrega- 
tion should  contain  in  itself  the  light  of  faith,  the  flame  of  hope, 
the  warmth  of  divine  love,  and  the  fire  of  true  devotion,  by  a 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS.  363 

pious  life  manifesting  and  consuming  itself,  like  a  light,  in  the 
service  of  God.  Do  you  believe,  my  Christian,  as  a  Christian  you 
must  believe,  that  under  the  appearance  of  bread  Christ  is  really 
present  in  the  tabernacle,  and  that  He  is  your  Redeemer,  your 
Saviour,  your  Lord  and  King,  the  best  friend  and  lover  of  your 
soul,  whose  pleasure  it  is  to  dwell  among  the  children  of  men? 
then  it  is  your  duty  to  often  visit  Him  in  this  most  holy  Sacra- 
ment, and  offer  Him  your  homage  and  adoration.  "It  is  certain," 
says  St.  Alphonsus  Ligouri,  "that  next  to  the  enjoyment  of  this 
holy  Sacrament  in  Communion,  the  adoration  of  Jesus  in  this  Sa- 
crament, is  the  best  and  most  pleasing  of  all  devotional  exercises, 
and  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  us."  Hesitate  not,  therefore,  to 
practise  this  devotion ,  from  this  day  renounce  intercourse  with 
others,  and  go  for  at  least  half  or  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  the 
Church,  to  entertain  yourself  there  with  Christ.  Know  that  the 
time  which  you  spend  in  this  way,  will  be  of  the  greatest  conso- 
lation to  you  in  the  hour  of  death  and  through  all  eternity.  Visit 
Jesus  not  only  in  the  Church,  but  also  fail  not  to  accompany  and 
adore  Him  when  carried  in  processions,  or  to  sick  persons.  You 
will  thus  show  your  Lord  the  homage  due  to  Him,  gather  great 
merits  for  yourself,  and  have  the  sure  hope,  that  Christ  will  one 
day  repay  you  a  hundredfold. 

NOTE.  The  blessed  Sacrament  as  m  Sacrifice,  and  the  holy  Mass 
and  its  ceremonies,  are  treated  upon  towards  the  end  of  this  book. 


INSTRUCTIOiN  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS. 

ORIGIN  OF  THIS  FESTIVAL. 

Fter  many  devoted  souls  had  venerated  the 
sacred  heart  of  Jesus,  with  sincere  devotion, 
in  the  solitude  of  quiet  life,  as  is  seen  from 
the  lives  of  St.  Augustine,  St.  Bernard,  Bona- 
ventura,  Thomas  of  Aquine,  Francis  de  Sales, 
Ignatius,  St.  Clara,  St.  Gertrude,  Mechtildis, 
«  Catharine  of  Sienna,  Theresa,  and  others; 
the  divine  Saviour  willed  that  His  heart's  infinite  love  should  be 
recognized  by  all  men,  and  be  kindled  in  cold  hearts  by  a  new  fire 
of  love.  For  this  end  He  made  use  of  a  feeble,  obscure  instru- 
ment, that  all  the  world  might  knowr,  that  the  devotion  to  His  lov- 
ing heart,  previously  almost  entirely  unknown,  was  His  own  work. 
This  instrument  was  one  unregarded  by  the  world,  but  who  shone 
before  God  in  all  the  radiance  of  the  most  sublime  virtues,  the 
nun  Margaret  Alacoque,  of  the  order  of  the  Visitation  of  Mary, 
at  Parny,  in  Burgundy.    To  this  His  pure  bride,  whom  He  had 


364  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST 

made  His  useful  instrument  by  the  most  severe  and  constant  exer- 
cise of  humility  and  obedience,  the  Saviour  several  times  appeared 
showing  her  His  loving  heart,  placed  as  on  a  throne,  surrounded 
by  flames,  transparent  as  crystal,  with  rays  brighter  than  the  sun; 
the  wound  which  He  has  received  on  the  cross  when  His  side  was 
pierced,  was  plainly  seen;  it  was  bound  with  thorns,  and  above  it 
in  the  midst  of  mounting  flames  shone  the  sign  of  love— the  cross. 

When  she  one  day  during  the  octave  of  Corpus  Christi  was 
wrapt,  as  was  her  custom,  in  deep  devotion  before  the  blessed 
Sacrament,  the  divine  Saviour  again  appeared  to  her,  showed  her 
His  loving  heart,  and  said :  "  See  this  heart  which  has  so  loved 
men,  that  it  has  spared  nothing,  has  exhausted  and  consumed  it- 
self in  order  to  show  its  love  for  them.  Instead  of  gratitude,  I 
receive  from  the  greatest  number  of  them  only  ingratitude  by 
their  contempt,  irreverence,  sacrilege,  and  coldness  to  me  in  this 
Sacrament  of  love.  And  what  still  more  pains  me,  those  very 
hearts  which  are  consecrated  to  me,  act  in  the  same  manner 
towards  me.  Therefore,  I  require  you  to  have  the  first  Friday 
after  the  octave  of  Corpus  Christi  appointed  a  special  festival,  to 
honor  my  heart  by  solemn  acts  of  reparations,  and  that  Commu- 
nion be  received  on  this  day  in  satisfaction  for  the  awful  abuse 
with  which  it  has  been  treated  during  the  time  of  its  exposition 
on  the  altar.  I  promise  you,  that  my  heart  will  become,  as  it  were 
larger,  to  shower  a  more  abundant  fulness  of  divine  love  upon 
those  who  show  honor  to  it  themselves,  and  cause  others  to  pay 
it  homage." 

Margaret  obeyed,  but  found  everywhere  the  greatest  opposi- 
tion, actually  sneers  and  persecution,  even  from  her  sister  in  reli- 
gion, until  finally,  with  the  aid  of  her  divine  spouse,  she  succeeded 
as  mistress  of  novices,  in  bringing  the  young  novices  to  the  vene- 
ration of  the  sacred  heart  of  Jesus.  But  this  did  not  content  her 
zeal;  although  opposition  continued,  she  strove  to  fulfil  the  com- 
mand of  Jesus,  who  assisted  her,  by  at  last  changing  the  hardened 
hearts  of  the  nuns  and  inflaming  them  with  the  same  love  of  His 
sacred  heart.  The  devotion  spread  from  there  to  the  adjoining 
dioceses,  where  confraternities  in  honor  of  the  sacred  heart  of 
Jesus  arose,  and  Pope  Clement  XIII.,  after  causing  the  strictest 
investigation  to  be  made,  commanded  the  Festival  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus  to  be  observed  throughout  the  Catholic  Church,  on 
the  first  Friday  after  the  octave  of  Corpus  Christi. 

ON  DEVOTION  TO  THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS. 

Bl.  Object  of  this  Devotion. 
Y  the  sacred  heart  of  Jesus  must  be  understood  not  the  life- 
less heart,  separated  from  the  body  of  Christ,  but  the  tender, 
loving  heart  of  the  God-Man,  the  home  of  all  His  emotions,  the 
fountain  of  all  His  virtues,  and  the  most  touching  embodiment  of 


OF  THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS.  365 

His  infinite  love  for  man.  The  Catholic  Church,  in  like  manner, 
sets  apart  certain  festivals  with  appropriate  Mass  and  office,  in 
honor  of  the  cross,  of  our  Lord's  sacred  blood  and  wounds,  that 
our  devotion  to  the  Redeemer  may  be  rendered  still  more  intense 
by  the  contemplation  of  these  objects,  for  Jesus  has  shed  His 
blood  for  us,  has  received  wounds  for  us  which  He  retained  even 
after  His  resurrection,  as  eternal  signs  of  His  immense  love  for 
man,  has  taken  them  with  Him  to  heaven,  and  will  show  them  to 
us  on  the  judgment  day.  How  much  more  should  our  Saviour's 
sacred  heart  itself  be  the  object  of  our  devotion,  since  all  thoughts, 
sentiments,  and  emotions  of  this  most  loving  heart  aim  only  at 
our  salvation,  and  since  it  is  always  ready  to  receive  truly  penitent 
sinners,  to  forgive  them,  again  to  turn  His  love  to  them,  and  make 
them  sharers  in  eternal  bliss. 

Therefore  the  saints  have  from  the  first  encouraged  a  tender 
devotion  to  this  most  sacred  heart,  as  already  mentioned.  "Lon- 
ginus,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "opened  the  side  of  Jesus  with  His 
spear,  in  it  I  enter,  and  securely  rest."  "0  how  good,"  exclaims 
St.  Bernard,  "how  lovely  to  take  up  my  abode  in  this  heart!  In 
this  temple,  in  this  sanctuary,  before  this  ark  of  the  covenant,  [ 
will  adore  and  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  say  with  the 
prophet:  I  have  found  in  the  heart  of  Jesus,  my  king, 
my  brother,  my  friend."  "Believe  me,  0  blinded  men,"  says 
St.  Bonaventura,  "if  you  knew  how  to  enter  by  His  sacred  wounds 
into  the  interior  of  Jesus,  you  would  there  find  not  only  a  wonder- 
ful sweetness  for  your  soul,  but  even  sweet  repose  for  your  body. 
And  if  there  even  the  body  finds  rest,  how  great,  think  you, 
must  be  the  sweetness  which  the  spirit  there  enjoys,  if  through 
these  wounds  we  become  united  to  the  sacred  heart  of  Jesus !" 
And  St.  Peter  Damian  says:  "In  this  adorable  heart  we  find  the 
weapons  with  which  to  defend  ourselves  against  our  enemies,  a 
cure  for  our  ills,  powerful  help  against  temptations,  the  sweet- 
est consolation  in  suffering,  and  the  purest  joy  in  this  valley  of 
tears." 

St.  Mechtild  and  St.  Gertrude  found  themselves  transported 
in  an  especial  manner  by  the  tenderness  of  this  adorable  heart, 
to  ardent  devotion  to  it,  and  Gertrude',  enlightened  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  spoke  these  prophetic  words:  "The  Lord  retained  until 
these  late  centuries  the  devotion  to  His  sacred  heart,  as  a  last 
effort  of  His  divine  love."  We  have  already  seen  how  those  words 
have  been  verified  in  the  pious  Margaret.  0  would  that  Jesus' 
great  desire  that  all  men  might  know  and  love  His  sacred  heart, 
might  be  accomplished  in  us  all ! 

11.  Excellence  of  this  Devotion. 

It  is,  says  the  venerable  P.  Simon  Gourdan : 
1)  The  most  sacred  devotion,  for  by  it,  man  venerates 
the  holiest  of  Christ's  heart,  by  which  He  has  sanctified  the 


366  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST 

Church,  glorified  His  Heavenly  Father,  and  presented  Himself  to 
us  as  the  perfect  model  of  the  most  exalted  sanctity. 

2)  The  ol deist  devotion  of  the  holy  Church,  which,  in- 
structed by  the  great  St.  Paul,  has  at  all  times  recognized  the 
munificence  of  the  sacred  heart  of  Jesus. 

3)  The  most  approved  devotion,  for  the  holy  Scriptures 
everywhere  exhort  us,  to  renew  our  hearts  by  changing  our  lives, 
rendering  them  contrite  by  true  penance,  inflaming  them  with  the 
fire  of  divine  love,  and  adorning  them  by  the  exercise  of  all  virtue. 
Therefore  a  new  heart  is  promised  on  which  to  remodel  our  heart. 
That  heart  can  be  no  other  than  the  heart  of  Jesus ,  which  is 
given  us  as  an  example  of  all  virtue,  and  which  we  must  imitate, 
if  we  wash  to  be  saved. 

4)  The  most  perfect  devotion,  for  it  is  the  source  of  all 
other  devotions;  for  the  heart  of  Jesus  is  that  inexhaustible 
treasury,  from  which  the  Mother  of  God  and  all  the  other  saints 
have  drawn  their  graces,  their  life,  their  virtues,  and  all  spiritual 
blessings.  Filled  from  this  treasury,  other  servants  of  God  have 
instituted  different  devotions. 

5)  The  most  useful  devotion,  for  in  it  we  have  the  Foun- 
tain of  Life  itself  before  our  eyes,  from  which  we  can  draw  di- 
rectly, and  increase  in  all  virtue,  if  we  have  this  divine  heart 
continually  before  us,  honor  it,  consider  its  holy  desires,  and  seek 
to  imitate  it. 

6)  The  devotion  most  pleasing  to  Christ,  for  by  it  we 
honor  God,  as  Christ  requires,  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  because  we 
adore  the  interior  power  of  God ,  seeking  to  please  His  heart. 
Finally, 

7)  the  most  necessary  devotion,  for  its  result  is  that  we 
become  intimately  connected  as  members  with  Jesus,  our  Head, 
that  we  live  by  and  after  His  spirit,  and  become  one  body  with 
Christ,  that  we  have  only  one  heart  and  soul  with  Christ,  and  be- 
come one  with  Him,  which  is  the  aim  of  all  devotions. 

Because  this  devotion  is  of  such  importance,  we  cannot  re- 
commend it  often  enough  to  all  who  are  anxious  for  their  soul's 
salvation.  Every  person  may  certainly  cultivate  this  devotion  for 
himself,  and  venerate  the  heart  of  Jesus,  but  there  is  a  greater 
blessing  when  pious  souls  unite  in  a  fraternity,  and  make  the  de- 
votion together,  in  the  year  1726  there  existed  more  than  three 
hundred  such  confraternities,  and  they  are  now  spread  through- 
out all  Catholic  countries.  Do  not  delay,  then,  0  Christian  soul, 
to  practise  this  devotion,  and  to  honor  the  divine  heart  of  Jesus, 
unite  with  others ;  because  in  this  most  blessed  heart  all  men 
find  their  reconciliation,  the  pious  their  assurance,  sinners  their 
hope,  the  oppressed  their  comfort,  the  sick  their  relief,  those 
who  are  fighting  their  strength,  the  dying  their  refuge,  and  the 
chosen  ones  their  special  joy  and  bliss. 


OF  THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS.  367 

The  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass  reads:  He  will  have  mercy 
according  to  the  multitude  of  his  mercies:  for  he  hath 
not  willingly  afflicted  nor  cast  off  the  children  of  men: 
the  Lord  is  good  to  them  that  hope  in  him,  to  the  soul 
that  seeketh  him.  Allel.  Allel.  The  mercies  of  the  Lord 
I  will  sing  for  ever:  to  generation  and  generation.  (Ps. 
lxxxviii.  1.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee, 
almighty  God,  that  we  who,  glorying  in  the  most  Sacred 
Heart  of  Thy  beloved  Son,  celebrate  the  singular  benefits  of 
His  love  towards  us,  may  rejoice  equally  in  their  operation 
and  their  fruit. 

LESSON.  (Isai.  xii.  1  —  6.)  I  will  give  thanks  to  thee,  0 
Lord,  for  thou  wast  angry  with  me;  thy  wrath  is  turned 
away,  and  thou  hast  comforted  me.  Behold,  God  is  my  Sa- 
viour; I  will  deal  confidently,  and  will  not  fear;  because  the 
Lord  is  my  strength,  and  my  praise,  and  he  is  become  my 
salvation.  You  shall  draw  waters  with  joy  out  of  the  Sa- 
viour's fountains:  and  you  shall  say  in  that  day:  Praise  ye 
the  Lord,  and  call  upon  his  name:  make  his  works  known 
among  the  people:  remember  that  his  name  is  high.  Sing  ye 
to  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  done  great  things :  shew  this  forth 
in  all  the  earth.  Rejoice,  and  praise,  0  thou  habitation  of 
Sion :  for  great  is  he  that  is  in  the  midst  of  thee,  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel. 

EXPLANATION.  The  words  of  this  lesson  are  a  hymn  of 
praise  for  the  liberation  of  the  Jews  from  the  hands  of  their  ene- 
mies, and  at  the  same  time  a  prophecy  of  the  coming  redemption 
from  sin  and  death,  of  all  mankind  through  Christ.  Man  will,  then, 
draw  waters  with  joy,  says  the  prophet,  from  the  Saviour's  foun- 
tains. These  fountains  are  the  graces  which  Jesus  has  gained  on 
the  cross  for  us,  but  especially,  as  says  St.  Augustine,  the  holy 
Sacraments  of  Baptism  and  Communion,  which  flow  to  the  Church 
from  our  Saviour's  opened  side.  We  should  rejoice  on  account  of 
these  graces,  and  especially  on  account  of  this  that  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel,  that  is,  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  dwells  in  the  midst  of 
Sion,  that  is,  in  the  Catholic  Church,  in  the  blessed  Sacrament,  to 
remain  there  to  the  end  of  the  world.  —  0  let  us  often  approach 
this  everflowing  fountain  of  all  grace,  the  holy  Sacrament  of  the 
Altar,  and  let  us  draw  with  confidence  consolation,  help,  and 
strength  from  this  fountain  of  love. 

GOSPEL.  (John  xix.  31  —  35.)  Then  the  Jews  (because 
it  was  the  parasceve),  that  the  bodies  might  not  remain  upon 


368  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS. 

the  cross  on  the  sabbath-day  (for  that  was  a  great  sabbath- 
day)  ,  besought  Pilate  that  their  legs  might  be  broken,  and 
that  they  might  be  taken  away.  The  soldiers,  therefore, 
came :  and  they  broke  the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other 
that  was  crucified  with  him.  But  after  they  were  come  to 
Jesus,  when  they  saw  that  he  was  already  dead,  they  did  not 
break  his  legs.  But  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear  opened 
his  side,  and  immediately  there  came  out  blood  and  water. 
And  he  that  saw  it,  hath  given  testimony,  and  his  testimony 
is  true. 

EXPLANATION.  According  to  the  Jewish  law  a  criminal  was 
not  to  be  executed,  nor  the  body  of  one  left  to  remain  in  the  place 
of  execution,  on  the  Sabbath  day;  it  was  for  this  reason  that  the 
Jews  asked  Pilate,  the  governor,  to  have  the  bodies  of  Christ  and 
the  two  thieves  buried.  Before  this  could  be  done,  the  bones  of 
the  crucified,  according  to  the  Roman  law,  had  to  be  broken  with 
iron  clubs.  The  soldiers  did  so  to  the  two  thieves,  who  were  yet 
alive ;  but  when  they  came  to  Jesus  and  found  Him  dead,  one  of 
them,  Longinus,  opened  the  Saviour's  side  with  a  spear,  as  was 
foretold  by  the  prophet. 

But  Jesus  had  His  most  sacred  heart  opened  to  atone  and  ef- 
face those  sins  of  men  which  originate  in  the  heart,  as  Christ 
Himself  says  {Matt.  xv.  19):  From  the  heart  cometh  forth 
evil  thoughts,  murders,  adulteries,  fornications,  thefts, 
false  testimonies,  blasphemies;  also  to  show  us  the  im- 
mense love  with  which  He  has  loved  us  from  the  first,  and  to 
which  the  spear,  so  to  speak,  was  to  point  to  us;  to  let  us  see  that 
nothing  was  too  dear  for  Him  to  give  to  us,  when  He  even  shed 
the  last  drop  of  His  heart's  blood  for  our  salvation ;  to  make,  as 
it  were,  a  place  of  refuge  in  His  heart  for  us,  as  St.  Augustine 
says:  "The  evangelist  choose  his  words;  he  does  not  say,  the 
soldiers  pierced  or  wounded  His  side,  but  opened  it,  as  if  to 
open  for  us  the  door  of  life,  from  which  flow  the  Sacraments  of 
the  Church,  without  which  there  can  be  no  access  to  that  life 
which  is  the  true  life."  As  often,  then,  as  a  temptation  arises,  or 
trouble  depresses  us,  let  us  take  refuge  in  that  place,  and  dwell 
there,  until  the  tempest  is  over ;  as  says  the  prophet  (Is.  ii.  10.) : 
Enter  thou  into  the  rock,  and  hide  thyself  in  the  pit. 
Who  is  the  rock  but  Christ,  and  what  the  pit  but  His  wound? 

AN  OFFERING  OF  ONE'S  SELF  TO  THE  SACRED 

HEART  OF  JESUS. 

[An  indulgence  of  one  hundred  days  is  gained  by  saying  this 
prayer  with  true  contrition,  before  a  picture  of  the  sacred  heart  of 


INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  3(J9 

Jesus,  and  a  plenary  indulgence  by  saying  it  every  day  for  a  month, 
and  on  some  one  day  of  the  month  confessing,  communicating,  and 
praying  in  union  with  the  Church's  intention  ] 

0  Jesus,  most  worthy  of  love!  I  gratefully  offer  Thee  my 
heart  in  compensation  sfor  my  great  unfaithfulness,  and  con- 
secrate myself  wholly  and  forever  to  Thy  service,  purposing, 
with  Thy  grace  no  more  to  offend  Thee.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 


Ntroit:  The  Lord  hath  become  my  pro- 
tector, and  set  me  at  large:  he  has  sav- 
ed me,  because  he  loved  me.  (Ps.  xvii.) 
I  will  love  thee,  0  Lord,  my  strength: 
the  Lord  is  my  support,  my  refuge,  and 
my  deliverer.    Glory,  &c. 

PRATER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant  us,  0  Lord,  both  a 
constant  love  and  fear  of  Thy  holy  name :  since  Thou  never 
withdrawest  Thy  protection  from  those,  whom  Thou  solidly 
groundest  in  Thy  love.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  John  iii.  13—18.)  Dearly  beloved:  Wonder 
not  if  the  world  hate  you.  We  know  that  we  have  passed 
from  death  to  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren.  He  that 
loveth  not,  abideth  in  death.  Whosoever  hateth  his  brother, 
is  a  murderer.  And  you  know  that  no  murderer  hath  eternal 
life  abiding  in  himself.  In  this  we  have  known  the  charity 
of  God,  because  he  hath  laid  down  his  life  for  us;  and  we 
ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  the  brethren.  He  that  hath 
the  substance  of  this  world,  and  shall  see  his  brother  in  need, 
and  shut  up  his  bowels  from  him :  how  doth  the  charity  of 
God  abide  in  him?  My  little  children,  let  us  not  love  in  word, 
nor  in  tongue,  but  in  deed,  and  in  truth. 

EXPLANATION.  People  who  are  really  pious,  have  always 
something  to  suffer  from  the  wicked  world,  as  Jesus  foretold,  hut 
they  do  not  cease  to  love  their  persecutors  as  their  best  friends, 
and  are  ready,  if  necessary,  to  give  their  life  for  their  enemies, 
as  did  Christ.  Thus  should  all  Christians  act;  for  the  love  oi 
our  neighbor  and  even  of  our  enemies,  is  a  universal  command,  a 
law  that  hinds  all;  it  is  the  life  of  the  soul.   Hatred  deprives  the 


24 


370    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

soul  of  this  life,  and  makes  man  a  murderer,  because  hatred  is  the 
beginning  of  murder,  and  often  ends  in  murder  or  homicide.  By 
love  we  know  the  true  Christians.  {John  xiii.  35.)  St.  John  even 
considers  love  the  certain  sign  of  being  chosen  for  eternal  life, 
when  he  says:  We  know,  we  have  passed  from  death  to 
life,  because  we  love  the  brethren.  Alas!  how  few  will  be 
chosen,  among  the  Christians  of  to-day,  because  there  is  so  little 
love  among  them !  With  empty  compliments,  assurances  of  friend- 
ship, &c,  love  appears  only  in  words,  only  on  the  tongue,  and 
such  idle,  ephemeral,  worthless  love  is  found  everywhere  in  this 
world ;  but  love  which  is  love  in  truth  and  reality,  which  shows 
charity  to  the  suffering,  how  rare  it  is !  and  yet  only  to  this  love 
is  promised  eternal  life,  because  it  alone  rests  on  the  love  of  God. 

GOSPEL.  (Lukexiv.  16 — 24.)  At  that  time :  Jesus  spoke 
this  parable  to  the  Pharisees :  A  certain  man  made  a  great 
supper,  and  invited  many,  and  he  sent  his  servant  at  the 
hour  of  supper  to  say  to  them  that  were  invited,  that  they 
should  come,  for  now  alt  things  are  ready.  And  they  began 
all  at  once  to  make  excuse.  The  first  said  to  him :  I  have 
bought  a  farm,  and  must  needs  go  out  and  see  it:  I  pray 
thee,  hold  me  excused.  And  another  said:  I  have  bought  five 
yokes  of  oxen,  and  I  go  to  try  them :  I  pray  thee,  hold  me  ex- 
cused. And  another  said:  I  have  married  a  wife,  and  there- 
fore I  cannot  come.  And  the  servant  returning  told  these 
things  to  his  lord.  Then  the  master  of  the  house  being  angry 
said  to  his  servant:  Go  out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes 
of  the  city,  and  bring  in  hither  the  poor,  and  the  feeble,  and 
the  blind,  and  the  lame. — And  the  servant  said:  Lord,  it  is 
done  as  thou  hast  commanded,  and  yet  there  is  room.  And 
the  lord  said  to  the  servant:  Go  out  into  the  high  ways  and 
hedges ;  and  compel  them  to  come  in,  that  my  house  may  be 
filled.  But  I  say  unto  you,  that  none  of  those  men  that  were 
invited,  shall  taste  of  my  supper. 

What  is  to  be  understood  by  this  great  supper? 

The  Church  militant  on  earth,  in  which  the  true  doctrine  of 
Jesus  and  His  most  precious  flesh  and  blood  are  given  as  food  to 
those  who  belong  to  her,  and  also  the  Church  triumphant  in  hea- 
ven, in  which  God  Himself,  in  the  beatific  vision,  is  the  nourish- 
ment given.  This  supper  is  called  great,  because  God  Himself  has 
founded  the  Church;  because  the  Church  embraces  heaven  and 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  3  71 


earth,  hence  many  belong  and  will  belong  to  her;  and  because 
having  ended  the  contest  on  earth,  she  will  last  forever  in  hea- 
ven. There  the  saints  of  God  will  enjoy  the  Highest  Good  for  all 
eternity,  and  will  have  nothing  to  wish  for,  since  all  their  de- 
sires will  be  there  realized.  0,  what  happiness  it  is,  that  we  are 
invited  even  now  to  this  supper,  are  even  now  guests,  and  are 
nourished  as  such  here  with  the  teachings  of  Christ,  and  with  His 
most  sacred  flesh  and  blood. 

Who  is  it  that  prepares  the  supper? 
It  is  Christ,  the  God-Man,  who  for  our  benefit  has  not  only 
instituted  His  Church ,  to  which  He  has  entrusted  His  doctrine 
and  the  Sacrament  of  His  flesh  and  blood,  but  has  gained  eternal 
salvation  for  us  by  His  passion  and  death,  and  who  has,  first  by 
the  prophets,  who  foretold  Him  and  His  divine  kingdom,  and 


24* 


372  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SECOND  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

afterwards  through  His  apostles,  invited  us,  and  is  ever  inviting 
us,  through  the  successors  of  the  apostles,  to  His  supper. 

Who  are  they  who  excuse  themselves? 

They  are  principally  the  Jews  who  bound  by  pride  and  avarice 
to  earthly  possessions,  and  blinded  by  the  pleasures  of  the  world, 
did  not  recognize  Jesus,  and  came  not  to  His  Church.  By  him 
who  said,  he  had  bought  a  farm,  are  meant  in  general  those  who 
by  constant  anxieties  about  the  possession  of  earthly  goods  and 
the  riches  of  this  world,  become  indifferent  to  eternal  salvation. 
By  him  who  had  bought  five  yokes  of  oxen,  is  to  be  understood 
that  sort  of  busy  men,  who  are  so  burdened  with  work  and  bu- 
siness that  they  find  no  time  to  work  for  heaven,  for  they  even 
appropriate  Sundays  and  festivals  to  their  worldly  affairs.  By 
him  who  had  taken  a  wife,  and  says,  without  ceremony,  that  he 
cannot  come,  the  carnal,  impure  men  are  represented,  who  have 
rendered  themselves  by  their  lusts,  incapable  of  spiritual  and 
heavenly  joys.  Since  all  these  different  sorts  of  persons  do  not 
wish  to  have  part  in  the  heavenly  banquet,  God  has  excluded 
them  and  called  others. 

Who  are  meant  by  the  others,  the  poor,  the  feeble,  the  blind,  anil 
the  lame,  who  are  called  after  the  first  invitations? 

The  humble  and  submissive  Jews,  the  publicans,  also  the  Sa- 
maritans and  the  gentiles,  who  did  not  reject  Jesus  and  His 
doctrine  as  did  the  proud,  highminded,  carnal  Pharisees  and  scri- 
bes, to  whom  Jesus  spoke  in  this  parable.  The  former  faithfully 
received  Him,  entered  His  Church,  and  became  participators  in 
eternal  happiness.  This  is  daily  repeated,  because  Cod  excludes 
from  the  kingdom  of  heaven  those  proud,  avaricious,  and  carnal 
Christians  who  are  ever  invited  by  His  servants,  the  priests,  to 
the  enjoyment  of  holy  Communion,  but  who  reject  the  invitation, 
and,  on  the  contrary,  welcomes  the  poor,  despised  people,  the 
penitent  sinners,  by  separating  them,  through  the  inspirations  of 
His  grace,  and  by  the  adversities  which  He  sends  them,  from  love 
of  the  world.  Thus,  in  a  measure,  He  forces  them  to  take  part  in 
the  spiritual  joys  of  a  sincerely  pious  life  in  His  Church  on  earth, 
and  in  the  heavenly  bliss  of  His  Church  in  heaven. 

SUPPLICATION.  I  thank  Thee,  0  most  merciful  Jesus, 
that  Thou  hast  called  me  to  Thy  Church,  permitting  me  so 
often  to  share  in  the  banquet  of  Thy  love,  and  that  by  Thy 
sufferings  and  death  Thou  hast  obtained  the  joys  of  heaven 
for  me.  Force  me  to  Thy  pleasure,  compel  me  to  it  by  tem- 
poral trials,  that  by  the  use  of  these  graces  I  may  gain,  that 
my  place  may  not  some  day  be  given  to  another. 


373 

MORAL  LESSONS  CONCERNING  THE  VICE  OF 
IMPURITY. 

/  have  taken  a  wife,  and  therefore  cannot  come. 

F{Luke  xiv.  20.) 
Rom  this  foolish  excuse  it  would  seem  as  if  married  life  were 
an  obstacle  to  prevent  arriving  at  the  heavenly  banquet, 
although  lawful,  chaste,  Christian  marriage  is,  on  the  contrary,  a 
means  of  eternal  salvation  for  those  to  whom  the  gift  of  continency 
is  not  given.  The  excuse  of  this  married  person  was  not  grounded 
in  his  station  of  life,  but  in  his  inordinate  inclination  for  carjial 
pleasures,  which  renders  the  man  who  gives  way  to  it,  unfit  for 
spiritual  or  heavenly  things,  for  the  sensual  man  perceiveth 
not  the  things  that  are  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  (i.  Cor. ii.  14.) 
Unfortunate  indeed  are  they  who  suffer  themselves  to  be  car- 
ried away  by  their  sensual  lusts,  who  give  away  the  priceless 
jewel  of  chastity  and  purity  of  heart,  which  makes  man  equal  to 
the  angels  {Matt.  xxii.  30.),  who  for  a  momentary  enjoyment  of 
sinful  pleasure  lose  that  white  and  precious  garment  in  which 
chaste  souls,  who  preserve  it  unstained,  will  shine  for  ever  in 
heaven  before  the  face  of  God!  And  what  benefit  does  the  impure 
man  derive  from  the  gratification  of  vile  lust?  He  gains  nothing 
but  intolerable  disgust  when  the  sin  is  consummated,  the  torment 
of  a  remorseful  conscience,  the  anger  and  contempt  of  God,  and, 
unless  he  repents,  eternal  torments  in  hell ;  for  the  apostle  says : 
Be  not  deceived;  neither  fornicators,  nor  adulterers, 
nor  the  effeminate  shall  possess  the  kingdom  of  God. 
(i.  Cor.  vi.  9,  10.)  It  is  seen  from  the  examples  of  the  Old  Law, 
how  much  God  hates  and  abominates  the  sins  of  impurity;  for 
why  did  God  regret  having  created  man?  {Gen.  vi.  6.)  Why  did 
He  destroy  all  except  a  very  few,  by  a  universal  deluge?  {Gen.\\. 
17.)  Why  did  He  lay  the  cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha  in  ashes 
by  a  rain  of  fire  and  brimstone?  {Gen.  xix.)  Why  did  He  punish 
the  two  brothers,  Her  and  Onan,  by  a  sudden  death?  {Gen.  xix.  38.) 
Why  did  He  permit  the  whole  tribe  of  Benjamin  to  be  extirpated? 
{Judges  xx.)  Why?  But  because  of  these  detestable  sins  of  im- 
purity. And  is  this  vice  not  indeed  detestable,  and  an  object  of 
the  just  wrath  of  God  ?  By  these  sins  an  impure  man  disgraces 
his  body  which  should  be  a  member  of  Christ,  a  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost;  he  disgraces  his  soul,  the  image  of  God,  purified  and 
purchased  .by  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  and  lowers  himself 
beneath  the  animal  which,  devoid  of  intellect,  follows  its  instinct; 
he  weakens  the  power  of  his  body  and  soul,  and  ruins  his  health; 
he  loses  the  respect  of  the  good,  scandalizes  his  fellowmen,  vo- 
luntarily separates  himself  from  the  communion  of  saints,  deprives 
himself  of  the  sanctifying  grace  of  God  and  participation  in  the 
merits  of  Jesus  and  His  saints,  and,  if  he  continues  like  an  animal 
to  wallow  in  this  vice,  he  finallv  falls  into  such  blindness  and  hard- 


J 


374  MORAL  LESSONS  CONCERNING  THE  VICE  OF  IMPURITY. 

heartedness,  that  eternal  truths,  death,  judgment,  hell,  and  eter- 
nity no  longer  make  any  impression  upon  him;  the  most  abo- 
minable crimes  of  impurity  he  considers  as  trifles,  as  human 
weaknesses,  no  sin  at  all.  He  is  therefore  but  seldom  or  never 
converted,  because  the  evil  habit  has  become  his  second  nature, 
which  he  can  no  longer  overcome  without  an  extraordinary  grace 
of  God.  This  God  seldom  gives,  because  the  impure  man  gene- 
rally despises  ordinary  means  and  graces,  and  therefore  despairs 
and  casts  himself  into  the  pool  of  eternal  fire,  where  the  worm 
dies  not,  and  where  with  Satan  and  his  angels  the  impure  shall 
be  for  ever  tormented. 

Suffer  not  yourself  to  be  deceived,  my  Christian,  by  the  words 
"Love  and  friendship",  with  which  it  is  sought  to  cover  this  vice, 
and  make  it  appear  a  weakness  clinging  to  man.  This  impure 
love  is  a  fire  which  has  its  origin  in  hell,  and  will  in  hell  eter- 
nally torment  the  bodies  in  which  it  has  prevailed.  That  which 
God  so  much  detests  and  so  punishes,  certainly  cannot  be  a  trifle, 
a  human  weakness !  Imprint  deeply  in  your  heart,  that  all  im- 
pure thoughts,  desires,  looks,  to  which  you  consent,  all  impure 
words,  songs,  exposures,  touches,  jokes,  and  such  things,  are  great 
sins  which  exclude  you  from  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  into  which 
nothing  defiled  can  enter.  Remember  that  he  who  looks  at  a  woman 
with  desire,  has  already,  as  Christ  says,  committed  adultery  in 
his  heart.  {Matt.  v.  28. J  We  must,  then,  carefully  guard  against 
"such  trifles"  as  the  wicked  world  calls  them,  if  we  do  not  wish 
to  expose  ourselves  to  the  greatest  danger  of  losing  our  souls. 
Although  it  is  certainly  difficult  for  an  impure  person  to  be  con- 
verted, yet  he  should  not  despair.  God  does  not  cast  away  even 
the  greatest  sinner;  Jesus  forgave  the  adulteress  in  the  temple, 
and  forgave  and  received  Mary  Magdalen.  But  such  a  one  must 
make  use  of  the  proper  means  to  prevent  a  relapse,  and  to  re- 
gain the  grace  of  God.  Of  these  means  those  also  may  make  use , 
who  have  not  defiled  themselves  by  the  sin  of  impurity.  These 
means  are: 

1.  Constant  prayer.  The  wise  king  advises  to  this:  As  I 
knew  that  I  could  not  otherwise  be  continent,  except 
God  gave  it,  I  went  to  the  Lord  and  besought  him. 
(Wisd.  \'\i\.  2\.)  2.  Mortification  of  the  flesh  by  fasting 
and  abstinence;  for  Jesus  says  of  this  kind  of  impure  spirits, 
that  they  can  in  no  other  way  be  cast  out  but  by  prayer  and 
fasting.  {Matt.  xvii.  20.)  3.  The  frequent  meditation  on  the 
four  last  things,  and  on  the  bitter  sufferings  of  our 
Lord;  for  there  is,  says  St.  Augustine,  no  more  powerful  and 
effective  means  against  the  heat  of  lust  than  the  death  of  the  Re- 
deemer. 4.  The  quiet  consideration  of  the  temporal  and 
eternal  evils  which  follow  this  vice,  as  already  described.  5. 
The  love  and  veneration  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  who  is 
the  mother  of  beautiful  love  and  refuge  of  all  sinners,  of  whom 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.       375 

St.  Bernard  says,  "that  no  one  has  ever  invoked  her  in  his  neces- 
sities without  being  heard."  6.  The  careful  training  of  the 
eyes.  The  pious  Job  made  a  covenant  with  his  eyes,  that  he  would 
not  so  much  as  look  upon  a  virgin.  (Job.  xxxi.  1.)  7.  The  avoid- 
ance of  evil  occasions,  especially  the  avoidance  of  inter- 
course with  persons  of  the  other  sex.  "Remember,"  says 
St.  Jerome,  "that  a  woman  drove  out  the  inhabitants  of  paradise, 
and  that  you  are  not  holier  than  David,  not  stronger  than  Sam- 
son, not  wiser  than  Solomon,  who  all  fell  by  wTong  intercourse." 
8.  The  avoidance  of  idleness;  for  idleness,  says  the  proverb, 
is  the  beginning  of  all  evil.  9.  The  quick  driving  away  of 
all  bad  thoughts  by  often  pronouncing  the  names  of  Jesus  and 
Mary,  which,  as  St.  Alphonsus  Ligouri  says,  have  the  special 
power  of  driving  away  wrong  thoughts.  10.  The  frequent  use 
of  the  holy  Sacraments  of  Penance  and  of  the  Altar. 
This  last  remedy  in  particular,  is  a  certain  cure  if  we  make  known 
to  our  confessor,  and  always  if  possible  to  the  same  one,  our 
weaknesses,  and  use  precisely  the  remedies  he  prescribes.  The 
Scripture  says  in  regard  to  holy  Communion,  that  it  is  the  grain 
from  which  virgins  spring,  and  the  table  which  God  has  prepared 
against  all  temptations  that  annoy  us. 

THE  CHURCH'S  PRAYER  FOR  CONTINENCY.  Inflame, 
0  Lord,  our  veins  and  hearts  with  the  fire  of  Thy  Holy  Spirit, 
that  we  may  serve  Thee  with  pure  bodies,  and  please  Thee 
with  clean  hearts.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 


T  the  Introit  of  Mass  pray  with  the  priest 
with  a  confiding  and  humble  heart:  Look 
thou  upon  me,  and  have  mercy  onme, 
0  Lord,  for  I  am  alone  and  poor:  see 
my  abjection  and  my  labour,  and  for- 
give me  all  my  sins,  0  my  God.  (Ps. 
'^*  xxiv.)  To  thee,  0  Lord,  have  I  lifted 

up  my  soul:  *In  thee,  0  my  God,  I  place  my  trust:  let 

me  not  be  ashamed.    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  the  Protector  of 
those  who  hope  in  Thee,  without  whose  aid  nothing  is  strong, 
nothing  holy:  increase  Thy  mercy  towards  us;  that  under  Thy 
direction  and  conduct,  we  may  so  pass  through  the  blessings 
of  this  life,  as  not  to  lose  those  which  are  eternal.  Thro'. 


376      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Peter  v.  6— 11.)  Dearly  beloved:  Be  you 
humbled  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  that  he  may  exalt 
you  in  the  time  of  visitation.  Casting  all  your  care  upon 
him,  for  he  hath  care  of  you.  Be  sober  and  watch :  because 
your  adversary  the  devil,  as  a  roaring  lion,  goeth  about, 
seeking  whom  he  may  devour:  whom  resist  ye,  strong  in 
faith;  knowing  that  the  same  affliction  befalls  your  brethren 
who  are  in  the  world.  But  the  God  of  all  grace,  who  hath 
called  us  into  his  eternal  glory  in  Christ  Jesus,  after  you 
have  suffered  a  little,  will  himself  perfect  you,  and  confirm 
and  establish  you.  To  him  be  glory  and  empire  for  ever  and 
ever.  Amen. 

EXPLANATION.  As  God  resists  the  proud,  but  gives  His 
grace  to  the  humble,  urges  St.  Peter  us  to  humble  ourselves, 
being  aware  of  our  sinfulness  and  nothingness,  before  the  power- 
ful hand  of  God,  who  holds  with  three  fingers  the  whole 
weight  of  our  earth ;  he  admonishes  to  distrust  ourselves,  think 
nothing  of  ourselves,  then  will  we  be  elevated  at  the  time  of  vi- 
sitation, that  is,  at  God's  last  judgment.  This  necessary  humility 
shows  itself  in  us  by  our  giving  ourselves  and  all  our  cares  up 
to  the  almighty  providence  of  God,  who,  as  St.  Augustine  says, 
takes  care  for  one  man  as  for  all,  and  for  all  as  for  one.  We 
should  not  fail,  however,  to  be  sober  and  watchful,  to  keep  at  a 
distance  and  not  think  ourselves  secure  from  the  lusts  of  the 
world.  For  the  devil  like  a  lion  seeking  prey,  and  therefore 
ever  on  the  watch,  desires  the  ruin  of  our  souls,  tormenting  us 
by  temptations  and  afflictions,  whom  we  should  and  can  resist, 
however,  by  faithful  confidence  in  God's  help,  all  the  more  when 
we  see  how  others  suffer  even  as  we,  and  when  we  consider  the 
hope  we  have  that  Jesus  will  strengthen  us  during  our  trial,  and 
crowrn  us  with  eternal  glory  at  its  end,  to  whom  be  glory,  and 
empire,  for  ever  and  ever. 

MORAL  LESSONS  CONCERNING  DRUNKENNESS. 

SBe  sober  and  watch.  (i.  Peter  v.  8.) 

Obriety  is  the  mother  of  vigilance ;  intemperance,  especially 
in  regard  to  drinking,  is  the  mother  of  sloth  and  many  other 
vices,  wThich  cast  many  souls  into  the  jaws  of  the  devil  who,  like 
a  hungry  lion,  goes  about  day  and  night  seeking  for  prey.  "Woe, 
therefore,  to  those  who  because  of  their  drunkenness  live,  as  it 
were,  in  constant  night  and  in  the  permanent  sleep  of  sin!  How 
will  they  feel  when  suddenly  they  are  awakened  by  death  from 
their  sleep,  and  if  they  then  find  themselves  laden,  before  the 
judgment  of  God,  with  innumerable  sins  which  they  knew  not,  nor 
wished  to  know!    For  who  can  count  the  sins  committed  in  a 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.       377 

state  of  intoxication,  sins  for  which  the  drunkard  cares  nothing, 
for  which  he  has  no  contrition,  and  has  not  confessed,  because  he 
is  generally  in  a  state  in  which  he  has  no  reason  and  does  not 
know,  therefore,  what  he  has  thought,  said,  or  done. 

But  will  the  divine  Judge  find  no  sin  in  such  persons?  Will 
He  permit  the  shameful  deeds  committed  while  intoxicated,  the 
curses,  blasphemies,  sneers,  detractions,  outrages,  and  scandals 
remain  unpunished?  He,  who  demands  an  account  of  every  idle 
word,  will  He  demand  no  account  of  the  time  so  evily  spent,  of 
the  money  so  badly  squandered,  of  households  neglected,  Church 
service  unattended,  education  of  children  omitted,  and  of  the 
other  great  sins  committed  ?  They  will  indeed  excuse  themselves, 
pleading  that  these  sins  were  committed  involuntarily,  or  as  a 
joke,  when  they  were  intoxicated;  that  their  intoxication  was  ex- 
cusable, as  they  were  not  able  to  stand  much. 

But  will  God  be  content  with  such  excuses?  Will  they  not 
tend  the  more  to  their  destruction?  This  is  to  be  punished,  this, 
that  they  took  more  than  they  could  bear  of  the  intoxicating 
drink,  deprived  themselves  of  the  use  of  reason,  and  thus  volun- 
tarily made  the  occasion  of  all  the  sins  they  committed  while  in 
that  state. 

What,  then,  can  they  expect?  Nothing  less  than  the  fate  of 
the  rich  man  in  the  gospel,  who  on  account  of  his  debaucheries 
was  buried  in  hell,  where  his  parched  tongue  receives  during  all 
eternity  not  one  drop  of  water  to  cool  it.  {Lake  xvi.  22.)  Yes, 
this  will  be  the  place  of  those  unconverted  drunkards  of  whom 
St.  Paul  says,  that  they  will  not  possess  the  kingdom  of  God. 
(i.  Cor.  vi.  10.)  From  this  place  of  torment  nothing  but  a  true 
conversion  will  save  them.  But  how  rare  and  how  difficult  is  the 
conversion  of  a  drunkard,  because  with  them  as  with  the  un- 
chaste this  habit  becomes  a  second  nature,  and  because  they  ge- 
nerally abuse  the  remedies :  the  holy  Sacraments  of  Penance  and 
the  Altar. 

This  should  certainly  keep  every  one  from  the  vice  of  drunk- 
enness; but  those  who  are  not  thus  withheld,  may  consider  the 
indecency,  the  disgrace,  and  the  injury  of  this  vice,  which 
may  perhaps  better  fill  them  with  disgust  for  it. 

How  disgraceful  it  is  that  a  man  endowed  with  intellect  and 
reason,  created  for  heaven,  should  take  to  the  beastly  love  of 
drink,  degrading;  his  mind,  his  intellectual  spirit,  the  image  of 
God,  rendering  it  like  the  brute  beasts,  yes,  even  making  it  in- 
ferior to  the  animals.  For  what  animal  having  taken  enough,  can 
be  forced  to  take  more  than  it  can  bear?  "Are  not  the  drunkards 
far  worse  than  the  animals?"  says  St.  Chrysostom.  Indeed  yes,  if 
only  on  account  of  their  drunkenness,  but  far  more  because  of 
the  shameful  position  of  their  body,  their  manners,  their  speech, 
their  behavior.  How  disgracefully  naked  lay  Noah,  although  he 
was  intoxicated  without  his  own  fault,  exposed  in  his  tent  to  the 


378     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

ridicule  of  the  impudent  Cham!  (Gen.  xi.  21.)  Even  the  heathen 
Spartans  held  as  so  disgraceful  the  vice  of  drunkenness,  that  they 
were  in  the  habit  of  intoxicating  a  slave,  and  bringing  him  before 
their  children  that  they  might  be  disgusted  with  it. 

Finally,  that  which  should  deter  everybody  from  this  vice,  is 
its  injuriousness.  It  ruins  the  body  as  well  as  the  soul.  By  sur- 
feiting many  have  perished  (Eccl.  xxxvii.  34.) ,  and  it  has 
ruined  the  health  of  many  more.  Who  hath  woe?  Whose  fa- 
ther hath  woe?  Who  hath  contentions?  Who  fall  into 
pits,  who  hath  wounds  without  cause?  Who  hath  red- 
ness of  eyes?  Surely  they  that  pass  their  time  in  wine, 
and  study  to  drink  off  their  cups.  (Prov. xxiii.  29,30.)  Daily 
observation  confirms  this  truth  of  Scripture,  and  the  miserable 
old  age,  accompanied  by  innumerable  weaknesses  and  frailties,  of 
one  given  up  to  drink,  is  a  sufficient  testimony  of  the  injurious- 
ness of  this  vice. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  xv.  1  — 10.)  At  that  time:  The  publicans 
and  sinners  drew  near  unto  him  to  hear  him.  And  the  Pha- 
risees and  Scribes  murmured,  saying:  This  man  receiveth 
sinners  and  eateth  with  them.  And  he  spoke  to  them  this 
parable,  saying:  What  man  of  you  that  hath  a  hundred 
sheep;  and  if  he  shall  lose  one  of  them,  doth  he  not  leave 
the  ninety-nine  in  the  desert,  and  go  after  that  which  was 
lost,  until  he  find  it  ?  And  when  he  hath  found  it,  lay  it  upon 
his  shoulders  rejoicing,  and  coming  home  call  together  his 
friends  and  neighbors,  saying  to  them:  Rejoice  with  me,  be- 
cause I  have  found  my  sheep  that  was  lost  ?  I  say  to  you, 
that  even  so  there  shall  be  joy  in  heaven  upon  one  sinner 
that  doth  penance,  more  than  upon  ninety-nine  just  who 
need  not  penance.  Or  what  woman  having  ten  groats:  if  she 
lose  one  groat,  doth  not  light  a  candle,  and  sweep  the  house, 
and  seek  diligently,  until  she  find  it?  And  when  she  hath 
found  it,  call  together  her  friends  and  neighbors,  saying: 
Rejoice  with  me,  because  I  have  found  the  groat  which  I  had 
lost?  So  I  say  to  you,  there  shall  be  joy  before  the  angels  of 
God  upon  one  sinner  doing  penance. 

What  moved  the  sinners  to  approach  Jesus? 

The  goodness  and  benevolence  with  which  He  met  the  penitent 
sinners.  Do  you  also  humbly  and  trustingly  approach  Him,  and 
you  may  rest  assured  that,  even  if  you  are  the  greatest  of  sinners, 
you  will  receive  grace  and  forgiveness. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.      37<J 


What  is  Christ's  meaning  in  the  parable  of  the  lost  sheep  and  groat? 

He  expresses  by  this  His  desire  for  the  salvation  of  the  sinner, 
and  His  joy  and  that  of  all  heaven  when  a  sinner  is  converted. 
Moreover,  He  shows  the  Pharisees  who  in  vain  selfjustification 
avoided  all  intercourse  with  acknowledged  sinners,  and  who  mur- 
mured at  the  goodness  of  Jesus,  that  the  sinner,  being  truly  un- 
happy, deserves  our  compassion  rather  than  our  anger. 

Why  do  the  angels  rejoice  more  over  one  sinner  who  does  penance 
than  over  ninety-nine  just? 

Because  the  places  of  the  fallen  angels  are  thus  refilled ;  be- 
cause the  angels  see  how  the  good  God  rejoices;  because  they 
find  their  prayers  for  the  conversion  of  sinners  granted,  as  St. 
Bernard  says:     "The  tears  of  the  penitents  are  wine  for  the 


380  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

angels;"  because,  as  St.  Gregory  says,  "the  true  penitents  are 
usually  more  zealous  even  than  the  innocent". 

ASPIRATION.  I  have  erred  like  a  sheep  that  has  lost  its 
way ;  but  I  thank  Thee,  0  Jesus,  my  good  Shepherd,  that 
Thou  hast  so  carefully  sought  me  by  Thy  inspirations,  ad- 
monitions, and  warnings,  and  dost  now  bring  me  back  to 
true  penance,  that  I  may  be  a  joy  to  the  angels.   Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 


Ay  at  the  Intro  it  with  the  priest  in  great  confi- 
dence: The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salva- 
tion, whom  shall  I  fear?  The  Lord  is  the 
protector  of  my  life,  of  whom  shall  I  be 
afraid?  My  enemies  that  trouble  me,  have 
themselves  been  weakened,  and  have  fal- 
len. If  armies  in  camp  should  stand  toge- 
ther against  me,  my  heart  shall  not  fear.  (7^.26.)  Glory,&c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  0 
Lord,  that  the  world,  with  regard  to  us,  may  be  governed  in. 
peace  by  Thy  providence,  and  Thy  Church  pay  her  devotions 
to  Thee  in  tranquillity.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  (Bom.  viii.  18—23.)  Brethren:  I  reckon  that 
the  sufferings  of  this  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared 
with  the  glory  to  come,  that  shall  be  revealed  to  us.  For  the 
expectation  of  the  creature  waiteth  for  the  revelation  of  the 
sons  of  God.  For  the  creature  was  made  subject  to  vanity, 
not  willingly,  but  by  reason  of  him  that  made  it  subject,  in 
hope:  Because  the  creature  also  itself  shall  be  delivered  from 
the  servitude  of  corruption,  into  the  liberty  of  the  glory  of 
the  children  of  God.  For  we  know  that  every  creature  groan- 
eth,  and  travaileth  in  pain  even  till  now.  And  not  only  it, 
but  ourselves  also,  who  have  the  first  fruits  of  the  spirit, 
even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves,  waiting  for  the 
adoption  of  the  sons  of  God,  the  redemption  of  our  body  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

INSTRUCTION.  There  is  no  greater  consolation  in  crosses 
and  afflictions,  no  more  powerful  strength  to  uphold  the  burdens 
of  a  pious  and  virtuous  life,  than  the  thought  that  all  sufferings 


L 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FQURTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.    381 

are  as  nothing  when  compared  with  the  coming  glory  of  heaven, 
and  that  by  a  slight  and  momentary  suffering  in  this  life  is  ob- 
tained a  superabundant  happiness  in  the  next.  (ii.  Cor.  iv.  17.) 
Thus  St.  Augustine  says :  "Were  we  daily  to  suffer  all  torments, 
even  for  a  short  time  the  pains  of  hell,  in  order  to  see  Christ  and 
be  numbered  among  His  saints,  would  it  not  be  worth  all  the 
misery  to  obtain  such  a  great  good,  such  great  glory?" 

ASPIRATION.  Ah,  Lord,  when  shall  we  be  delivered  from 
the  miserable  bondage  of  this  life,  and  participate  in  that  in- 
describable glory  which  Thou  hast  prepared  for  Thy  children, 
where  free  from  the  misery  and  many  temptations  of  this 
life,  they  enjoy  eternal  bliss.  Enable  us  to  see  more  and 
more  into  the  misery  of  this  life,  that  we  may  thus  be  urged 
to  strive  for  freedom  and  glory  in  Thy  kingdom.  Amen. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  v.  1  — 11.)  At  that  time:  It  came  to 
pass,  that  when  the  multitude  pressed  upon  him  to  hear  the 
word  of  God,  he  stood  by  the  lake  of  Genesareth.  And  he 
saw  two  ships  standing  by  the  lake:  but  the  fishermen  were 
gone  out  of  them  and  were  washing  their  nets.  And  going 
up  into  one  of  the  ships  that  was  Simon's,  he  desired  him  to 
draw  back  a  little  from  the  land.  And  sitting  he  taught  the 
multitudes  out  of  the  ship.  Now  when  he  had  ceased  to 
speak,  he  said  to  Simon:  Launch  out  into  the  deep,  and  let 
down  your  nets  for  a  draught.  And  Simon,  answering,  said 
to  him :  Master,  we  have,  laboured  all  the  night,  and  have 
taken  nothing:  but  at  thy  word  I  will  let  down  the  net.  And 
when  they  had  done  this,  they  enclosed  a  very  great  multi- 
tude of  fishes  and  their  net  broke.  And  they  beckoned  to 
their  partners  that  were  in  the  other  ship,  that  they  should 
come  and  help  them.  And  they  came  and  filled  both  the 
ships,  so  that  they  were  almost  sinking.  Which  when  Simon 
Peter  saw,  he  fell  down  at  Jesus's  knees,  saying:  Depart  from 
me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0  Lord.  For  he  was  wholly  as- 
tonished, and  all  that  were  with  him,  at  the  draught  of  the 
fishes  which  they  had  taken.  And  so  were  also  James  and 
John  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  who  were  Simon's  partners.  And 
Jesus  saith  to  Simon:  Fear  not:  from  henceforth  thou  shalt 


382  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


catch  men.  And  having  brought  their  ships  to  land,  leaving 
all  things  they  followed  him. 

What  are  we  to  learn  from  the  people  who  came  to  Christ  to  hear 

the  icord  of  God? 
To  listen  with  great  zeal  and  interior  desire  to  the  word  of 
God,  because  from  it  man  receives  the  life  of  his  soul  {Matt.ivA.), 
and  eternal  happiness.  (Luke  xi.  28.) 

Why  did  Christ  teach  from  Peter's  ship? 
By  this  He  showed,  that  pure  and  true  doctrine  is  preached 
only  from  that  Church  of  which  Peter  is  the  head  {John  xxi.  15.), 
which  is  here  represented  by  Peter's  ship.  Although  many  storms 
of  persecution  have  from  the  first  arisen  against  the  ship,  the 
true  Church,  and  will  still  arise  against  it,  it  will,  as  Christ  has 


INSTRUCTION  ON  A  GOOD  INTENTION.  383 

promised,  never  be  sunk.  {Matt.  xvi.  18.)  From  this  ship  Jesus 
still  preaches  through  the  successors  of  St.  Peter,  His  vicar, 
through  the  bishops  and  priests,  as  His  cooperators,  with  whom 
He  has  promised  to  remain  to  the  end  of  the  world.  {Matt. 
xxviii.  20.) 

Why  was  it  that  Peter  and  his  assistants  caught  nothing  all  the 
night,  and  afterwards  so  much  ? 
Because  at  first  they  trusted  in  themselves,  and  did  not  throw 
out  their  nets  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  that  is,  trusting  in  His 
blessing  and  assistance.  "From  this  example,"  says  St.  Ambrose, 
"is  seen  how  vain  and  fruitless  is  presumptuous  confidence,  how 
powerful,  on  the  contrary,  humility,  since  those  who  had  pre- 
viously labored  without  success,  filled  their  nets  at  the  mere  word 
of  the  Redeemer."  Let  us  learn  from  this  our  inability,  that  we 
should  begin  our  work  only  with  God,  that  is,  with  confidence  in 
His  help,  and  with  the  intention  of  working  only  for  love  of  Him, 
for  His  honor.  If  we  do  so,  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  will  not  be 
lacking. 

What  is  represented  by  the  nets  and  the  draught  of  fishes? 
"The  word  of  truth  which,  so  to  speak,  forms  the  network  of 
gospel  preaching,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "with  which  the  successors 
of  the  apostles,  the  bishops  and  priests,  draw  souls  from  the 
darkness  of  error,  give  them  the  light  of  truth,  and  take  them 
from  the  depths  of  the  abyss  to  raise  them  to  heaven." 

What  is  meant  by  the  apostles'  calling  to  their  partners  for  help? 
We  are  instructed  by  this  that  we  should  assist  the  preachers 
of  the  gospel,  the  priests,  in  the  conversion  of  sinners  by  prayer, 
fasting,  alms-deeds,  and  other  good  works,  especially  by  good 
example,  for  this  is  a  most  meritorious  work.  {James  v.  20.) 

Why  did  Jesus  choose  poor  and  illiterate  fishermen  for  His 

apostles? 

That  it  might  be  seen  that  the  founding  and  propagating  of 
the  holy  Catholic  Church  is  not  the  work  of  man,  but  of  God ;  for 
how  could  it  be  possible,  without  the  evident  assistance  of  God, 
that  poor  illiterate  fishermen  could  overthrow  proud  paganism, 
and  bring  nations  to  receive  the  doctrine  of  the  crucified  God- 
Man  Jesus,  who  to  the  Jews  was  an  abomination,  to  the  gentiles 
a  folly! 

INSTRUCTION  ON  A  GOOD  INTENTION. 

Master,  we  have  laboured  all  the  night,  and  have  taken 
nothing :  but  at  thy  word  I  will  let  down  the  net. 

T{lMke  v.  5.) 
Here  are  many  people  who  by  a  special,  but  loving  decree  of 
God,  yet  unknown  to  us,  seem  to  be  born  only  for  a  misera- 
bly hard  life,  and  who,  with  all  this  (which  is  greatly  to  be  re- 


384  INSTRUCTION  ON  A  GOOD  INTENTION. 

gretted),  have  no  hope  of  a  reward  in  the  next  world,  because 
they  make  no  good  use  by  a  good  intention  of  the  wretched- 
ness which  God  gives  them  for  a  ladder  to  heaven. 

In  what  does  a  good  intention  consist? 
In  this  that  we  perform  all  our  works,  even  the  smallest,  all 
words  and  thoughts,  in  the  name  of  God,  that  is,  to  His  honor 
and  in  accordance  with  His  most  holy  will;  that  we  take  all  suf- 
ferings and  afflictions  cheerfully  from  His  hand,  and  offer  them  in 
union  with  the  passion  of  Jesus. 

How  should  we  make  a  good  intention? 
We  should  at  once  in  the  morning  offer  to  the  Lord,  all  the 
thoughts,  words,  and  deeds,  all  the  crosses  and  afflictions,  all  our 
steps  during  the  day:  1.  as  a  sacrifice  of  obligation,  to  pay 
to  Him  the  due  service,  honor,  and  homage;  2.  a  sacrifice  of 
thanksgiving,  in  gratitude  for  graces  received;  3.  a  propi- 
tiatory sacrifice,  to  render  some  satisfaction  to  divine  justice 
for  our  own  and  other's  sins;  4.  an  impetratory  sacrifice,  to 
obtain,  through  the  merits  of  Christ,  new  graces  and  gifts  for 
ourselves  and  others.  We  must  not  forget  however  in  the  making 
of  a  good  intention,  to  unite  all  our  works  with  the  merits  of 
Jesus,  by  which  alone  they  acquire  worth  and  merit  before  God, 
and  we  must  guard  against  losing  the  effect  of  the  good  intention, 
made  in  the  morning,  by  impatience  or  sinful  deeds,  for  a  good 
intention  cannot  exist  with  sin.  It  is  also  very  useful  to  put  all 
our  actions  into  the  wounds  of  Jesus,  offering  them  to  God,  by 
the  hands  of  Mary,  the  blessed  Mother  of  God,  and  it  is  advisable 
to  frequently  renew  our  good  intention  during  the  day,  in  some 
such  words  as  these :  "  For  the  love  of  Thee,  0  Lord  I  For  Thy 
sake !  All  in  honor  of  God !  With  the  intention  I  made  this  morn- 
ing ! "  Endeavor  to  instruct  the  ignorant  and  those  who  cannot 
read  concerning  a  good  intention ,  and  thus  share  in  their  good 
works. 

What  benefit  is  derived  from  a  good  intention? 

As  St.  Anselm  says,  "it  renders  all  works,  even  the  smallest, 
golden  and  divine";  and  St.  Gregory:  "it  makes  all  thoughts, 
words,  and  deeds  meritorious",  and  effects,  that  in  the  hour  of 
death  we,  like  the  five  wise  virgins,  can  expect  with  joy  the  hea- 
venly bridegroom,  Jesus,  and  be  richly  rewarded  by  Him. 

ASPIRATION.  Incline  my  heart,  0  God,  to  Thy  holy 
commands.  Guard  me,  that  I  work  not  in  the  night  of  sin, 
and  thus  gain  nothing  by  my  works.  Assist  all  pastors  of 
souls,  that  by  Thy  divine  will,  they  may  win  souls  for  Thy 
kingdom,  and  bring  them  to  Thee. 


385 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 

T  the  Introit  ask  God  for  help,  and  say 
with  the  priest:  Hear,  0  Lord,  my  voice, 
with  which  I  have  cried  to  thee:  be 
thou  my  helper;  forsake  me  not,  do 
not  thou  despise  me,  0  God,  my  Sa- 
viour. (Ps.  xxvi.)  The  Lord  is  my  light 

,  and  my  salvation:  whom  shall  I  fear? 
Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  hast  prepared 
invisible  good  things  for  those  that  love  Thee.:  pour  forth  into 
our  hearts  an  affectionate  love  for  thee:  That  loving  Thee  in 
all  things  and  above  all  things,  we  may  come  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of  Thy  promises ,  which  are  above  whatever  we  can 
desire. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Peter  iii.  8—15.)  Dearly  beloved:  Be  ye  all 
of  one  mind,  having  compassion  one  of  another,  being  lovers 
of  the  brotherhood,  merciful,  modest,  humble:  not  rendering 
evil  for  evil,  or  railing  for  railing,  but  contrariwise  blessing: 
for  unto  this  you  are  called,  that  you  may  inherit  a  blessing. 
"For  he  that  will  love  life,  and  see  good  days,  let  him  refrain 
his  tongue  from  evil,  and  his  lips  that  they  speak  no  guile. 
Let  him  decline  from  evil  and  do  good :  let  him  seek  after 
peace,  and  pursue  it:  because  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  upon 
the  just,  and  his  ears  unto  their  prayers:  but  the  counte- 
nance of  the  Lord  against  them  that  do  evil  things.'"  And 
who  is  he  that  can  hurt  you,  if  you  be  jealous  of  good"?  But 
if  also  you  suffer  any  thing  for  justice's  sake,  blessed  are  ye. 
And.be  not  afraid  of  their  fear,  and  be  not  troubled.  But 
sanctify  the  Lord  Christ  in  your  hearts. 

How  can  and  how  should  we  Christians  sanctify  the  Lord  in  our 

hearts  ? 
By  appropriating  and  practising  those  virtues  which  Peter 
here  recommends,  and  which  he  so  exactly  describes.  For  when 
Ave  make  these  virtues  our  own  and  practise  them,  we  honor 
Christ  in  a  manner  pleasing  to  Him,  and  we  cause  Him  to  be 
honored  by  others  who,  edified  by  our  good  example,  are  led  bet- 
ter to  understand  Christ  and  His  doctrine,  and  to  follow  Him 
also.    Thus  we  not  only  honor  and  sanctify  Christ  in  our  hearts, 


25 


386      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

but  also  in  others,  and  we  make  ourselves  less  unworthy  of  the 
grace  and  protection  of  God.  Then  if  for  piety's  sake,  we  are 
persecuted  by  wicked  men,  we  need  not  fear,  because  God  is  for 
us  and  will  repay  us  with  eternal  happiness. 

ASPIRATION.  0  good  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  grant  me, 
that  I  may  make  Thy  virtues,  especially  Thy  humility,  pa- 
tience, mercy,  and  love,  my  own,  and  that  I  may  practise 
them  industriously,  that  I  may  glorify  Thee,  sanctify  my- 
self, and  make  myself  worthy  of  Thy  protection. 


GOSPEL.  (Matt,  v.  20—24.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
his  disciples :  Unless  your  justice  exceed  that  of  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees,  you  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  hea- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.       387 

ven.  You  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of  old:  Thou 
shalt  not  kill.  And  whosoever  shall  kill,  shall  be  in  danger 
of  the  judgment.  But  I  say  to  you,  that  whosoever  is  angry 
with  his  brother,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment.  And 
whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother,  Raca,  shall  be  in  danger 
of  the  council.  And  whosoever  shall  say,  Thou  fool,  shall  be 
in  danger  of  hell  fire.  Therefore,  if  thou  bring  thy  gift  to 
the  altar,  and  there  shalt  remember  that  thy  brother  hath 
any  thing  against  thee;  leave  there  thy  gift  before  the  altar, 
and  go  first  to  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother :  and  then  come 
and  offer  thy  gift. 

What  was  the  justice  of  the  Pharisees? 
It  consisted  merely  in  external  works  of  piety,  in  the  avoid- 
ance of  those  gross  vices,  which  could  not  be  kept  concealed, 
and  would  havebrought  them  to  shame  and  disgrace.  But  in  their 
hearts  these  Pharisees  cherished  evil,  corrupt  inclinations  and 
desires,  pride,  envy,  avarice,  and  planned  malice  and  vengeance. 
Jesus,  therefore,  called  them  hypocrites,  whited  sepulchres,  and 
St.  John  calls  them  a  brood  of  vipers.  True  justice  consists  not 
only  in  external  works  of  piety,  that  is,  devotional  works,  but 
especially  in  a  pure,  sincere,  wellmeaning  feeling  towards  God 
and  man ;  without  this  all  works,  however  good,  are  only  a  shell 
without  a  kernel. 

How  is  to  be  understood  that  which  Christ  here  says  of  anger 
and  invectives? 

These  words  are  as  if  Christ  said :  You  have  heard  that  mur- 
der was  forbidden  to  your  fathers  in  the  desert,  and  that  the 
murderer  had  to  be  given  up  to  justice  to  be  punished :  but  I  say 
to  you,  whoever  uncharitably  becomes  angry  with  his  neighbor, 
shall  be  in  danger  of  divine  judgment,  and  more  so  he  who  with 
abusive  words,  such  as  Kaca,  Villain,  gives  bent  to  his  anger, 
and  especially  he  who  in  his  anger  against  his  neighbor,  uses  ex- 
pression of  contempt  and  insult,  as  fool,  scoundrel,  profligate, 
wretch.  These  three  degrees  of  anger  are  punished  by  eternal 
fire  in  hell,  but  in  different  ways.  These  diverse  methodes  of 
punishment,  however,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  cannot  be  explained 
by  sensible  images. 

Is  all  anger  sinful? 

No,  anger  is  sinful  only  when  we  wish  or  try  to  inflict  on  our 
neighbor  some  evil  to  his  body,  honor,  or  property,  or  use  such 
insulting  words  concerning  him,  that  his  name  is  badly  hurt,  and 
he  becomes  sad  or  excited.  But  when  the  mind  is  agitated,  and 
renders  us  angry  because  of  the  vices  and  debaucheries,  the  crimes 


25* 


388  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

and  sins  of  others,  when  our  office  or  the  duties  of  our  station 
demand  that  we  watch  over  the  sins  of  those  under  us,  to  punish 
them,  and  to  make  them  better  (as  in  the  case  of  parents,  tea- 
chers, and  superiors),  then  anger  is  no  sin.  When  one  out  of 
pure  love  of  God,  becomes  irritated  at  the  sins  and  vices  of  his 
fellowmen,  like  King  David,  or  if  one  urged  to  wrong,  repels  the 
tempter  with  indignation,  this  is  even  a  holy  anger.  Thus  St. 
Gregory  says:  "It  is  to  be  understood,  that  anger  created  by 
impatience,  is  a  very  different  thing  from  anger  produced  by  a 
zeal  for  justice.  One  is  caused  by  vice,  the  other  by  virtue."  He, 
then,  who  becomes  angry  for  justice's  sake,  commits  no  sin,  but 
his  conduct  is  holy  and  praiseworthy,  for  even  our  Lord  was 
angry  at  those  who  bought  and  sold  in  the  temple  {John  ii.  15.), 
Paul  at  the  magician  Elvmas  (Acts  xiii.  8.),  and  Peter  at  the  de- 
ceit of  Ananias  and  Saphira.  (Acts  v.  3.)  Anger,  then,  to  be  with- 
out sin,  must  proceed  from  true  zeal  for  God's  honor  and  the 
salvation  of  souls,  by  which  we  seek  to  prevent  others  from  wrong 
and  sin,  and  to  make  them  better.  But  even  in  this  respect,  we 
must  be  careful  to  allow  our  an«er  no  control  over  our  reason,  but 
to  use  it  merely  as  a  means  of  doing  good,  for  we  are  often  apt  to 
take  the  sting  of  anger  for  holy  zeal,  when  it  is  really  nothing 
but  egotism  and  ambition. 

Why  should  we  first  go  to  be  reconciled  with  our  neighbor  before 
bringing  an  offering  to  God,  or  doing  some  other  good  work? 
Because  no  offering  or  other  good  work  can  be  pleasing  to 
God,  while  we  are  living  in  enmity  with  our  neighbor,  in  hatred 
and  quarrels;  for  by  living  thus  we  go  entirely  against  God's  will. 
This  should  be  remembered  by  all  Christians,  who  venture  to  go  to 
Confession  and  holy  Communion,  without  forgiving  those  who  have 
offended  them,  and  asking  pardon  of  those  whom  they  have  of- 
fended. These  must  know  that  instead  of  receiving  absolution  for 
their  sins,  they  make  themselves,  by  an  invalid  confession,  guilty 
of  another  sin,  and  eat  their  own  judgment  in  holy  Communion. 

How  should  reconciliation  be  made  with  our  neighbor? 
It  should  be  done  quickly,  because  the  apostle  says:  Let 
not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your  anger.  (Eph.  iv.  26.)  But 
if  the  person  you  have  offended,  is  absent,  says  St.  Augustine,  and 
you  cannot  easily  meet  him,  you  are  bound  to  be  reconciled  to 
him  interiorly,  that  is,  to  humble  yourself  before  God,  to  ask  His 
forgiveness,  making  the  firm  resolution  to  be  reconciled  to  your 
enemy  as  soon  as  possible.  If  he  is  accessible  and  not  very  distant, 
go  to  him,  and  ask  his  forgiveness;  if  he  has  offended  you,  for- 
give him  from  your  heart.  The  reconciliation  should  be  sincere, 
not  simply  apparent,  for  God  sees  into  the  heart;  and  perma- 
nent, for  if  it  is  not  lasting,  it  may  be  questioned  if  it  was  ever 
sincere.  On  account  of  this  command  of  Christ  to  be  reconciled 
to  our  enemies  before  bringing  sacrifice,  it  is  that  in  old  times  at 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.      389 

Mass  before  holy  Communion  the  faithful  kissed  each  other,  as 
even  to  this  day  do  the  priests  and  deacons,  by  which  those  who 
are  present,  are  admonished  to  love  one  another  with  holy  love,  and 
to  be  perfectly  reconciled  with  their  enemies,  before  Communion. 

ASPIRATION.  0  God,  strike  me  not  with  the  blindness 
of  the  Pharisees  that,  like  them,  I  may  seek  to  please  man 
by  my  works,  and  thus  be  deprived  of  eternal  reward.  Banish 
from  my  heart  all  sinful  anger,  and  give  me  a  holy  zeal  in 
love,  that  I  may  be  anxious  only  for  Thy  honor  and  for  the 
salvation  of  my  neighbor.  Grant  me  also,  that  I  may  offend 
no  one,  willingly  forgive  those  who  have  offended  me,  thus 
practising  true  Christian  justice,  and  becoming  agreeable  to 
Thee. 

MEANS  TO  PREVENT  ANGER. 

THe  first  and  most  effectual  preventive  is  humility;  for  as 
among  the  proud  there  are  always  discords  and  quarrels 
(Prov.  xiii.  10.),  so  the  humble,  who  think  but  little  of  themselves, 
are  quiet,  meek,  and  patient.  And  to  be  humble,  meek,  and  pa- 
tient, we  have  only  to  bring  frequently  before  our  minds  the 
example  of  Christ,  who,  though  altogether  without  sin,  deceit 
never  being  found  upon  His  lips  (i.  Peter  ii.  22.),  suffered 
such  great  contradictions  from  sinners,  so  many  persecutions, 
scoffs,  and  sneers,  and  who  taunted  not  in  return,  and  through  all 
His  sufferings  threatened  vengeance  to  no  one,  and  says  to  us 
with  truth:  Learn  of  me,  because  I  am  meek  and  humble 
of  heart.  (Malt,  xi.  29.)  A  very  good  preventive  of  anger  is  to 
prepare  ourselves  in  the  morning,  think  of  what  may  happen  to 
us  during  the  day  to  incite  us  to  anger,  and  then  arm  ourselves 
against  it  by  a  firm  resolution  to  bear  all  with  patience  and  si- 
lence, and  when  afterwards  anything  unpleasant  occurs,  let  us 
think,  "What  will  I  effect  by  my  anger?  Can  I  change  anything 
by  it?  Will  I  not  even  make  myself  ridiculous  by  it,  and  injure 
my  health,  besides?"  (for  experience  as  well  as  holy  Scripture 
teaches,  that  anger  shortens  life.  Eccl.  xxx.  26)  The  most  neces- 
sary preventive  of  anger,  finally,  is  fervent  prayer  for  the  grace 
of  meekness  and  patience,  for  although  it  seems  difficult  and  per- 
haps impossible  to  our  nature  to  be  patient,  by  the  grace  of  God 
it  can  become  not  only  possible,  but  easy. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  SACRIFICE. 

Offer  thy  gift.  {Matt.  v.  24.) 

IN  its  wider  and  more  universal  sense  sacrifice  comprehends 
all  religious  actions  by  which  a  rational  being  presents  him- 
self to  God,  to  be  united  with  Him ;  and  in  this  sense  prayer, 


390      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

praising  God,  a  contrite  heart,  charity  to  others,  every  good  work, 
and  observance  of  God's  commandments  are  sacrifices.  Thus  the 
Holy  Scriptures  say:  Offer  up  the  sacrifice  of  justice  and 
trust  in  the  Lord.  (Ps.  iv.  6.)  Offer  to  God  the  sacrifice 
of  praise.  (Ps.  xlix.  14.)  Sacrifice  to  God  is  an  afflicted 
spirit;  a  contrite  and  humble  heart,  0  God,  thou  wilt 
not  despise.  (Ps.  !.  19.)  It  is  a  wholesome  sacrifice  to 
take  heed  to  the  commandments,  and  to  depart  from 
all  iniquity.  (Eccl.  xxxv.  2.)  "Therefore,"  says  St.  Augustine, 
"every  good  work  which  is  done  to  be  united  in  sanctity  with 
God,  and  to  remain  in  Him,  is  a  true  sacrifice,  because  it  refers 
to  the  end  of  all  good,  to  God,  by  whom  we  can  be  truly  happy." 
As  often,  then,  as  you  humble  yourself  in  prayer  before  the  ma- 
jesty of  God,  when  you  give  yourself  up  to  God,  and  when  you 
make  your  will  subject  to  His  divine  will,  you  bring  a  sacrifice  to 
God ;  as  often  as  you  punish  your  body  by  continency,  and  your 
senses  by  mortification,  you  bring  a  sacrifice  to  God,  becauseyou 
offer  them  as  instruments  of  justice  (Rom.  vi.  13.);  as  often  as  you 
subdue  the  evil  concupiscence  of  the  flesh,  the  perverted  inclina- 
tions of  your  soul,  deny  yourself  any  worldly  pleasure  for  the  love 
of  God,  you  bring  a  sacrifice  to  God.  Such  sacrifices  you  should 
daily  offer  to  God;  without  such  as  these,  all  others  have  no 
value  and  do  not  please  God,  and  such  as  these  you  can  every 
moment  make,  for  every  moment  you  can  love  God,  and  think, 
speak,  and  act  for  the  love  of  God. 

Strive  then,  my  Christian,  to  offer  these  pleasing  sacrifices  to 
God,  the  supreme  Lord,  and  as  you  thus  glorify  Him,  so  will  He 
one  day  reward  you  with  unutterable  glory. 

[Concerning  Sacrifice  in  its  closer  sense,  especially  the  Sacrifice 
of  Jesus  on  the  Cross  and  Us  renewal  in  holy  Mass,  see  the  latter 
part  of  this  book.] 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 


He  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass  is  the  prayer 
of  a  soul  that  trusts  in  God's  powerful  and 
merciful  protection:  The  Lord  is  the 
strength  of  his  people;  the  Protector 
of  the  Salvation  of  hisAnointed.  Save, 
0  Lord,  thy  people,  and  bless  thy  in- 
heritance, and  govern  them  for  ever. 
To  thee,  0  Lord,  will  I  cry  out.  0  my  God,  be  not  si- 
lent: refuse  not  to  answer  me,  lest  I  become  like  those 
who  descend  into  the  pit.  (Ps.  xxvii.)    Glory,  &c. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.      391 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God  of  all  power,  to 
whom  entirely  belongeth  whatever  is  best :  implant  in  our 
hearts  the  love  of  Thy  name,  and  grant  us  an  increase  of 
religion  that  Thou  mayest  improve  in  us  what  is  good,  and 
preserve  what  Thou  thus  improvest  by  the  practice  of  piety. 
Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  (Bom.  vi.  3—11.)  Brethren:  All  we  who  are 
baptized  in  Christ  Jesus,  are  baptized  in  his  death.  For  we 
are  buried  together  with  him  by  baptism  unto  death :  that 
as  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father  so 
we  also  may  walk  in  newness  of  life.  For  if  we  have  been 
planted  together  in  the  likeness  of  his  death,  whe  shall  also 
be  in  the  likeness  of  his  resurrection.  Knowing  this,  that  our 
old  man  is  crucified  with  him,  that  the  body  of  sin  may  be 
destroyed,  and  that  we  may  serve  sin  no  longer.  For  he  that 
is  dead,  is  justified  from  sin.  Now  if  we  be  dead  with  Christ, 
we  believe  that  we  shall  live  also  together  with  Christ.  Know- 
ing that  Christ,  rising  again  from  the  dead,  dieth  now  no 
more,  death  shall  no  more  have  dominion  over  him.  For  in 
that  he  died  to  sin,  he  died  once :  but  in  that  he  liveth,  he 
liveth  unto  God.  So  do  you  also  reckon  yourselves  to  be  dead 
indeed  to  sin,  but  alive  to  God  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.     ♦ 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  here  teaches,  that  by  baptism 
we  are  planted  in  Christ,  are  made  members  of  His  body,  and 
must  therefore  die  to  sin ;  as  Christ  by  His  death  died  to  physical 
life,  but  has  risen  again,  so  must  we  bury  sin,  by  constant  renewal 
of  baptismal  vows,  and  by  self-mortification,  and  rise  to  a  Chris- 
tian life.  As  members  of  Christ's  body  we  should  in  a  spiritual 
manner  imitate  Him.  As  He  permitted  His  body  to  be  nailed  to 
the  cross  and  atoned  for  our  sins,  so  should  we  crucify  our  sins, 
that  is,  our  body's  concupiscence  by  mortification,  put  it  to  death 
and  bury  it,  and  as  He  after  His  resurrection  lives  always  for 
God,  lives  a  divine  life  for  the  honor  of  God,  so  we,  risen  from 
the  death  of  sin,  should  lead  a  pious  life  for  God,  as  commanded 
by  Christ,  and  by  His  grace  return  no  more  to  the  old  sins. 

ASPIRATION.  I  trust,  0  Lord  Jesus,  that  by  the  merits 
of  Thy  passion  I  have  risen  from  the  death  of  sin,  and  now 
grant  me  Thy  grace,  that  as  Thou  dost  die  no  more,  but 
livest  for  God,  so  my  soul  may  die  no  more  by  sin,  but  live 
for  God,  according  to  Thy  law. 


31)2   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


GOSPEL.  {Mark.  viii.  1 — 9.)  At  that  time:  When  there 
was  a  great  multitude  with  Jesus,  and  had  nothing  to  eat: 
calling  his  disciples  together,  he  saith  to  them:  I  have  com- 
passion on  the  multitude;  for  behold,  they  have  now  been 
with  me  three  days,  and  have  nothing  to  eat :  and  if  I  send 
them  away  fasting  to  their  own  home,  they  will  faint  in  the 
way :  for  some  of  them  came  afar  off.  And  his  disciples  an- 
swered him:  From  whence  can  ony  one  fill  them  here  with 
bread  in  the  wilderness?  And  he  asked  them:  How  many 
loaves  have  ye?  Who  said:  Seven.  And  he  commanded  the 
people  to  sit  down  on  the  ground :  and  taking  the  seven  loaves, 


INSTEUCTION  ON  BLESSINGS  IN  THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH.        39  B 

giving  thanks  he  broke,  and  gave  to  his  disciples  for  to  set 
before  them,  and  they  set  them  before  the  people.  And  they 
had  a  few  little  fishes;  and  he  blessed  them,  and  commanded 
them  to  be  set  before  them.  And  they  did  eat  and  were 
filled,  and  they  took  up  that  which  was  left  of  the  frag- 
ments, seven  baskets.  And  they  that  had  eaten,  were  about 
four  thousand :  and  he  sent  them  away. 

Why  does  Christ  say:  I  hare  compassion  on  the  multitude? 

Partly  because  of  His  mercy  and  goodness  to  man,  and  partly 
to  prove  that  which  He  taught  on  another  occasion  {Matt.  vi.  33.), 
that  to  those  who  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  heaven  and  justice,  all 
other  things  will  be  added,  even  though  they  do  not  ask  for  it; 
for  no  one  of  the  multitude  asked  Christ  for  food,  and  yet  He 
provided  for  all. 

REMARK.  The  instruction  after  the  gospel  for  the  fourth  Sunday 
in  Lent,  where  a  similar  miracle  is  mentioned,  may  be  read  to-day. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  BLESSINGS  IN  THE  CATHOLIC 

CHURCH. 

And  He  blessed  them.  {Mark.  viii.  7.) 

\\'  Hen,  seduced  by  Satan,  the  first  man  violated  the  holy 
Y  Y  command  of  God,  and  brought  upon  himself  by  his  sin 
the  curse  of  God,  the  earth,  his  habitation,  was  cursed  with  him 
{Gen.  iii.  17.),  and  he  and  all  things  came  into  the  power  of  Satan, 
whom  Christ  therefore  calls  the  prince  of  this  world.  Before  sin 
man  was  made  by  God  master  of  all  created  things;  man  was 
subject  to  God,  and  all  created  things  subject  to  man.  But  when 
man  failed  in  obedience  to  God  and  sinned,  -all  created  .things  re- 
volted against  man;  the  animals  fled  from  him,  the  fields  yielded 
him  only  thorns  and  thistles,  the  herbs  became  poisonous  to  him, 
or  refused  him  their  former  wholesome  power.  Through  sin  came 
immense  ruin  to  all  men  and  to  the  whole  earth,  the  devil  drew 
both  into  his  sphere  and  made  them  his  servants,  and  this  evil 
spirit  now  made  use  of  created  things  to  divert  man  altogether 
from  God  and  to  cause  his  eternal  ruin.  But  God  decreed,  that 
man  and  earth  should  not  remain  in  this  condition.  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  came  upon  earth,  redeemed  it  from  the  bonds  of 
Satan,  and  gave  all  men  the  power  to  become  once  more  God's 
children.  The  devil  was  conquered  by  the  cross,  conquered,  but 
not  slain,  man  and  the  earth  were  indeed  taken  from  his  domi- 
nion, but  not  from  his  influence ;  for  he  even  now  as  the  apostle 
writes  {Eph.  vi.  12.)  dominates  in  the  air,  even  yet  goes  about 
like  a  roaring  lion,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour  (i.  Peter  v.  8.) ; 


394       INSTRUCTION  ON  BLESSINGS  IN  THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

and  as  he  used  the  forbidden  fruit  in  paradise  to  seduce  man,  he 
now  uses  the  created  things  of  the  earth,  in  order  to  tempt  man, 
and  make  him  again  by  sin  his  servant.  Man  and  all  creation  had 
still  to  be  drawn  from  this  pernicious  influence,  to  be  liberated 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption  and  be  brought  to  the  freedom  of 
the  children  of  God.  (Boni.ym.  19.)  This  is  done  in  the  Church,  to 
which  Christ  entrusted  the  power  of  binding  and  loosing,  and  gave 
the  work  of  sanctifying  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  means  of  blessing 
and  consecration.  By  virtue  of  the  merits  of  Christ,  and  with 
the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Church,  or  the  priest  in  her 
name,  therefore  blesses  and  consecrates  persons  as  well  as  created 
things  which  they  are  to  use,  or  which  she  is  to  apply  to  the  ser- 
vice of  God.  The  Church  follows  in  this  the  example  of  Christ 
and  the  apostles.  Jesus  embraced  children  and  laid  His  hands 
upon  them,  blessing  them  (Mark.x.  16.);  He  blessed  bread  and 
fishes,  the  food  of  thousands;  blessed  bread  and  wine  at  the  last 
supper  (Matt.  xxvi.  26.);  was  recognized  by  the  disciples  in  the 
blessing  of  bread  (Luke  xxiv.  30.);  blessing  the  disciples  He  as- 
cended into  heaven  (Luke  li.);  by  His  command  the  apostles  wished 
peace  to  every  house  in  which  they  stepped  (Matt.  x.  12, 13.);  and 
St.  Paul  expressly  says,  that  every  living  thing  is  sanctified  by 
prayer  and  the  word  of  God.  (i.  Tim.  iv.  5.)  The  blessing  by  the 
Church  is  prefigured  in  the  Old  Law.  God  commanded  the  priests 
to  sanctify  and  to  consecrate  whatever  was  to  belong  to  His  ser- 
vice (Levit.  viii.),  and  the  Old  Law  is  full  of  holy  blessings  and 
consecrations,  which  had  to  be  used  by  the  priests  (Exod.  xxix.  36. ; 
xxx.  25.;  xl.  9.);  and  if  persons  and  things  used  for  it,  were  to  be 
blessed  for  God's  service,  how  much  the  more  so  in  the  New  Law 
which  in  place  of  the  type  contains  the  reality  and  truth!  The 
testimony  of  Scripture  is  confirmed  by  all  the  holy  fathers,  and 
by  the  constant  practice  of  the  Church,  which  has  received  from 
her  Head,  Christ,  the  power  to  bless  and  to  consecrate. 

The  blessing  or  benediction  of  the  Church  is  nothing  more 
than  a  prayer  of  intercession,  which  the  priest  makes  in  the  name 
of  the  Church,  that  for  the  sake  of  Christ  (therefore  the  sign  of 
the  cross)  and  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  God  may  give  His  bless- 
ings to  a  person  or  thing,  and  sanctify  it.  Through  consecration 
in  which,  besides  prayer  and  the  sign  of  cross,  anointing  with  holy 
oil  is  often  used,  the  things  required  for  Church  service  are  placed 
by  themselves  and  sanctified.  Thus  people,  fruits,  bread,  wine, 
houses,  ships  and  fields,  are  blessed;  Churches,  altars,  bells,  &c, 
are  consecrated. 

What  power  have  these  blessings? 

Here  a  distinction  must  be  made  between  the  blessing  of  per- 
sons and  of  things.  The  chief  effects  of  the  blessing  of  persons 
are :  Preservation  or  liberation  from  the  influence  of  Satan ;  pre- 
servation of  the  soul  from  his  temptations  and  evil  suggestions ; 


INSTRUCTION  ON  BLESSINGS  IN  THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH.         395 

preservation  of  the  body  and  of  the  property  from  his  pernicious 
malice;  forgiveness  of  venial  sins,  and  strength  to  suppress  con- 
cupiscence ;  curing  of  sickness  and  physical  evils,  whether  natural 
or  supernatural ;  a  blessing  upon  the  person  and  his  surround- 
ings; the  imparting  of  the  grace  of  conversion ;  the  advantage  of 
the  prayer  of  the  Church  and  further  grace  for  the  remission  of 
temporal  and  eternal  punishment.— The  blessing  of  things  effects: 
that  they  are  withdrawn  from  the  devil's  influence,  so  that  he 
can  no  longer  use  them  as  a  means  of  bringing  us  into  sin ;  that 
God's  blessing  is  thus  given  us  for  the  welfare  of  our  body  and 
soul ;  and  that  they  serve  us  as  a  protection  against  the  evil  spirit 
and  as  a  means  for  our  salvation. 

Whence  do  the  blessings  derive  their  force? 

From  the  merits  of  Christ  who  by  His  death  on  the  cross  van- 
quished Satan,  and  through  whom  and  in  whose  name  the  Church 
asks  God  that  He  may  through  these  merits,  and  on  account  of 
the  intercession  of  the  saints,  bless  a  person  or  thing,  and  make 
the  use  of  the  things  blessed  profitable  to  us  in  regard  to  both 
body  and  soul.  Whether  or  not  the  effects  of  these  blessings 
show  themselves  in  the  person  who  receives  the  blessing  or 
makes  use  of  the  object  blessed,  depends  partly  on  his  faith  and 
moral  condition,  partly  also  on  the  usefulness  or  profit  of  the 
blessing  to  him.  We  should  not,  then,  place  obstacles  in  its  way 
by  distrust  of  God  and  the  prayers  of  the  Church,  or  by  a  sinful 
life,  and  we  should  be  always  convinced,  that  these  benedictions 
will  serve  for  our  benefit  if  according  to  God's  will  they  are  use- 
ful and  we  use  them  as  the  Church  intends,  as  a  means  of  over- 
coming the  evil  without  and  within  us,  to  sanctify  ourselves  and 
to  honor  God. 

Why  are  salt  and  water  blessed? 
This  is  plainly  shown  in  the  prayer  the  priest  says  in  blessing 
them ;  for  he  asks,  in  the  name  of  the  Church,  that  God  will  pour 
the  virtue  of  His  blessing  over  the  water,  that  it  may  conquer 
devils,  prevent  sickness,  and  that  all,  in  houses  or  in  other  places, 
which  is  sprinkled  with  it,  may  be  preserved  from  all  impurities, 
and  from  every  injury,  and  that  He  will  bless  the  salt,  so  that  it 
may  be  salutary  for  the  body  and  soul  of  all  who  use  it. 

Why  are  the  people  sprinkled  with  holy  water  on  Sundays? 

To  remind  us,  that  we  should  come  to  the  Church  service  with 
the  innocence  of  baptism,  or  that  if  this  has  been  stained  by  sin, 
we  should  wash  it  clear  with  tears  of  sorrow  and  repentance;  to 
remind  us  also,  that  Jesus  by  His  sacred  blood  has  redeemed 
and  purified  us  from  sin ;  to  admonish  us  to  be  most  grateful  for 
this  incomprehensible  act  of  mercy,  and  to  be  beseech  our  Sa- 
viour to  purify  us  more  and  more,  as  expressed  by  the  fiftieth 
psalm:  Asperges  me  hyssopo,  &c.  "Sprinkle  me  with  hyssop, 


39f>    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SEVENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

and  I  shall  be  cleansed,"  which  the  priest  says.  The  triple 
sprinkling  of  the  altar  means,  that  we  should  assist  purely  and 
worthily  at  the  sacred  mysteries  which  are  celebrated  on  the 
altar,  and  that  all  power  of  cleansing  from  sin  proceeds  from  Christ 
whom  the  altar  represents.  Finally,  the  people  are  sprinkled,  with 
the  desire  that  the  temptations  of  the  evil  one  may  depart  from 
all,  enabling  them  to  attend  with  greater  fervor  and  with  more 
recollection  to  the  holy  service. 

What  else  is  to  be  remembered  concerning  the  use  of  blessed 

things? 

That  they  are  to  be  used  with  faithful  confidence  for  the  pur- 
pose for  which  the  Church  blessed  them,  and  are  to  be  treated 
with  great  reverence,  because  they  are  blessed  by  the  Church  in 
the  name  of  Jesus,  a  custom  almost  as  old  as,  Christianity  itself. 
The  Christian  must  not  believe,  that  blessed  things  which  he  pos- 
sesses, carries,  or  uses,  will  make  him  holy,  for  he  should  always 
remember  that  things  blessed  are  only  a  means  of  sanctification, 
and  are  only  effectual  when  the  faithful  have  the  earnest  will  to 
die  rather  than  sin,  to  fight  with  all  fervor  against  the  enemies  of 
their  salvation,  to  follow  Christ,  and  be  thereby  received  into  the 
freedom  of  the  children  of  God  and  into  heaven. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SEVENTH  SUNDAY 
AETER  PENTECOST. 


T  the  Introit  the  Church  invites  us  in  the 
following  words  to  give  praise  to  God: 
Clap  your  hands  all  ye  Gentiles: 
Shout  unto  God  with  the  voice  of  joy. 
For  the  Lord  is  most  high,  he  is  ter- 
rible: he  is  a  great  King  over  all  the 
earth.  (Pi.  xlvi.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYEK  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  whose  providence 
is  never  deceived  in  what;  it  appointeth:  we  humbly  beseech 
Thee  to  remove  whatever  may  be  prejudicial  to  us:  and  grant 
us  whatever  may  be  to  the  advantage  of  our  souls.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  (Bom.  vi.  19  —  23.)  Brethren:  I  speak  a  human 
thing,  because  of  the  infirmity  of  your  flesh :  for  as  you  have 
yielded  your  members  to  serve  uncleanness  and  iniquity  unto 
iniquity,  so  now  yield  your  members  to  serve  justice,  unto 
sanctification.  For  when  you  were  the  servants  of  sin,  you 
were  free  from  justice.  What  fruit  therefore  had  you  then  in 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SEVENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.     3<J7 

those  things  of  which  you  are  now  ashamed  ?  For  the  end  of 
them  is  death.  But  now  being  made  free  from  sin,  and  be- 
come servants  to  God,  you  have  your  fruit  unto  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  the  end  life  everlasting.  For  the  wages  of  sin  is 
death.  But  the  grace  of  God,  life  everlasting  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  here  means  to  tell  the  Romans 
who  had  been  converted  to  Christianity,  but  were  still  sensual 
and  weak  in  the  right,  that  they  ought  to  be  much  more  zealous 
in  serving  God  and  mastering  their  passions.  Since  they  were 
still  weak,  he  demands  of  them  that  they  should  at  least  strive 
now  as  hard  to  save  their  souls  as  they  once  did  to  destroy 
them.  This  certainly  is  but  right,  for  many  a  man,  if  he  would 
do  as  much  for  heaven,  as  he  does  for  sin  and  hell,  would  become 
just  and  holy.  But  to  know  how  wholesome  it  is  to  consecrate 
their  members  to  justice  and  sanctity,  he  wishes  them  to  consider 
what  advantage  they  derived  from  sin.  By  sin  is  gained  nothing 
but  shame,  confusion,  sorrow,  and  death,  but  by  a  pious  life  God's 
grace  and  eternal  life.  —  Often  consider  this,  my  Christian,  and 
do  not  defile  yourself  with  sins,  which  profit  nothing,  but  bring 
shame,  grief,  and  the  retributive  wrath  of  God. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  vii.  15  —  21.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples :  Beware  of  false  prophets,  who  come  to  you 
in  the  clothing  of  sheep,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening 
wolves.  By  their  fruits  you  shall  know  them.  Do  men  gather 
grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles?  Even  so  every  good  tree 
bringeth  forth  good  fruit,  and  the  evil  tree  bringeth  forth 
evil  fruit.  A  good  tree  cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit,  neither 
can  an  evil  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit.  Every  tree  that 
bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit,  shall  be  cut  down,  and  shall  be 
cast  unto  the  fire.  Wherefore  by  their  fruits  you  shall  know 
them.  Not  every  one  that  saith,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven:  but  he  that  doth  the  will  of  my  Fa- 
ther who  is  in  heaven ,  he  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

Who  are  the  false  prophets? 

Those  seducers  who  by  an  appearance  of  virtue  and  honesty 
lure  innocent  simple  souls^in  numerous  ways  from  the  right  path, 
and  lead  them  to  vice  and  shame ;  who  by  sweet  words,  such  as : 
"God  is  full  of  love,  and  will  not  be  so  severe  on  sin,  He  does  not 
require  so  very  much  of  us,  He  knows  we  are  weak,  and  if  a 


398    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SEVENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


person  sins,  he  can  be  converted,"  seek  to  steal  away  the  fear  of 
God,  delicacy,  and  modesty  from  harmless  souls,  and  then  ruin 
them.  Guard  against  such  hypocrites,  for  they  have  the  poison  of 
vipers  on  their  tongues.  By  the  false  "prophets  are  also  meant 
the  false  teachers  and  propagators  of  error  who  by  superficial 
words  degrade  the  true  faith,  who  speak  always  of  love  and 
liberty,  and  who  under  the  pretence  of  making  people  free  and 
happy,  bring  many  a  soul  to  doubt  and  error,  depriving  them  of 
true  faith  and  peace  of  heart.  Lend  no  them  ear  to,  do  not  read 
their  books  and  writings,  but  carry  them  to  your  pastor,  and  try 
to  induce  others  to  do  the  same. 

How  can  ice  know  the  false  prophets? 
We  may  know  the  deceivers  by  their  works,  for  evil,  corrupted 
men  can  produce  only  bad  fruit.    If  we  look  into  their  life  and 


INSTRUCTION  ON  GOOD  WORKS.  399 

inquire  about  it,  we  shall  find,  that  at  heart  they  are  immoral 
hypocrites  who  observe  external  propriety  only  that  they  may 
the  more  easily  spread  their  poison.  The  false  teachers  and  mes- 
sengers of  error  may  be  known  partly  from  their  lives,  but  espe- 
cially by  their  intentions,  which  are  to  subvert  all  divine  order, 
and  to  put  the  unrestrained  lust  of  the  flesh  and  tyranny  in  its 
place. 

Who  else  are  understood  by  the  false  prophets  ? 

Those  who  under  pretence  of  making  men  happy  and  rich, 
induce  the  credulous  to  make  use  of  superstition,  of  wicked  arts, 
deceit,  and  injustice;  and  especially  those  who  under  the  deceiv- 
ing appearance  of  liberty  and  equality,  independence,  and  public 
good,  incite  them  to  things  which  lead  to  open  or  secret  revolt 
against  civil  and  ecclesiastical  authority. 

Be  not  deceived  by  these  so  called  public  benefactors,  who 
look  always  to  their  own  advantage,  but  do  you  trust  in  God, 
support  yourself  honestly,  live  like  a  Christian,  and  you  will  find 
true  liberty  and  happiness  here  and  there. 

Why  does  Christ  say:    Every  tree  that  brinyeth  not  forth 
yood  fruit,  shall  be  cut  down  and  shall  be  cast  into 

the  fire? 

He  shows  by  this,  that  to  have  done  nothing  good,  is  enough 
for  damnation:  and  He  adds,  therefore,  Not  every  one  that 
saith:  Lord,  Lord  (who  outwardly  professes  himself  my  servant, 
but  is  not  really  such),  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  but  he  who,  by  the  fulfilment  of  the  duties  of  his 
state  of  life  and  by  the  practice  of  good  works,  doesthewillof 
my  Father,  merits  heaven.  Strive  then,  my  Christian,  to  fulfil 
God's  will  in  all  things,  and  to  perform  your  daily  duties  with  a 
good  intention,  and  you  will  certainly  obtain  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  GOOD  WORKS. 

A  What  is  a  good  work? 

good  work  is  anything  which  according  to  God's  will  is  in 
itself  good,  and  is  performed  with  the  proper  intention,  in 
a  state  of  grace,  and  for  love  of  God. 

What  are  the  principal  good  works  ? 

Prayer,  fasting,  and  almsdeeds.  These  are  especially  incul- 
cated in  holy  Scripture.  {Job.  xiii.  8.)  By  prayer  is  here  under- 
stood all  religious  services,  by  fasting  all  mortification  of  body 
and  soul,  by  almsdeeds  all  works  of  charity. 

How  many  kinds  of  charitable  works  are  there  ? 
Two  kinds,  the  corporal  and  spiritual. 


400  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  EIGHTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

What  are  the  spiritual  works  of  mercy? 
Those  that  are  performed  for  the  good  of  the  soul,  as:  to  punish 
sinners,  to  teach  the  ignorant,  to  advise  the  doubtful,  to  console 
the  afflicted,  to  patiently  suffer  injustice,  to  willingly  forgive  those 
who  have  injured  us,  to  pray  for  the  living  and  the  dead. 

What  are  the  corporal  works? 
Those  which  are  performed  for  the  good  of  the  body,  as :  to 
feed  the  hungry,  to  give  drink  to  the  thirsty,  to  clothe  the  naked, 
to  harbor  strangers,  to  liberate  captives,  to  visit  the  sick,  and  to 
bury  the  dead. 

Can  we  be  saved  without  good  works  ? 

No,  for  Christ  expressly  says:  Every  tree  that  bringeth 
forth  not  good  fruit,  shall  be  cut  down  and  shall  be 
cast  into  the  fire.  And  the  servant  in  the  gospel  who  did  not 
even  waste  the  talent  received,  but  only  hid  it  in  the  ground,  was 
cast,  for  that  alone,  into  outer  darkness.  Therefore  those  are  very 
wrong  who  hope  to  go  to  heaven  simply,  because  they  do  nothing 
bad.  This  error  St.  Chrysostom  meets  plainly,  when  he  says:  "If 
you  had  a  servant  who  was,  it  is  true,  no  robber,  no  glutton  or 
drunkard,  but  who  sat  at  home  idle,  neglecting  every  thing  for 
which  you  had  employed  him,  would  you  not  pay  him  with  the 
whip  and  send  him  off?  Is  it  not  bad  enough  not  to  do  that  which 
duty  demands?"  A  Christian  is  bad  enough  who  though  he  does 
no  wrong,  does  no  good,  and  he  loses  the  reward;  for  heaven  is 
the  reward  of  work  performed,  and  if  no  work  has  been  done,  no 
reward  is  to  be  expected. 

SUPPLICATION.  Guard  me  from  false  prophets,  0  Lord, 
and  from  heretics,  and  seducers,  and  grant  me  the  grace, 
that  according  to  St.  Paul's  instructions  I  may  become  fruit- 
ful in  all  good  works.  Inflame  my  heart,  that  I  may  adorn 
my  faith  with  them,  thus  do  the  will  of  the  Heavenly  Father, 
and  render  myself  worthy  of  heaven. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  EIGHTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 


He  Introit  of  Mass  reads:  We  have  re- 
ceived thy  mercy,  0  God,  in  the  midst 
of  thy  temple:  According  to  thy  name, 
so  also  is  thy  praise  unto  the  ends  of 
the  earth:  thy  right  hand  is  full  of 
justice.  Great  is  the  Lord,  and  ex- 
»  ceedingly  to  be  praised;  in  the  city  of 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  EIGHTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.     4Q1 

our  God,  on  his  holy  mountain.  (Ps.  xlvii.)  Glory  be  to  the 
Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant  us,  0  Lord,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  the  spirit  of  thinking  and  doing  what  is  right, 
that  we,  who  cannot  even  subsist  without  Thee,  may  live 
according  to  Thee.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE.  (Bom.v&L  12—17.)  Brethren:  We  are  debtors, 
not  to  the  flesh,  to  live  according  to  the  flesh.  For  if  you 
live  according  to  the  flesh,  you  shall  die:  but  if  by  the  spirit 
you  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  flesh,  you  shall  live.  For  who- 
soever are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God. 
For  you  have  not  received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  in  fear: 
but  you  have  received  the  spirit  of  adoption  of  sons,  whereby 
we  cry:  Abba  (Father).  For  the  Spirit  himself  giveth  testi- 
mony to  our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  sons  of  God.  And  if  sons, 
heirs  also:  heirs  indeed  of  God,  and  joint — heirs  with  Christ. 
Who  live'  according  to  the  flesh  ? 

Those  who  follow  the  evil  pleasures  and  desires  of  corrupted 
nature,  and  do  the  works  of  the  flesh:  impurity,  lewdness,  glut- 
tony, &c.  Such  men  are  not  directed  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  who 
dwells  not  in  the  sensual  man  (Gen.  vi.  3.);  they  are  no  children 
of  God,  will  be  no  heirs  of  God,  and  will  die  the  eternal  death. 
But  he  who  is  directed  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  with  Him  and 
through  Him  crucifies  his  flesh  and  its  concupiscence,  is  inspired 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  then  dwells  in  him,  with  filial  confidence 
in  God,  by  which  he  cries:  Abba  (Father).  By  this  confidence  he 
is  assured  that  he  is  a  child  of  God,  and  also  an  heir  of  heaven 
and  coheir  with  Christ.  Prove  yourself  well,  my  Christian,  that  you 
may  know  whether  also  you  live  according  to  the  flesh,  and  strive 
to  mortify  the  carnal,  sensual  desires  by  prayer  and  fasting,  that 
you  may  by  such  means  become  a  child  of  God  and  heir  of  heaven. 

ASPIRATION.  Strengthen  me,  0  Lord,  that  I  may  not 
live  according  to  the  desires  of  the  flesh,  but  resist  them 
firmly  by  the  power  of  Thy  Spirit,  and  that  I  may  not  die 
the  eternal  death. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  xyL  1 — 9.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spoke  to 
his  disciples  this  parable:  There  was  a  certain  rich  man  who 
had  a  steward:  and  the  same  was  accused  unto  him,  that  he 
had  wasted  his  goods.  And  he  called  him,  and  said  to  him: 
How  is  it  that  I  hear  this  of  thee  ?  give  an  account  of  thy 
stewardship:  for  now  thou  canst  be  steward  no  longer.  And 


9  A 


402  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  EIGHTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


the  steward  said  within  himself:  What  shall  I  do,  because 
my  lord  taketh  away  from  me  the  stewardship  ?  To  dig  I  am 
not  able;  to  beg  I  am  ashamed.  I  know  what  I  will  do,  that 
when  I  shall  be  removed  from  the  stewardship,  they  may  re- 
ceive me  into  their  houses.  Therefore  calling  together  every 
one  of  his  lord's  debtors  he  said  to  the  first :  How  much  dost 
thou  owe  my  lord?  But  he  said:  A  hundred  barrels  of  oil. 
And  he  said  to  him :  Take  thy  bill  and  sit  down  quickly,  and 
write  fifty.  Then  he  said  to  another:  And  how  much  dost 
thou  owe?  Who  said:  A  hundred  quarters  of  wheat.  He  said 
to  him :  Take  thy  bill,  and  write  eighty.   And  the  lord  com- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  EIGHTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.     403 

mended  the  unjust  steward,  for  as  much  as  he  had  done  wisely: 
for  the  children  of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their  generation, 
than  the  children  of  light.  And  I  say  to  you:  Make  unto  you 
friends  of  the  mammon  of  iniquity,  that  when  you  shall  fail, 
they  may  receive  you  into  everlasting  dwellings. 

Who  are  represented  by  the  rich  man  and  his  steward? 
The  rich  man  represents  God,  the  steward,  man.  To  man  God 
has  confided  the  various  goods  of  body  and  soul,  of  nature  and 
grace:  the  five  senses,  health,  strength  01  body,  beauty,  skill,  power 
over  others,  memory,  intellect,  free  will,  faith,  intelligence,  aspi- 
ration, time  and  opportunity  for  good,  temporal  riches,  and  other 
gifts.  These  various  goods  of  body  and  soul,  God  gives  us  not  as 
ourown,  but  as  things  to  be  used  for  His  honor  and  the  salvation 
of  man.  Pie  will  therefore  demand  the  strictest  account  of  us  if 
we  use  them  for  sin,  luxury,  seduction,  or  oppression  of  others. 

What  was  Christ's  view  in  relating  this  parable? 
To  urge  us  to  works  of  charity,  especially  to  the  actual  sup- 
port of  the  poor,  by  giving  alms. 

What  friends  do  we  make  by  almsgiving? 
According  to  St.  Ambrose  they  are,  besides  the  poor,  the 
saints  and  angels,  even  Christ  Himself;  for  that  which  we  give  to 
the  poor,  we  give  to  Christ.  {Matt,  xxxv.)  And:  He  that  hath 
mercy  on  the  poor,  lendeth  to  the  Lord,  and  he  will 
repay  him.  (Prov.  xix.  17.)  "The  hands  of  the  poor,"  says  Peter 
Chrysologus,  "are  the  hands  of  Christ."  By  the  hands  of  the  poor 
we  send  our  riches  to  heaven,  where  we  will  find  them  after 
death;  for  the  prayers  of  the  poor  like  the  prayers  of  the  saints, 
whom  we  thus  make  our  friends,  will  decide  God  to  give  us  the 
grace  to  die  happily. 

Why  did  his  lord  commend  the  steward? 
Because  of  his  prudence  and  foresight,  but  not  for  his  injus- 
tice; for  he  adds:  The  children  of  this  world  are  wiser 
than  the  children  of  light;  that  is,  the  earthly  minded  know 
better  how  to  manage,  and  they  take  more  trouble  to  obtain  earth- 
ly goods,  pleasures,  and  enjoyments,  than  do  the  children  of  light, 
the  pious,  to  please  God  by  good  works,  and  to  lay  up  treasures 
in  heaven. 

Why  is  wealth  called  unjust? 
Because  riches  are  often  obtained  and  retained  by  injustice, 
often  lead  man  to  injustice,  and  because  they  are  often  squandered 
or  unjustly  used. 

SUPPLICATION,     Grant  me  the  grace,  0  my  just  God 
and  Judge,  that  I  may  so  use  on  this  earth  the  Igoods  con- 


26* 


404        MORAL  LESSONS  CONCERNING  DETRACTION. 

fided  to  me  by  Thee,  that  I  may  make  friends,  who  at  my 
death  will  receive  me  into  eternal  joys. 


T 


MORAL  LESSONS  CONCERNING  DETRACTION. 

And  he  was  accused.  (Luke  xvi.  1.) 

He  steward  in  the  gospel  was  assuredly  justly  accused  on 
account  of  his  unjust  stewardship ;  but  how  many  there  are 
who  lose  their  good  name  and  honor  by  false  accusations,  and  are 
given  a  bad  name  by  malicious  talk!  Alas,  what  great  wrongs  do 
detracting  tongues  cause  in  this  world !  How  mean  a  vice  is  de- 
traction, how  seldom  is  attention  paid  to  its  evil,  how  rarely  is 
the  injury  repaired ! 

When  is  our  neighbor's  name  slandered? 

When  a  vice  which  our  neighbor  has  not  is  affixed  to  his  name; 
when  a  secret  vice  or  undiscovered  crime  of  our  neighbor,  is 
made  known  with  the  intention  of  hurting  him,  or  when  our  duty 
does  not  require  us  to  mention  it ;  when  we  attribute  an  evil  in- 
tention to  him  or  entirely  misconstrue  his  feeling  or  actions ;  when 
his  good  qualities  or  commendable  actions  are  denied  or  lessened, 
or  his  merits  underrated;  when  in  cases  where  it  is  obligatory  to 
speak  in  his  praise,  silence  is  kept,  or  the  praise  is  only  coldly 
given ;  when  we  lend  a  willing  ear  to  detractions,  and  no  effort  is 
made  to  stop  them,  although  it  could  and  should  be  done;  or  last- 
ly, when  joy  is  felt  in  the  detraction. 

7*  detraction  a  great  sin? 

Yes,  for  it  is  directly  opposed  to  the  love  of  our  neighbor, 
therefore  to  the  love  of  God  and  hence  it  is,  as  St.  Ambrose  says, 
hateful  to  God  and  man.  By  it  we  rob  our  neighbor  of  a  wealth 
greater  even  than  riches  (Prop.  xxii.  1.),  and  often  he  is  plunged 
by  it  into  want  and  misery,  even  into  the  greatest  vices;  St.  Am- 
brose says :  "Let  us  fly  from  the  vice  of  detraction,  for  it  is  al- 
together a  satanic  abyss,  full  of  deceit."  Finally,  detraction  is  a 
great  sin,  because  the  injury  done  by  it,  is  very  great  and  irre- 
parable ;  for  as  feathers  which  are  shaken  out  of  a  bag,  and  fly , 
far  and  wide,  cannot  be  collected  together  again,  so  words  of  de- 
traction can  seldom  be  called  back  and  rendered  harmless. 

What  should  we  do  when  we  have  committed  this  sin? 

We  should  as  soon  as  possible  recall  the  detraction  and  repair 
the  injury  done  to  our  neighbor  in  regard  to  his  name  or  tem- 
poral goods ;  we  should  despise  this  sin,  regret  it,  and  be  cleansed 
from  it  by  penance,  and  as  it  is  difficult  to  make  reparation  for 
detraction,  we  should  daily  pray  for  him  whom  we  have  hurt, 
and  in  future  guard  against  committing  such  a  great  sin. 


MORAL  LESSONS  CONCERNING  DETRACTION.  405 

Are  we  not  allowed  ever  to  reveal  the  wrongs  of  our  neighbor? 

If  it  is  done  only  for  the  entertainment  of  idle  people,  or  for 
the  sake  of  news,  and  to  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  others,  it  is  never 
allowed,  and  always  a  sin.  But  it  is  entirely  different  when  after 
having  reproached  or  advised  our  neighbor  fraternally  between 
him  and  ourself,  but  have  not  obtained  our  end,  we  then  tell  his 
wrongs,  and  sins  to  parents  or  superiors  for  the  sake  of  punish- 
ment and  reformation ;  this  is  not  only  no  sin,  but  rather  a  good 
work  and  a  duty,  against  which  those  offend  who  are  silent  about 
the  sins  of  their  neighbor,  when  by  speaking  they  could  prevent 
the  sin  and  save  him  much  trouble. 

Is  it  a  sin  to  willingly  listen  to  detractors? 

Yes,  for  we  thus  give  the  detractors  occasion  and  encourage- 
ment to  go  on.  Therefore  St.  Bernard  says :  "Whether  detraction 
is  a  greater  sin  than  listening  to  the  stealer  of  a  good  name ,  I 
will  not  decide.  The  devil  sits  on  the  tongue  of  the  detractor  as 
he  does  on  the  ear  of  the  listener."  In  such  cases  we  must  strive 
to  interrupt,  to  prevent  the  detracting  words,  or  else  to  go  away; 
or  if  we  can  do  none  of  these,  we  must  show  by  our  sad  face  our 
displeasure,  for  the  Holy  Ghost  says:  The  Northwind  driveth 
away  rain  as  doth  a  sad  countenance  a  backbiting 
tongue.  (Prov.  xxv.  23.)  The  same  thing  is  to  be  observed  in 
regard  to  improper  language. 

What  varieties  of  detraction  are  there? 

There  is  a  special,  hateful  kind  of  detraction  which  by  witty 
and  sneering  words  degrades  and  ridicules  others.  But  still  wrorse 
is  that  which  carries  real  or  false  faults  and  mistakes  of  others 
from  one  place  to  another,  thus  exciting  those  who  are  on  good 
terms  with  each  other  to  hard  feeling,  or  making  those  who  are 
living  in  enmity  more  opposed  to  each  other,  by  repeating  to 
each  the  other's  remarks.  The  whisperer  and  the  double 
tongued,  says  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  accursed,  for  he  hath 
troubled  many  that  were  at  peace. 

What  should  keep  us  from  detraction  ? 

The  thought  of  the  greatness  of  this  sin ;  of  the  difficulty,  even 
impossibility  of  repairing  the  injury  caused ;  of  the  punishment  it 
incurs,  for  St.  Paul  expressly  says:  Calumniators  shall  not 
possess  the  kingdom  of  God  (i.  Cor.  vi.  10.),  and  Solomon 
writes:  Suddenly  shall  rise  the  destruction  of  the  de- 
tractors. {Prov.  xxiv.  22.) 

SUPPLICATION.  Guard  me,  0  most  tender  Jesus,  that 
blinded  neither  by  hatred  nor  envy,  I  may  not  rob  my  neigh- 
bor, by  backbiting,  of  his  good  name,  or  make  myself  guilty 
of  such  a  grievous  sin. 


406   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

CONSOLATION  FOR  THOSE  WHO  HAVE  SUFFERED 
FROM  DETRACTION. 

IF  your  good  name  has  been  taken  away  by  evil  tongues,  you 
may  be  consoled  by  knowing  that  God  permits  it  to  humble 
you,  to  exercise  you  in  patience  and  free  you  from  pride  and 
vain  self-complacency?  Turn  your  eyes  to  the  saints  of  the  Old 
and  the  New  Law,  to  the  chaste  Joseph,  who  lies  in  prison  on  a 
false  charge  of  adultery  {Gen.  xxxix.),  to  the  meek  David  public- 
ly accused  by  Semei  as  a  blood-thirsty  man  (ii.  Kings  xvi.),  to 
the  chaste  Susanna,  who  is  also  accused  of  adultery,  tried,  and 
condemned  to  death  (Dan.  xiii.);  above  all  look  upon  the  Saint 
of  Saints,  upon  Jesus,  who  is  called  a  drunkard,  accused  and  con- 
demned as  a  blasphemer,  a  friend  of  the  devil,  an  inciter  of  se- 
dition among  the  people,  and  who  like  the  greatest  criminal  is 
nailed  to  the  cross  between  two  thieves.  Remember  besides  that 
it  does  you  no  injury  in  the  sight  of  God,  if  all  possible  evil  is 
said  of  you,  and  that  He,  at  all  times,  cares  for  those  who  trust 
themselves  to  Him ;  for  he  who  touches  the  honor  of  those  who 
fear  God,  touches,  as  it  were,  the  pupil  of  His  eye  (Zach.  ii.  8.), 
which  He  will  not  allow  to  pass  unpunished. 

PRAYER.  0  most  innocent  Jesus,  who  wert  thus  ca- 
lumniated, I  submit  myself  wholly  to  Thy  divine  will,  and 
am  ready  like  Thee,  to  bear  all  slanders  aiid  detractions,  as 
with  perfect  confidence  I  yield  to  Thy  care  my  good  name, 
convinced  that  Thou  at  Thy  pleasure  wilt  defend  and  protect 
it,  and  save  me  from  the  hands  of  my  enemies. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 


Mplore  God  for  help  and  assistance  against 
all  temptations  from  visible  and  invisible  ene- 
mies, and  say  with  the  priest  at  the  Introit: 
Behold,  God  is  my  helper,  and  the  Lord 
is  the  support  of  my  soul:   turn   out 
the   evils  upon  my  enemies,   and  cut 
"   them   off  in   thy  truth,    0   Lord,    my 
protector.   (Ps.  liii.)  Save  me,  0  God,  by  thy  name:  r 
deliver  me  in  thy  strength.    Glory,  &c. 


and 


PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  May  the  ears  of  Thy  mercy, 
0  Lord,  be  open  to  the  prayers  of  Thy  suppliants:  and,  that 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.      407 

they  may  succeed  in  their  desires,  make  them  ask  those 
things  that  are  agreeable  to  Thee.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  x.  6 — 13.)  Brethren:  Let  us  not  covet 
evil  things,  as  they  also  coveted.  Neither  become  ye  idola- 
ters, as  some  of  them:  as  it  is  written:  "The  people  sat  down 
to  eat  and  drink,  and  rose  up  to  play.'1  Neither  let  us  com- 
mit fornication,  as  some  of  them  committed  fornication,  and 
there  fell  in  one  day  three-and-twenty  thousand.  Neither  let 
us  tempt  Christ:  as  some  of  them  tempted,  and  perished  by 
the  serpents.  Neither  do  you  murmur :  as  some  of  them 
murmured,  and  were  destroyed  by  the  destroyer.  Now  all 
these  things  happened  to  them  in  figure:  and  they  are  writ- 
ten for  our  correction,  upon  whom  the  ends  of  the  world  are 
come.  Wherefore  let  him  that  thinketh  himself  to  stand, 
take  heed  lest  he  fall.  Let  no  temptation  take  hold  on  you 
but  such  as  is  human.  And  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not 
suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  which  you  are  able :  but 
will  make  also  with  temptation  issue,  that  you  may  be  able 
to  bear  it. 

Can  we  sin  by  thought  and  desire? 

Yes,  if  we  desire  wrong  and  forbidden  things,  or  voluntarily 
think  of  them  with  pleasure,  even  though  the  deed  is  not  done ; 
for  God  prohibits  not  only  evil  deeds,  but  evil  thoughts  and  de- 
sires, as  for  the  neighbor's  wife  or  goods.  {Exod.  xx.  17.)  Christ 
says  {Matt.  v.  28.),  that  he  who  looks  upon  a  woman  with  evil  de- 
sire, has  already  committed  adultery.  But  evil,  wicked  thoughts, 
and  imaginings  are  sinful  only  when  a  person,  knowing  that  they 
are  bad,  consents  and  persists  in  them ;  but  if  lie  fights  against 
them  with  disgust  for  them,  He  will  even  deserve  reward.  For 
this  reason  God  sometimes  permits  even  the  just  to  be  tempted 
by  them. 

What  is  meant  by  tempting  God? 

Demanding  presumptuously  a  mark  or  sign  of  divine  omni- 
potence, goodness,  or  justice.  This  sin  is  committed  when  without 
cause  we  desire,  that  articles  of  faith  should  be  demonstrated 
and  confirmed  by  a  new  miracle ;  when  we  throw  ourselves  need- 
lessly into  danger  of  death ,  or  danger  for  the  soul ,  hoping  God 
will  save  us ;  when  in  dangerous  illness  the  ordinary  remedies  are 
rejected,  and  all  trusted  to  God. 

Is  it  a  great  sin  to  murmur  against  God? 
That  it  is  such,  may  be  learned  from  the  punishment  which  God 
inflicted  on  the  murmuring  Israelites;  for  besides  Kore,  Dathan, 
and  Abiron  whom  the  earth  devoured,  many  thousands  of  them 


408     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

were  consumed  by  fire ;  and  yet  these  had  not  murmured  against 
God  directly,  but  only  against  Moses  and  Aaron  whom  God  had 
placed  over  them  as  their  leaders.  From  this  it  is  seen,  that  God 
looks  upon  murmuring  against  spiritual  and  civil  authority,  in- 
stituted by  Him,  as  murmuring  against  Himself.  Hence  Moses  said 
to  the  Israelites:  Your  murmuring  is  not  against  me,  but 
against  the  Lord.  {Exod.  xvi.  8.) 

•  ASPIRATION.  Purify  my  heart,  I  beseech  Thee,  0  Lord, 
from  all  evil  thoughts  and  desires.  Let  it  never  enter  my 
mind  to  tempt  Thee,  or  to  be  dissatisfied  with  Thy  fatherly 
dispensations.  Permit  me  to  be  tempted  not  beyond  my 
strength,  but  grant  me  so  much  fortitude,  that  I  may  over- 
come all  temptations,  and  even  derive  benefit  from  them  for 
my  soul's  salvation. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.     409 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  xix.  41—  47.)  At  that  time:  When  he 
drew  near  Jerusalem,  seeing  the  city,  he  wept  over  it,  say- 
ing :  If  thou  also  hadst  known,  and  that  in  this  thy  day,  the 
things  that  are  to  thy  peace:  but  now  they  are  hidden  from 
thy  eyes.  For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee:  and  thy  ene- 
mies shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and  compass  thee  round, 
and  straiten  thee  on  every  side,  and  beat  thee  flat  to  the 
ground,  and  thy  children  who  are  in  thee :  and  they  shall 
not  leave  in  thee  a  stone  upon  a  stone :  because  thou  hast 
not  known  the  time  of  thy  visitation.  And  entering  into  the 
temple,  he  began  to  cast  out  them  that  sold  therein,  and 
them  that  bought.  Saying  to  them:  It  is  written:  "My 
house  is  the  house  of  prayer:  but  you  have  made  it  a  den  of 
thieves.'1  And  he  was  teaching  daily  in  the  temple. 

Why  did  our  Saviour  weep  over  the  city  of  Jerusalem? 

He  wept  for  the  ingratitude,  the  blindness,  and  obduracy  of  its 

inhabitants,  who  would  not  receive  Him  as  their  Redeemer.  He  was 

saddened  by  the  ruin  which  was  to  come  upon  them,  and  by  the 

thought  that  all  His  works  and  sufferings  would  be  lost  for  them. 

What  was  the  time  of  visitation? 

It  was  the  time  when  God  sent  them  one  prophet  after  an- 
other, who  urged  them  to  penance,  and  whom  they  persecuted, 
stoned,  and  killed.  (Matt,  xxiii.  34.)  Especially  it  was  the  time 
of  Christ's  ministry,  when  He  so  often  announced  His  salutary 
doctrine  in  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  confirmed  it  by  miracles, 
proving  Himself  to  be  the  Messiah,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  but 
was  despised  and  rejected  by  this  hardened  and  impenitent  city. 

Who  are  prefigured  by  this  hardened  and  impenitent  city? 
The  hard  hearted,  unrepentant  sinners  who  will  not  recognize 
the  time  of  God's  visitation,  in  which  He  urges  them  by  the 
mouths  of  His  preachers,  confessors,  and  superiors,  and  by  in- 
ward inspiration  to  reform  their  lives  and  seek  the  salvation  of 
their  soul,  but  who  give  no  ear  to  these  admonitions,  and  defer 
conversion  to  the  end  of  their  lives.  Their  end  will  be  that  of  this 
impious  city;  then  the  enemy,  that  is,  the  evil  spirit,  will  surround 
their  soul,  tempt,  terrify,  and  drag  it  into  the  abyss  of  ruin.  Oh, 
how  foolish  it  is  so  lightly  to  fritter  away  the  time  of  grace,  the 
days  of  salvation!  Oh,  how  would  the  damned  do  penance,  could 
they  but  return  to  earth !  Oh,  how  industriously  would  they  use 
the  time  to  save  their  soul !  Use  then,  my  dear  Christian,  the  time 
of  grace  which  God  designs  for  you,  and  which,  when  it  is  run  out 
or  carelessly  thrown  away,  God  will  not  lengthen  for  a  moment. 


410  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  CITY 

Will  God  conceal  from  Hie  impious  that  which  serves  their  salvation? 
No;  "but  while  they  are  running  after  the  pleasures  of  this 
life,"  says  St.  Gregory,  "they  see  not  the  misfortunes  treading  in 
their  footsteps,  and  as  the  consideration  of  the  future  makes  them 
uncomfortable  in  the  midst  of  their  worldly  pleasures,  they  re- 
move the  terrible  thought  of  it  from  them,  and  thus  run  with 
eyes  blindfolded  in  the  midst  of  their  pleasure  into  eternal  flame. 
Not  God,  but  they  themselves  hide  the  knowledge  of  all  that  is 
for  their  peace,  and  thus  they  perish." 

ASPIRATION.  I  beseech  Thee,  0  Lord,  who  didst  weep 
over  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  because  it  knew  not  the  time  of 
its  visitation,  to  enlighten  my  b^eart,  that  I  may  recognize 
the  time  of  grace,  and  make  it  useful  to  myself. 

THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  CITY  AND  TEMPLE  OF 
JERUSALEM. 

Has  our  divine  Saviour's  prophecy  concerning  the  city  of  Jerusalem 

Ybeen  fulfilled? 
Es,  and  in  the  most  terrible  manner.  The  Jews,  oppressed 
by  the  Romans,  their  cruel  masters,  revolted,  killed  many 
of  their  enemies,  and  drove  them  out  of  Jerusalem.  Knowing  well 
that  this  would  not  be  permitted  to  pass  unavenged,  the  Jews 
armed  themselves  for  a  desperate  resistance.  The  Emperor  Nero 
sent  a  powerful  army  under  the  command  of  Vespasian  against  the 
city  of  Jerusalem,  which  first  captured  the  smaller  fortresses  of 
Judea,  and  then  laid  siege  to  the  city.  The  want  and  misery  of  the 
inhabitants  had  already  reached  the  highest  pitch ;  for  within  the 
city,  ambitious  men  had  caused  conflicts;  factions  had  been  formed, 
daily  fighting  each  other,  and  reddening  the  streets  with  blood, 
while  the  angry  Romans  stormed  outside.  Then  a  short  time  of 
respite  was  granted  to  the  unfortunate  Jews.  The  Emperor  Nero 
was  murdered  at  Rome  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  68;  his  successor 
Galba  soon  died,  and  the  soldiers  placed  their  beloved  comman- 
der Vespasian  upon  the  imperial  throne.  He,  then,  left  Jerusalem 
with  his  army,  but  in  the  year  70,  sent  his  son  Titus  with  a  new 
army  to  Judea,  with  orders  to  capture  the  cify  at  any  price,  and 
to  punish  its  inhabitants. 

It  was  the  time  of  Easter,  and  a  multitude  of  Jews  had  as- 
sembled from  all  provinces  of  the  land,  when  Titus  appeared  with 
his  army  before  the  gates  of  Jerusalem,  and  surrounded  the  city. 
The  supply  of  food  was  soon  exhausted ,  famine  and  pestilence 
came  upon  the  city  and  raged  terribly.  The  leader  of  the  furious 
revolutionists,  John  of  Gischala,  had  the  houses  searched,  snatched 
the  food  from  the  starving,  or  forced  it  from  them  by  terrible  tor- 
tures. To  save  themselves  from  this  outrageous  tyrant,  the  Jews 
took  the  leader  of  a  band  of  robbers,  named  Simon,  with  his 


AND  TEMPLE  OF  JERUSALEM.  411 

whole  gang  into  the  city.  John  and  Simon  with  their  followers 
now  sought  to  annihilate  each  other.  John  took  possession  of 
the  temple.  Simon  besieged  him ;  blood  was  streaming  in  the 
temple  and  in  the  streets.  Only  when  the  battle  din  of  the  Ro- 
mans was  heard  from  without,  did  the  hostile  factions  unite,  go  to 
meet  the  enemy,  and  resist  his  attack.  As  the  famine  increased, 
many  Jews  secretly  left  the  city  to  seek  for  herbs.  But  Titus 
captured  them  with  his  cavalry,  and  crucified  those  who  were 
armed.  Nearly  five  hundred  men,  and  sometimes  more,  were 
every  day  crucified  in  sight  of  the  city,  so  that  there  could  not 
be  found  enough  crosses  and  places  of  execution ;  but  even  this 
terrible  sight  did  not  move  the  Jews  to  submission.  Incited  by 
their  leaders  to  frenzy,  they  obstinately  resisted,  and  Titus  finding 
it  impossible  to  take  the  city  by  storm,  concluded  to  surround  the 
city  with  walls  in  order  to  starve  the  inhabitants.  In  three  days 
his  soldiers  built  a  wall  of  about  ten  miles  in  circumference,  and 
thus  the  Saviour's  prediction  was  fulfilled:  Thy  enemies  shall 
cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and  compass  thee  round, 
and  straiten  thee  on  every  side. 

The  famine  in  this  unfortunate  city  now  soon  reached  its  most 
terrific  height;  the  unfortunate  inhabitants  searched  the  very 
gutters  for  food,  and  ate  the  most  disgusting  things.  A  woman, 
ravenous  from  hunger,  strangled  her  own  child*  roasted  it,  and 
ate  half  of  it ;  the  leaders  smelling  the  hprrible  meal,  tore  a  way 
into  the  house,  and  by  terrible  threats  compelled  the  woman  to 
show  them  what  she  had  eaten;  she  reached  them  the  remaining 
part  of  the  roasted  child,  saying:  "Eat  it,  it  is  my  child;  I  pre- 
sume you  are  not  more  dainty  than  a  woman,  or  more  tender 
than  a  mother."  Stricken  with  terror  they  rushed  from  the  house. 
Death  now  carried  away  thousands  daily,  the  streets  and  the 
houses  were  full  of  corpses.  From  the  fourteenth  of  April  when 
the  siege  commenced  to  the  first  of  July,  there  were  counted  one 
hundred  and  fifty  eight  thousand  dead  bodies ;  six  hundred  thou- 
sand others  were  thrown  over  the  walls  into  the  trenches  to  save 
the  city  from  infection.  All  who  could  fly,  fled;  some  reached  the 
camp  of  the  Romans  in  safety;  Titus  spared  the  helpless,  but  all 
who  fell  armed  into  his  hands,  were  crucified.  Flight  did  no  more 
offer  security.  The  Roman  soldiers  had  learned,  that  many  Jews 
had  swallowed  gold  pieces  to  secure  them  from  the  avarice  of 
the  robbers,  and  therefore  the  stomachs  of  many  were  cut  open. 
Two  thousand  such  corpses  were  found  on  one  morning  in  the 
camp  of  the  Romans.  Titus'  attempts  to  prevent  this  cruelty,  were 
unavailing.  Finally,  when  misery  had  reached  its  height,  Titus 
succeeded  in  carrying  the  fort  Antonia,  and  with  his  army  forced 
a  passage  as  far  as  the  temple  which  had  been  held  by  John  of 
Gischala  with  his  famous  band.  Desirous  of  saving  the  temple, 
Titus  offered  the  revolutionists  free  passage  from  it,  but  his  pro- 
position was  rejected,  and  the  most  violent  contest  then  raged; 


412   USEFUL  LESSONS  CONCERNING  DEATH-BED  REPENTANCE. 

the  Romans  trying  to  enter  the  temple,  and  being  continually  re- 
pulsed, at  last,  one  of  the  soldiers  seized  a  firebrand,  and  lifted 
up  by  a  comrade,  threw  it  into  one  of  the  rooms  attached  to  the 
temple.  The  flames  in  an  instant  caught  the  whole  of  the  inner 
temple,  and  totally  devoured  it,  so  that  this  prediction  of  our 
Lord  was  also  fulfilled.  The  Romans  butchered  all  the  inhabi- 
tants whom  they  met ,  and  Titus  having  razed  the  ruins  of  the 
temple  and  city  to  the  ground,  ploughed  it  over,  to  mark  that  this 
city  was  never  to  be  rebuilt.  During  the  siege  one  million  one 
hundred  thousand  Jews  lost  their  life;  ninety  seven  thousand 
were  sold  as  slaves,  and  the  rest  of  the  people  dispersed  over  the 
whole  earth. 

Thus  God  punished  the  God  murdering,  impenitent  city  and 
nation,  over  whose  wretchedness  the  Saviour  wept  so  bitterly, 
and  thus  was  fulfilled  the  prediction  made  by  Him  long  before. 

What  do  we  learn  from  this  ? 
That  as  this  prediction  so  also  all  other  threats  and  promises 
of  the  Saviour  will  be  fulfilled.  The  destruction  of  the  city  and 
temple  of  Jerusalem,  the  dispersion  of  the  Jews,  are  historical 
facts  which  cannot  be  denied,  and  testify  through  all  centuries  to 
the  truth  of  our  Lord's  word:  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass 
away,  but  my  word  shall  not  pass  away.  (Matt.  xxiy.  35.) 

USEFUL  LESSONS  CONCERNING  DEATH-BED 
REPENTANCE. 

Can  a  sinner  depend  upon  conversion  at  the  end  of 

Bins  life? 
Y  no  means,  for  this  would  be  to  sin  against  the  mercy  of 
God,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  "God,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "ge- 
nerally so  punishes  such  negligent  sinners,  that  in  the  end  they 
forget  themselves,  as  in  health  they  forgot  God."  And  God  Him- 
self says:  They  have  turned  their  back  to  me,  and  not 
.their  face:  and  in  the  time  of  their  affliction  they  will 
say:  Arise,  and  deliver  us!  Where  are  the  gods  whom 
thou  hast  made  thee?  Let  them  arise  and  deliver  thee 
in  the  time  of  thy  affliction.  (Jer.  ii.  27—  28.)  And  although 
we  have  a  consoling  example  in  the  case  of  the  penitent  thief,  yet 
this,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  is  only  one,  that  the  sinner  may  not 
despair;  and  it  is  only  one,  so  that  the  sinner  may  have  no  ex- 
cuse for  his  temerity  in  putting  off  his  repentance  unto  the  end. 

What  may  we  hope  for  those  who  put  off  their  repentance  until  the 

end  of  their  life? 

We.  should  always  hope  the  best,  although,  as  St.  Augustine 

says,  it  cannot  be  asserted  with  any  security,  that  he  who  repents 

at  the  end,  has  received  forgiveness;  and  St.  Jerome  writes: 

"Scarcely  one  out  of  thousands  whose  life  was  impious,  will  truly 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.     413 

repent  in  death  and  obtain  forgiveness  of  sin ;"  and  St.  Vincent 
Ferrara  says,  "the  good  death  of  a  man  who  has  lived  impiously, 
is  a  greater  miracle  than  the  raising  of  the  dead  to  life."  We 
need  not  be  surprised  at  this,  for  repentance  at  the  end  of  life  is 
extorted  by,  the  fear  of  death  and  the  coming  judgment.  "It  is 
not,  that  he  abandons  sin,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "but  sin  abandons 
him,  and  he  would  not  cease  to  sin,  if  he  ceased  not  to  live."  But 
what  can  we  hope  from  such  a  conversion? 

When  should  we  repent? 
While  we  are  in  health,  in  possession  of  our  senses  and 
strength,  for  according  to  the  words  of  St.  Augustine,  the  repen- 
tance of  the  sick  is  sick,  and  the  repentance  of  the  dying  also 
dying.  As  experience  proves,  man  in  sickness  is  so  tormented  and 
bewildered  by  the  pains  of  sickness  and  the  fear  of  death,  by  re- 
morse of  conscience,  and  the  temptations  of  the  devil  as  well  as 
by  the  anxiety  for  those  whom  he  leaves,  thathe  can  scarcely 
collect  his  thoughts,  much  less  fix  them  for  true  repentance.  If  it 
comes  so  hard  for  many  to  do  penance  while  they  are  in  health, 
and  have  nothing  to  prevent  them  from  elevating  their  mind  to 
God, how  much  more  difficult  will  it  be  for  them,  when  the  head  and 
the  whole  body  are  weakened  and  tortured  by  the  pains  of  sick- 
ness. It  has  been  made  known  by  many  persons  when  convales- 
cent, that  they  retained  not  the  slightest  recollection  of  anything 
which  occured  during  their  illness,  and  although  they  confessed 
and  received  the  last  Sacraments,  they  did  not  remember  it.  If, 
then,  you  have  committed  a  grievous  sin,  do  not  delay  to  be  re- 
conciled as  soon  as  possible  by  perfect  contrition  and  a  sacra- 
mental confession.  By  no  means  should  you  put  it  off  from  one 
day  to  another,  for  you  thus  render  your  conversion  more  diffi- 
cult, so  much  that  without  extraordinary  grace  from  God,  you 
cannot  repent,  which  grace  God  gives  not  to  the  presumptuous 
scoffer. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TENTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 


T  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  pray  with  the 
Church  for  God's  help  to  guard  us  against 
our  enemies:  When  I  cried  out,  the 
Lord  heard  my  complaint  against 
those  that  were  coming  against  me: 
and  he  that  was  before  all  ages,  and 
will  be  for  ever,  humbled  them:  cast 
thy  care  on  the  Lord,  and  he  will  feed  thee.  (Ps.  liv.) 
Hear,  0  God,  my  prayer,  and  despise  not  my  petition: 
look  down  upon  me,  and  hear  me.    Glory,  &c. 


41 4     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  chiefly  mani- 
festest  Thy  Almighty  power  in  pardoning  and  shewing  mercy, 
increase  Thy  goodness  towards  us:  that  having  recourse  to 
Thy  promises,  we  may  be  partakers  of  Thy  heavenly  bless- 
ing. Thro1. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  xii.  2  —  11.)  Brethren:  You  know  that, 
when  you  were  heathens,  you  went  to  dumb  idols,  according 
as  you  were  led.  Wherefore  I  give  you  to  understand,  that 
no  man,  speaking  by  the  spirit  of  God,  saith  anathema  to 
Jesus.  And  no  man  can  say  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Now  there  are  diversities  of  graces,  but  the  same 
spirit.  And  there  are  diversities  of  ministries,  but  the  same 
Lord.  And  there  are  diversities  of  operations,  but  the  same 
God  who  worketh  all  in  all.  And  the  manifestation  of  the 
Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  unto  profit.  To  one  indeed,  by 
the  Spirit,  is  given  the  word  of  wisdom :  and  to  another,  the 
word  of  knowledge,  according  to  the  same  spirit:  to  another, 
faith  in  the  same  spirit:  to  another,  the  grace  of  healing  in 
one  spirit :  to  another,  the  working  of  miracles :  to  another, 
prophecy:  to  another,  the  discerning  of  spirits:  to  another, 
divers  kinds  of  tongues:  to  another,  interpretation  of  speeches. 
But  in  all  these  things  one  and  the  same  spirit  worketh,  di- 
viding to  every  one  according  as  he  will. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  here  reminds  the  Corinthians 
en  verted  from  heathenism  of  the  great  grace  they  received  from 
God  in  their  conversion,  and  urges  them  to  be  grateful  for  it;  for 
while  heathens  they  cursed  Jesus,  but  being  now  brought  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  possess  Christ  as  their  Lord 
and  Redeemer,  who  can  be  known  and  professed  only  by  the  en- 
lightment  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This,  as  all  other  graces  which 
they  have  received  from  God,  is  a  free  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
who  gives  to  whomsoever  He  pleases  and  who  alone  produces  all 
the  effect  of  them.  These  graces,  the  word  of  wisdom  to  impart 
to  others  and  to  instruct  in  the  mysteries  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion, the  gift  of  healing  sickness,  the  gift  of  miracles  and  of  pro- 
phecy, the  gift  of  discerning  spirits,  to  know  if  one  is  governed 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  or  of  the  world,  Satan  and  the  flesh,  the  gift 
of  tongues  and  others,  the  Holy  Ghost  gave,  in  the  early  times 
of  Christianity  to  the  faithful,  especially  to  the  pastors  of  the 
Church,  for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel;  but  these  became 
rarer  the  more  the  faith  spread  and  grew  firmer;  whereas  the  gifts 
which  sanctify  man,  will  always  remain  in  the  Church  of  God. 

fSee  Instruction  on  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  Pentecost.] 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.     4  \  5 


GOSPEL.  {Luke  xvrii.  9 — 14.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spake 
this  parable  to  some  who  trusted  in  themselves  as  just,  and 
despised  others.  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray: 
the  one  was  a  Pharisee,  and  the  other  a  Publican.  The  Pha- 
risee standing,  prayed  thus  with  himself:  0  God,  I  give  thee 
thanks  that  I  am  not  as  the  rest  of  men,  extortioners,  un- 
just, adulterers,  as  also  is  this  publican.  I  fast  twice  in  the 
week :  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess.  And  the  publican 
standing  afar  off  would  not  so  much  as  lift  up  his  eyes  to- 
wards heaven:  but  struck  his  breast,  saying:  0  God,  be  mer- 
ciful to  me  a  sinner.     I  say  to  you,  this  man  went  down  to 


416  CONCERNING  PRIDE  AND  VAIN  GLORY. 

his  house  justified  rather  than  the  other,  because  every  one 
that  exalteth  himself,  shall  be  humbled;  and  he  that  hum- 
bleth  himself,  shall  be  exalted. 

Why  did  Christ  make  use  of  this  parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  the 

Publican  ? 
To  teach  us  never  to  proudly  condemn  or  despise  a  man,  even 
when  he  seems  wrong,  and  to  enable  us  to  understand  how  easily 
we  may  be  mistaken  like  the  Pharisee  who  despised  the  Publi- 
can, whom  he  considered  a  great  sinner,  while,  in  reality,  the 
man  was  justified  before  God  on  account  of  his  repentant  spirit. 

What  should  we  do  before  entering  a  Church? 
We  should  reflect,  that  we  are  going  into  the  house  of  God, 
to  speak  to  Him,  and  should  therefore  think  well,  what  we  are 
about  to  say  to  Him,  and  what  we  wish  to  ask  of  Him.  That 
we  may  make  ourselves  less  unworthy  to  be  heard,  we  should 
humble  ourselves  as  did  Abraham  {Gen.  xviii.  27.),  remembering 
that  we  are  dust  and  ashes,  and  on  account  of  our  sins  unworthy 
to  appear  before  the  eyes  of  God,  much  less  to  address  Him,  for 
God  listens  to  the  prayers  of  the  humble  only  (Ps.  ci.  18.),  gives 
them  His  grace,  and  resists  the  proud.  (James  iv.  6.) 

Was  the  Pharisee's  prayer  acceptable  to  God? 
No,  for  it  wras  no  prayer,  but  boasting  and  ostentation ;  while 
he  praised  himself,  enumerated  his  apparent  good  works,  he  attri- 
buted them  all  to  himself,  taking  away  all  the  honor  from  God, 
hiding  his  pride  under  the  gloss  of  sanctity,  despising  others, 
judging  them  rashly,  regarding  them  as  extortioners,  unjust,  ad- 
ulterers, and  thus  he  sinned,  instead  of  meriting  the  grace  of  God. 

Was  the  Publican's  prayer  acceptable  to  God? 
Yes,  for  though  short,  it  was  humble  and  contrite.  He  did 
not  stand  in  the  front  of  the  temple,  but  at  a  distance,  as  if  to 
acknowledge  himself  unworthy  of  the  presence  of  God  and  com- 
munion with  men.  He  stood  with  down  cast  eyes,  thus  showing 
that  he  considered  himself  because  of  his  sins  unworthy  to  look 
towards  heaven,  teaching  us  to  regard  ourselves,  on  account  of 
our  sins,  unworthy  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God.  He  con- 
fessed himself  a  sinner,  and  struck  his  breast  to  punish,  as  St. 
Augustine  says,  the  sins  which  he  had  committed  in  his  heart. 
This  is  why  also  we  during  Mass  several  times  strike  our  breast, 
for  by  this  we  acknowledge  that  we  are  miserable  sinners,  and 
that  we  regret  our  sins. 


w 


CONCERNING  PRIDE  AND  VAIN  GLORY. 

E  should  especially  learn  from  this  gospel,  that  God  looks 
upon  the  humble,  but  is  far  from  the  proud  (/^.cxxxvii.6.), 


INSTRUCTION  ON  GRACE.  417 

and  that  He  resists  the  proud  aud  exalts  the  humble.  The  Pha- 
risee went  to  the  temple  entirely  wrapt  up  in  himself,  fancying 
himself  replete  with  good  works,  but  returned  empty  and  hated 
by  God ;  the  Publican,  on  the  contrary,  appearing  before  God  as 
a  public  but  penitent  sinner,  returns  justified.  Truly  an  humble 
sinner  is  better  in  the  sight  of  God  than  a  proud  just  man ! 

He  who  glories  in  his  own  good  works,  or  performs  them  to 
please  men  and  to  win  their  praise,  loses  their  nlerit  in  the  eyes 
of  the  most  High,  for  Christ  says:  Take  heed  that  you  do 
not  your  justice  before  men,  that  you  may  be  seen  by 
them:  otherwise  you  shall  not  have  a  reward  from  your 
Father  who  is  in  heaven.  {Matt.  vi.  1.) 

In  order  that  we  may  learn  to  despise  vain  glory,  these  teach- 
ings should  be  well  borne  in  mind.  We  should  consider,  that, 
it  will  happen  to  the  seeker  after  vain  glory,  as  to  the  man  who 
made  many  toilsome  journeys  on  land  and  sea  in  order  to  heap 
up  wealth,  and  had  no  sooner  acquired  it  than  he  was  shipwrecked 
and  lost  all.  Thus  the  ambitious  man  avariciously  seeking  glory 
and  honor,  will  find,  when  dying  that  the  merit  which  he  might 
have  had  for  his  good  works,  is  now  lost  to  him,  because  he  did 
not  labor  for  the  honor  of  God.  To  prevent  such  an  evil,  strive 
at  the  commencement  of  every  good  work  which  you  undertake 
to  turn  your  heart  by  a  good  intention  to  God. 

But  that  you  may  plainly  recognize  the  vice  of  pride,  which 
generally  keeps  itself  concealed,  and  that  you  may  avoid  it,  know 
that  pride  is  an  inordinate  love  of  ostentation,  and  an  immoderate 
desire  to  surpass  others  in  honor  and  praise.  The  proud  man 
goes  beyond  himself,  so  to  speak,  makes  himself  out  far  more 
than  he  really  is,  and,  like  the  Pharisee,  despises  others;  the 
humble  man,  on  the  contrary,  has  a  low  estimate  of  himself,  looks 
upon  himself  as  nothing  and,  like  the  Publican,  despises  no  one 
but  himself,  and  thus  is  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God. 

ASPIRATION.  0  God,  who  dost  regard  the  prayers  of 
the  humble,  but  dost  despise  and  throw  away  the  proud,  I 
earnestly  beseech  Thee  to  give  me  an  humble  heart,  that  I 
may  imitate  the  humility  of  Thy  only  begotten  Son,  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ,  and  by  so  doing  become  less  unworthy  to  be 
exalted  with  Him  in  heaven. 

I  INSTRUCTION  ON  GRACE. 

N  the  epistle  of  this  day  the  Apostle  St.  Paul  speaks  of  the 
different  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  He  distributes  as  He 
pleases.  The  c  extraordinary  graces  Which  the  apostle  m  ntions, 
are  not  necessary  for  salvation.  But  the  Church  teaches,  that  the 
grace  of  God,  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  necessary  for  salvation,  be- 
cause without  it  we  could  neither  properly  believe,  nor  faithfully 


27 


418  INSTRUCTION  ON  GRACE. 

keep  the  commandments  of  God.  For  the  holy  religion  of  Jesus 
teaches  us,  and  experience  confirms  it,  that  since  the  fall  of  our 
first  parents  we  are  weak  and  miserable,  and  by  ourselves,  of  our 
own  strength,  we  cannot  know  or  perform  the  good  necessary  for 
our  salvation.  We  need  a  higher  aid,  a  higher  assistance,  and  this 
aid,  this  assistance  is  called  grace. 

What,  then,  is  grace  ? 

Grace  is  an  inward,  supernatural  gift  which  God  from  pure 
goodness,  and  in  consideration  of  Christ's  merits,  grants  us  to 
enable  us  to  work  out  our  salvation. 

Grace  is  a  gift,  that  is,  a  present,  a  favor,  a  benefit.  It  is  an 
inward  and  supernatural  gift;  an  inward  gift,  because  it  is 
bestowed  upon  man's  soul  in  distinction  from  external  gifts  and 
benefits  of  God,  as:  food,  clothes,  health,  the  preaching  of  God's 
word;  it  is  a  supernatural  gift,  because  by  supernatural  is  meant 
that  which  is  above  nature.  In  creating  our  souls  God  gives  us 
a  certain  degree  of  light  which  enables  us  to  think,  reflect,  judge, 
to  acquire  more  or  less  knowledge :  this  is  called  natural  light. 
In  the  same  way  He  gives  our  souls  the  power  in  some  measure 
to  overcome  our  sensual  vicious  inclination ;  this  power  is  called 
natural  power  (virtue).  To  this  natural  light  and  power  must  be 
added  a  higher  light  and  a  higher  power,  if  man  would  be  sancti- 
fied and  saved.  This  higher  light  and  higher  power  is  grace. 
It  is  therefore  called  a  supernatural  gift,  because  it  surpasses 
the  natural  power  of  man,  and  produces  in  his  understanding  and 
in  his  will  wholesome  effects,  which  man  could  not  produce  with- 
out it.  For  example,  divine  faith,  divine  love  is  a  supernatural 
gift  or  grace  of  God,  because  man  of  his  own  power  could  never 
receive  as  certain  God's  revelations  and  His  incomprehensible 
mysteries  with  so  great  joy  and  so  firm  conviction,  and  could 
never  love  God  above  all  things  and  for  His  own  sake,  unless 
God  assisted  him  by  His  grace. 

God  grants  us  grace  also  through  pure  benevolence  with- 
out our  assistance,  without  our  having  any  right  to  it;  He  grants 
it  without  cost,  and  to  whom  He  pleases;  but  He  gives  it  in 
consideration  of  the  infinite  merits  of  Christ  Jesus,  in 
consideration  of  Christ's  bloody  death  on  the  cross,  and  of  the 
infinite  price  of  the  redemption  He  accomplished  on  the  cross, 
for  us.  Finally,  grace  is  a  gift  of  God,  by  which  to  work  out 
our  salvation,  that  is,  it  is  only  by  the  grace  of  God,  that  we 
can  perform  meritorious  works  to  aid  us  in  reaching  heaven ;  with- 
out grace  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  perform  any  good  action,  even 
to  have  a  good  thought  by  which  to  gain  heaven. 

From  this  it  follows,  that  with  the  grace  of  God  wre  can  ac- 
complish all  things  necessary  for  our  salvation,  can  fulfil  all  the 
commandmends  of  God,  but  without  grace  can  do  nothing  meri- 
torious ;  also  that  grace  is  given  to  all,  so  that  the  wicked  perish, 


INSTRUCTION  ON  GRACE.  419 

not  because  they  could  not,  but  because  they  would  not  be  good, 
and  that  we  can  resist  grace,  and  therefore  by  our  own  fault 
perish. 

How  is  grace  divided? 

It  is  of  two  kinds,  the  actual  and  the  sanctifying  grace. 

The  actual  grace  is  God's  assistance  which  we  always  need  to 
accomplish  a  good  work,  to  avoid  sin  which  we  are  in  danger  of 
committing,  or  that  grace  which  urges  us  on  to  good,  assisting  us 
in  accomplishing  it;  for  God  it  is,  says  the  Apostle  Paul  {Phil. 
ii.  13.),  who  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  ac- 
complish. If  a  good  work  is  to  be  done  by  us,  God  must  en- 
lighten our  mind,  that  we  may  properly  know  the  good  and  dis- 
tinguish it  from  evil;  He  must  rouse  our  will  and  urge  it  on  to 
do  the  known  good  and  to  avoid  the  evil ;  He  must  also  uphold 
our  will  and  increase  our  strength  that  what  we  wish  to  do,  we 
may  really  accomplish. 

This  actual  grace  is,  therefore,  necessary  to  the  just,  that  they 
may  always  remain  in  sanctifying  grace,  and  accomplish  good 
works;  it  is  necessary  to  the  sinner,  that  he  may  reach  the  state 
of  sanctifying  grace. 

What  is  sanctifying  grace? 

It  is  the  great  benefit  which  God  bestows  upon  us,  when  He 
sanctifies  and  justifies  us;  in  other  words:  Sanctifying  grace  is  the 
love  of  God,  given  to  us  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  love  dwells  in 
us  and  whose  temple  we  become,  or  it  is  the  advent  and  residence 
of  God  in  our  hearts,  as  promised  in  the  words  of  Jesus:  If  any 
one  keep  my  word,  I  will  come  to  him  and  abide  in 
him  (Johnxiv.  24.);  and:  If  any  one  love  me,  my  Father 
will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  to  him  and  will  make 
our  abode  with  him.  {John  xiv.  23.) 

He  who  possesses  sanctifying  grace,  possesses  the  greatest 
treasure  that  a  man  can  possess  on  earth.  For  what  can  be  more 
precious  than  to  be  beautiful  in  the  sight  of  God,  acceptable  to 
Him,  and  united  with  Him !  He  who  possesses  this  grace,  carries 
within  himself  the  supernatural  image  of  God,  he  is  a  child  of 
God,  a  friend  of  God,  and  has  a  right  to  the  inheritance  of  heaven. 

How  is  this  sanctifying  grace  lost? 
It  is  lost  by  every  mortal  sin,  and  can  only  be  regained  by  a 
complete  return  to  God,  by  true  repentance  and  amendment. 
The  loss  of  sanctifying  grace,  which  is  given  to  every  one  in  bap- 
tism, is  a  far  greater  injury  than  the  loss  of  all  earthly  posses- 
sions, greater  than  the  loss  of  honor,  greater  even  than  the  loss 
of  life.  How  terrible,  then,  is  mortal  sin  which  deprives  us  of  this 
treasure ! 


420 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  ELEVENTH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

T  the  Introit  pray  with  the  priest  for  bro- 
therly union  and  for  protection  against  our 
enemies  from  within  and  without:  God 
in  his  sanctuary:  God;  who  maketh 
brethren  abide  together  in  concord: 
he  will  give  might  and  strength  to 
his  people.    (Ps.  lxvii.)   Let  God  arise, 

and  his  enemies  shall  be  dispersed;   and  let  those  that 

hate  him,  flee  before  his  face.    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  Almighty  and  eternal 
God,  who,  in  the  abundance  of  Thy  goodness,  exceedest  both 
the  merits  and  requests  of  Thy  suppliants ;  pour  forth  Thy 
mercy  upon  us :  and  both  pardon  what  our  consciences  dread- 
eth,  and  grant  such  blessings  as  we  dare  not  presume  to  ask. 
Thro'. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  xv.  1  —  10.)  Brethren:  I  make  known 
unto  you  the  gospel  which  I  preached  to  you,  which  also  you 
have  received,  and  wherein  you  stand,  by  which  also  you  are 
saved :  if  you  hold  fast  after  what  manner  I  preached  unto 
you,  unless  you  have  believed  in  vain.  For  I  delivered  unto 
you  first  of  all,  which  I  also  received :  how  that  Christ  died 
for  our  sins  according  to  the  scriptures:  and  that  he  was 
buried,  and  that  he  rose  again  the  third  day  according  to 
the  scriptures :  and  that  he  was  seen  by  Cephas ;  and  after 
that  by  the  eleven.  Then  was  he  seen  by  more  than  five 
hundred  brethren  at  once;  of  whom  many  remain  until  this 
present,  and  some  are  fallen  asleep.  After  that  he  was  seen 
by  James,  then  by  all  the  apostles:  and  last  of  all,  he  was 
seen  also  by  me,  as  by  one  born  out  of  due  time.  For  I  am 
the  least  of  the  apostles,  who  am  not  worthy  to  be  called  an 
apostle,  because  I  persecuted  the  Church  of  God.  But  by  the 
grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am ;  and  his  grace  in  me  hath  not 
been  void. 

INSTRUCTIONS.  I.  St.  Paul  warns  the  Corinthians  against 
those  who  denied  the  resurrection  of  Christ  and  of  the  deceased 
faithful,  and  exhorts  them  to  persevere  in  the  faith  which  they 
have  received,  and  to  live  in  accordance  with  it.  Learn  from  this, 
how  we  in  our  days,  in  which  the  true  faith  in  Jesus  and  His 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  ELEVENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.    421 

Church  is  in  so  many  ways  attacked,  sneered  at,  and  denied? 
should  firmly  persevere  in  the  one  only  saving  Catholic  faith, 
which  is  the  same  that  Paul  preached. 

II.  Paul  in  this  epistle  gives  to  the  Corinthians  and  to  us  a 
beautiful  example  of  humility,  by  calling  himself,  because  of 
the  sins  he  had  committed  before  his  conversion,  one  born  out 
of  due  time,  the  least  of  the  apostles,  and  not  worthy  of  being 
called  an  apostle,  although  he  had  labored  so  much  in  the  service 
of  Christ.  He  acknowledges  also  that  all  that  he  was,  he  was  by 
God's  grace  only.  Thus  speaks  the  truly  humble  man:  he  sees  in 
himself  nothing  but  weakness,  sin,  and  wrong,  and  therefore  des- 
pises himself  and  desires  to  be  despised  by  others.  All  the  good 
which  he  professes  or  practises,  he  ascribes  to  God.  and  gives 
the  honor  of  it  to  Him.  Strive  you,  too,  my  Christian,  for  such 
humility.  You  have  far  more  reason  to  do  so  than  St.  Paul  had, 
because  of  the  sins  which  you  have  committed  since  your  baptism, 
and  of  the  graces  which  you  have  abused,  and  the  inactive,  use- 
less life  you  have  led. 

ASPIRATION.  Dispel  from  me,  0  most  loving  Saviour, 
the  spirit  of  pride,  and  grant  me  the  humility  I  so  need.  Let 
me  realize,  that  of  myself  I  can  do  nothing,  and  that  all  my 
power  to  do  good,  comes  from  Thee  alone,  who  alone  dost 
cause  me  to  have  the  will  to  do  the  good  and  to  accomplish  it. 

GOSPEL.  (Mark  vii.  31  —  37.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  going 
out  of  the  coast  Of  Tyre,  he  came  by  Sidon  to  the  sea  of 
Galilee  through  the  midst  of  the  coast  of  Decapolis.  And 
they  bring  to  him  one  deaf  and  dumb :  and  they  besought 
him  that  he  would  lay  his  hand  upon  him.  And  taking  him 
from  the  multitude  apart,  he  put  his  fingers  into  his  ears, 
and  spitting,  he  touched  his  tongue;  and  looking  up  to  hea- 
ven, he  groaned  and  said  to  him :  Ephphata,  that  is,  Be  open- 
ed. And  immediately  his  ears  were  opened,  and  the  string  of 
his  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  spoke  right.  And  he  charged 
them  that  they  should  tell  no  man.  But  the  more  he  charg- 
ed them  so  much  the  more  a  great  deal  did  they  publish  it. 
And  so  much  the  more  did  they,  wonder  saying :  He  hath 
done  all  things  well;  he  hath  made  both  the  deaf  to  hear  and 
the  dumb  to  speak. 

Whom  map  ice  understand  by  the  deaf  and  dumb,  man  ? 

Those  who  desire  neither  to  hear  nor  to  speak  of  things  con- 
cerning salvation. 


422  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  ELEVENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


Why  did  Christ  take  the  deaf  and  dumb  man  a/part? 

To  teach  us  that  he  who  wishes  to  live  piously  and  be  com- 
forted, must  avoid  the  noisy  world,  and  dangerous  society,  and 
must  love  solitude,  for  there  God  speaks  to  the  heart.  (Os.  ii.  14.) 

Why  did  Christ  forbid  them  to  mention  this  miracle? 

That  we  might  learn  to  fly  from  the  praise  of  men  always  vain 
and  fickle. 

What  do  we  learn  from  those  who  brought  the  deaf  and  dumb  man 
to  Jesus,  and  notwithstanding  the  prohibition,  made  known  the 

miracle  ? 
That  in  want  and  sickness  we  should  tenderly  assist  our  neigh- 
bor, and  not  neglect  to  announce  and  praise  the  works  of  God, 


CONCERNING  CEREMONIES.  423 

for  God  works  His  miracles,  that  His  goodness  and  omnipotence 
may  be  known  and  honored. 

SUPPLICATION.  0  Lord  Jesus,  who  during  Thy  life  on 
earth  didst  cure  the  sick  and  the  infirm,  open  my  ears  that 
they  may  listen  to  Thy  will,  and  loosen  my  tongue  that  I 
may  honor  and  announce  Thy  works.  Take  away  from  me, 
0  most  bountiful  Jesus,  the  desire  for  human  praise,  that  I 
may  not  be  led,  in  order  to  obtain  it,  to  reveal  my  good  works, 
and  thus  lose  my  Heavenly  Father's  reward.  (Matt.  vi.  1 .) 


n 


CONCERNING  CEREMONIES. 

What  are  ceremonies? 
Eremonies  are  certain  forms  and  usages,  used  in  the  service 
V_y  of  God,  for  the  increase  of  devotion  and  for  the  edification 
of  our  fellowmen;  they  relate  to  our  inward  feeling  of  which  they 
are  the  external  representation. 

Why  do  we  make  use  of  ceremonies  in  our  service  ? 
That  we  may  serve  God  not  only  inwardly  with  the  soul,  but 
outwardly  with  the  body  by  external  devotion;  that  we  may  keep 
our  attention  fixed,  may  increase  our  devotion,  and  edify  others ; 
that  by  these  external  things  we  may  be  raised  to  the  contem- 
plation of  divine,  inward  things.  (Trid.  Sess.  22.) 

Are  ceremonies  founded  on  Scripture? 

They  are;  for  besides  those  which  Christ  used  in  this  day's 
gospel  in  regard  to  the  deaf  and  dumb  man,  by  putting  His  finger 
into  his  ears,  touching  his  tongue  with  spittle,  and  looking  up  to 
heaven,  in  order  that  He  might  prefigure  what  in  this  deaf  and 
dumb  man  and  in  all  men  should  inwardly  take  place,  namely 
that  they  should  be  susceptible  to  the  word  of  God,  to  announce 
His  praise,  and  to  expect  help  from  heaven  only,  He  has  also 
made  use  of  different  other  ceremonies,  by  blessing  breul  and 
fishes  (Matt.  xv.  36.),  spreading  clay  upon  the  eyes  of  a  blind  man 
(John  ix.  6.),  praying  with  bended  knees  (Luke  xxii.  41.),  falling 
on  His  face  to  pray  (Matt.  xxvi.  39.),  breathing  upon  His  disciples 
and  thus  giving  them  the  Holy  Ghost  (John  xx.  22.),  also  blessing 
them  with  outstretched  hands  when  ascending  into  heaven.  (Luke 
xxiv.  50.)  Thus  in  the  Old  Law,  different  ceremonies  were  pre- 
scribed for  the  Jews,  of  which  indeed  in  the  New  Law  the  greater 
number  have  been  abolished ;  others,  however,  have  been  retain- 
ed, and  new  ones  added.  If,  therefore,  the  enemies  of  the  Church 
contend,  that  ceremonies  are  superfluous,  since  Christ  Himself 
reproached  the  Jews  for  their  ceremonial  observances,  and  said  : 
God  must  be  adored  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  we  may,  with- 
out mentioning  that  Christ  Himself  made  use  of  certain  ceremonies, 


4  24       INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  ABUSE  OF  THE  TONGUE. 

answer,  that  Christ  did  not  find  fault  with  the  use  of  ceremonies, 
but  only  with  the  intention  of  the  Jews.  They  observed  every  ce- 
remony most  scrupulously,  without  at  the  same  time  entertaining 
pious  emotions  in  the  heart,  and  whilst  they  dared  not  at  any 
price  omit  even  one  ceremony,  they  scrupled  not,  to  oppress  and 
rob  their  neighbor.  Therefore  Christ  says:  God  must  be  ador- 
ed in  spirit  and  in  truth,  that  is,  in  the  innermost  heart,  and 
no  tonly  in  external  appearances. — Do  not,  therefore,  let  the  ob- 
jections, nor  the  scoffs  and  sneers  of  the  enemies  of  our  Church 
confound  you,  but  seek  to  know  the  spirit  and  meaning  of  each 
ceremony,  and  to  impress  them  on  your  heart,  and  then  make 
use  of  them  to  inflame  your  piety,  to  glorify  God,  and  to  edify 
your  neighbor. 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  ABUSE  OF  THE 

TONGUE. 

THere  is,  perhaps,  no  member  in  our  body  more  dangerous 
and  more  pernicious  than  the  tongue.  The  tongue,  says 
the  Apostle  St.  James  (iii.  5-12.),  is,  indeed,  a  little  member 
and  boasteth  great  things,  and  it  is  placed  among  our 
members,  so  that  it  defileth  the  whole  body,  and  sett- 
eth  on  fire  the  wheel  of  our  nativity,  being  set  on  fire 
by  hell.  By  it  we  bless  God  and  the  Father:  and  by  it 
we  curse  men,  who  are  made  after  the  likeness  of  God. 
Out  of  the  same  mouth  proceedeth  blessing  and  curs- 
ing. And,  indeed,  there  is  scarcely  a  country,  a  city,  nay,  even  a 
house  to  be  found,  in  which  evil  tongues  do  not  originate  quarrel 
and  strife,  discord  and  enmity,  jealousy  and  slander,  seduction  and 
debauchery.  A  godless  tongue  reviles  God  and  His  saints,  cor- 
rupts and  distorts  the  word  of  God,  causes  heresy  and  schism, 
makes  one  intemperate,  unchaste,  envious,  and  malevolent;  in  a 
word,  the  tongue  is  according  to  the  apostle  a  fire,  a  world  of  ini- 
quity. The  tongue  of  the  serpent  seduced  our  first  parents,  and 
brought  misery  and  death  into  the  world.  {Gen.  iii.)  The  tongue/ 
of  Judas  betrayed  Jesus.  {Matt.  xxvi.  47.)  And  what  so  often 
causes  war  among  princes,  revolts  among  nations,  if  it  is  not  the 
tongue  of  ambitions,  restless  men,  who  seek  their  fortune  in  war 
and  revolution?  How  many,  in  fine,  have  plunged  themselves  into 
the  greatest  misery  by  means  of  their  unguarded  tongues?  How 
can  we  secure  ourselves  against  this  dangerous  domestic  enemy? 
No  otherwise,  than  that  we  be  slow  in  speaking,  according  to  the 
advice  of  St.  James  (i.  19.),  to  speak  very  few  words,  and  those 
sensible  and  well  considered.  In  this  way  we  shall  not  offend  by 
any  word,  and  we  shall  become  perfect  men.  {James  iii.  2.)  But 
since  this  cannot  happen  without  especial  grace  of  God,  we  must 
beg  God  for  this  grace,  according  to  the  advice  of  St.  Augustine, 
in  the  following  or  similar  words: 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWELFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.     425 


ASPIRATION.  0  Lord,  set  a  watch  before  my  mouth, 
and  a  door  round  about  my  lips,  that  I  may  not  fall  and  my 
tongue  destroy  me.  (Ps.  cxl.  3.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWELFTH  SUNDAY 

AFTER  PENTECOST. 

» 

He  Introit  of  the  Mass  is  the  prayer  of  a 
troubled  soul,  asking  God  for  help  against  its 
enemies:  Come  to  my  assistance,  0  God: 
0  Lord,  make  haste  to  help  me:  let  my 
enemies  who  seek  my  soul,  1^  put  to 
shame  and  confusion.  (Ps.  lxix.)  Let 
them  he  put  to  flight  and  shame,  who 
once|ive  evil  against  me.    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  Almighty  and  merciful 
God,  from  whose  gift  it  proceedeth  that  Thy  people  worthily 
serve  Thee;  grant  we  beseech  thee,  that  we  may  run  on, 
without  stumbling,  to  the  obtaining  the  effects  of  Thy  pro- 
mises. Thro'. 

EPISTLE,  (ii.  Cor.  iii.  4—9.)  Brethren:  We  have  confi- 
dence through  Christ  towards  God :  not  that  we  are  sufficient 
to  think  any  thing  of  ourselves  as  of  ourselves :  but  our  suf- 
ficiency is  from  God.  Who  also  hath  made  us  fit  ministers  of 
the  New  Testament,  not  in  the  letter  but  in  the  spirit.  For 
the  letter  killeth:  but  the  spirit  quickeneth.  Now  if  the 
ministration  of  death,  engraven  with  letters  upon  stones,  was 
glorious,  so  that  the  children  of  Israel  could  not  steadfastly 
behold  the  face  of  Moses,  for  the  glory  of  his  countenance, 
which  is  made  void :  how  shall  not  the  ministration  of  the 
Spirit  be  rather  in  glory  ?  For  if  the  ministration  of  condem- 
nation be  glory,  much  more  the  ministration  of  justice  ab- 
oundeth  in  glory. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  speaks  in  the  epistle,  from  which 
this  extract  is  taken,  about  the  conversion  of  the  Corinthians, 
which  he  accomplished  not  by  his  own  ability,  hut  with  the  help 
of  God,  who  made  him  a  minister  of  the  New  Testament,  a  teacher 
of  the  true  religion  of  Christ.  The  new  Testament  by  the  grace  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  recalls  the  sinner  from  the  death  of  sin,  reconciles 
him  to  God,  and  thus  enlivens  and  makes  him  pleasing  to  God, 
whereas  the  letter  of  the  Old  Law,  which  contains  more  external 


426    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWELFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

ceremonies  and  fewer  commandments,  did  not  change  the  man, 
but  rather  destroyed  him,  that  is,  threatens  with  death  the  trans- 
gressor of  the  law,  cannot  free  man  from  sin,  and  reconcile  him 
to  God,  and  thus  permits  him  to  die  the  eternal  death.  The  true 
religion  of  Christ,  which  does  not  consist  of  the  mere  letter,  but, 
penetrated  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  vivifies,  justifies,  and  sanctifies 
man,  he  has  preached,  and  now  if  the  office  of  Moses,  who  only 
preached  the  deathbringing  religion  of  the  letter  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, was  so  glorified  by  God,  that  his  countenance  shone, 
when  he  returned  from  Mount  Sinai,  where  God  gave  him  the 
law,  how  much  more  must  the  office  of  the  minister  of  the  religion 
of  Christ  be  distinguished  with  dignity  and  glory.  Learn  from 
this  to  esteem  the  office  of  preaching  and  to  be  humble  like  St. 
Paul,  who  trusted  not  himself  but  God,  gave  no  honor  to  him- 
self, but  g^tve  all  honor  to  God. — 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWELFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.    427 

GOSPEL.  (Lukex.  23 — 37.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
his  disciples:  Blessed  are  the  eyes  that  see  the  things  which 
you  see.  For  I  say  to  you,  that  many  prophets  and  kings  have 
desired  to  see  the  things  that  you  see,  and  have  not  seen 
them ;  and  to  hear  the  things  that  you  hear,  and  have  not 
heard  them.  And  behold,  a  certain  lawyer  stood  up,  tempting 
him,  and  saying :  Master,  what  must  I  do  to  possess  eternal 
life?  But  he  said  to  him:  What  is  written  in  the  law?  how 
readest  thou?  He  answering  said:  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God  with  thy  whole  heart,  and  with  thy  whole  soul,  and 
with  all  thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind :  and  thy  neigh- 
bour as  thyself."  And  he  said  to  him:  Thou  hast  answered 
right:  this  do  and  thou  shalt  live.  But  he  willing  to  justify 
himself,  said  to  Jesus :  and  who  is  my  neighbour  ?  And  Jesus 
answering,  said:  A. certain  man  went  down  from  Jerusalem 
to  Jericho,  and  fell  among  robbers,  who  had  stripped  him, 
and  having  wounded  him  went  away  leaving  him  half  dead. 
And  it  chanced  that  a  certain  priest  went  down  the  same 
way:  and  seeing  him,  passed  by.  In  like  manner  also  a  Le- 
vite,  when  he  was  near  the  place,  and  saw  him,  passed  by. 
But  a  certain  Samaritan  being  on  his  journey,  came  near 
him;  and  seeing  him,  was  moved  with  compassion.  And  going 
up  to  him,  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring  in  oil  and  wine: 
and  setting  him  upon  his  own  beast  brought  him  to  an  inn, 
and  took  care  of  him.  And  the  next  day  he  took  out  two 
pieces,  and  gave  to  the  host,  and  said:  Take  care  of  him;  and 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  spend  over  and  above,  I  at  my  return 
will  repay  thee.  Which  of  these  three  in  thy  opinion  was 
neighbour  to  him  that  fell  among  robbers?  But  he  said:  He 
that  shewed  mercy  to  him.  And  Jesus  said  to  him:  Go,  and 
do  thou  in  like  manner. 

Why  does  Christ  pronounce  His  disciples  blessed? 

Because  they  had  lived  to  see  His  coming,  because  they  saw 
Him  with  their  eyes,  and  heard  His  teachings.  Though  we  have 
not  the  happiness  to  see  Jesus  and  hear  Him,  nevertheless  we  are 
not  less  blessed  than  the  apostles,  since  Christ  pronounces  those 
blessed,  who  do  not  see  and  yet  believe.  {John  xx.  29.) 


428    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWELFTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

What,  besides  faith,  is  most  necessary  for  salvation  ? 
That  we  love  God  and  our  neighbor,  for  in  these  two  com- 
mandments consists  the  whole  law.  {Matt.  xxii.  40.) 

Who  is  our  neighbor  ?  *) 
Every  man,  be  he  a  stranger  or  a  native,  poor  or  rich,  of  our 
faith  or  of  another ;  for  the  Samaritan  did  not  ask  the  one  who 
had  fallen  among  robbers:  Who  and  whence  are  you?  but  con- 
sidered him  without  asking  as  his  neighbor,  and  showed  himself 
his  neighbor  by  his  prompt  assistance. 

How  should  we  love  our  neighbor? 
As  we  love  ourselves,  that  is,  we  should  wish  him  all  the  good, 
and  in  case  of  necessity  also  to  do  it  to  him,  that  we  wish  our- 
selves, and,  on  the  contrary,  not  to  wish,  not  to  grudge  him,  nor 
to  do  to  him  anything  that  we  do  not  wish  ourselves.  In  this  way 
the  Samaritan  loved  his  neighbor,  and  in  this  he  was  far  superior 
to  the  priest  and  the  Levite. 

How  can  we  especially  practise  love  for  our  neighbor? 

By  the  spiritual  and  corporal  works  of  mercy.  [See  Instruction 
on  the  seventeenth  Sunday  after  Pentecost.]  To  these  must  be 
added,  that  we  are  rejoiced  at  the  spiritual  and  corporal  graces 
of  our  neighbor,  which  God  communicates  to  him;  that  we  are 
sorry  for  his  misfortunes,  and,  according  to  the  example  of  St. 
Paul  (i.  Cor.  i.  4.),  that  we  have  compassion  on  him;  that  we  bear 
with  the  wants  and  faults  of  our  neighbor,  as  St.  Paul  again  ad- 
monishes us:  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  shall 
you  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ.  {Gal.  vi.  2.) 

Why  should  we  love  our  neighbor? 

We  should  love  him  because  God  commands  it;  but  there  are 
also  other  reasons  which  should  induce  us  to  do  so.  For  we  are 
not  only  according  to  nature  brothers  and  sisters  in  Adam,  but 
also  according  to  grace  in  Christ,  and  we  would  have  to  be 
ashamed  before  animals,  if  we  would  allow  ourselves  to  be  sur- 
passed in  the  love  which  they  bear  one  to  another  {Eccl.  xiii.  19.); 
all  our  neighbors  are,  as  we,  the  image  and  likeness  of  God, 
bought  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  partakers  of  it,  and  being  adopted 
children,  called  to  heaven,  as  we  are ;  the  example  of  Christ  who 
loved  us,  when  we  were  yet  His  enemies  {Rom.  v.  10.),  and  gave 
Himself  for  us  unto  death,  ought  to  incite  us  to  their  love.  But 
can  we  be  His  disciples,  if  we  do  not  follow  Him,  and  if  we  do 
not  bear  the  mark  of  His  disciples,  the  love  of  our  neighbor,  in 
us?  {John  xiii.  35.)  Finally,  the  necessity  of  the  love  for  our  neigh- 
bor ought  to  compel  us,  as  it  were,  to  it;  for  without  it,  we  cannot 

*)  A  detailed  Instruction  on  the  Love  of  God ,  may  be  found  pn  the 
seventeenth  Sunday  after  Pentecost.  Here  we  only  treat  ( f  the  1  ve  of  our 
neighbor. 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  EXTREME  UNCTION.  429 

be  saved.  He  that  lovetli  not,  says  St.  John,  abideth  in 
death  {\.Johni\i.  14.),  and  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother, 
doth  not  love  God  (i.  John  iv.  20.),  because  he  transgresses  one 
of  the  greatest  commandments  of  God,  and  does  not  fulfil  the  law. 
{Rom.  xiii.  10.) 
What  is  necessary  to  make  the  love  of  our  neighbor  meritorious? 
That  it  tend  to  God,  that  is,  that  we  love  our  neighbor  only 
in  and  on  account  of  God,  because  God  commands  it,  and  it  is 
pleasing  to  Him.  For  to  love  our  neighbor  on  account  of  a  natural 
inclination,  or  selfinterest,  or  on  account  of  some  other  still  less 
honorable  reason,  and  to  do  him  good,  is  only  a  natural,  animal 
love,  in  no  wise  different  from  the  love  of  the  heathen;  for  the 
heathen  also  love  and  salute  those,  that  love  and  salute  them  in 
turn.  {Matt.  v.  46.) 

PETITION.  0  my  God,  Father  of  mercy!  give  me  a  lov- 
ing and  compassionate  heart,  which  will  continually  impel 
me  to  do  good  to  my  neighbor  for  Thy  sake,  to  help  the 
needy,  to  console  the  afflicted,  to  advise  the  erring,  to  raise 
up  the  oppressed,  to  comfort  the  poor,  so  that  I  may  merit 
the  same  from  Thy  mercy. 

What  is  understood  from  this  day's  gospel  in  a  higher  and  more 
spiritual  sense? 
According  to  the  interpretation  of  the  fathers,  our  father 
Adam  and  hence  the  whole  human  race  is  to  be  understood  by 
the  one,  who  has  fallen  among  robbers.  The  human  race,  which 
through  the  disobedience  of  Adam  fell  into  the  power  of  Satan 
and  his  nngels,  was  robbed  by  them  of  original  justice  and  the 
grace  of  God,  and  moreover  wounded  and  weakened  by  means  of 
evil  concupiscence,  in  all  powers  of  the  soul.  The  priest  and  the 
Levite,  who  are  the  image  of  the  Old  Law,  would  not  and  could 
not  avert  this  misfortune;  but  Christ,  the  true  Samaritan,  our 
Helper,  embraced  the  interests  of  the  wounded  man,  in  as  much 
as  He  poured  the  oil  of  His  grace,  and  the  wine  of  His  blood  into 
the  wounds  of  man's  soul,  and  thus  healed  him,  and  in  as  much 
as  He  led  him  by  baptism  into  the  inn  of  His  Church,  and  there 
entrusted  him  to  His  priests  for  further  care  and  nursing.  Thank 
Christ,  the  good  Samaritan,  for  this  great  love  and  care  for  you, 
and  endeavor  to  make  them  of  use  to  you  by  your  cooperation. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF 
EXTREME  UNCTION. 

He  poured  oil  and  wine  into  his  wounds. 

{Luke  x.  34.) 
He  conduct  of  the  Samaritan  with  regard  to  the  mortally 
wounded  man,  may  be  viewed  as  a  figure  or  emblem  of  the 


T 


430  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT 

holy  Sacrament  of  Extreme  Unction,  in  which  Christ,  the  true 
Samaritan  by  means  of  the  holy  oil  and  the  prayer  of  the  priest, 
His  representative,  dispenses  His  grace  to  the  sick  for  the  welfare 
of  the  soul  and  often  of  the  body,  if  the  infirm  place  no  obstacle 
in  His  way. 

Is  Extreme  Unction  a  Sacrament? 

Yes ;  for  by  it  the  grace  of  God  is  communicated  to  the  sick 
person,  by  means  of  its  external  sign,  instituted  by  Christ. 

Did  Christ  really  institute  this  Sacrament? 

Yes;  for  "Christ",  says  the  Roman  Catechism  (Pars 2.  c.  6.  §.8.), 
"appears  to  have  made  an  allusion  to  this  anointing,  when  He 
sent  His  disciples,  two  by  two,  before  His  face ;"  for  concerning 
it,  the  following  is  written  by  the  evangelist  {Mark.  vi.  12,  13.): 
And  going  forth,  they  preached  that  they  should  do 
penance:  and  they  cast  out  many  devils,  and  anointed 
with  oil  many  that  were  sick,  and  healed  them.  We 
must  believe,  that  this  unction  was  not  invented  by  the  apostles, 
but  ordained  by  the  Lord  This  is  confirmed  by  the  Council  of 
Trent,  which  says  (Sess.  xiv,  c.  1.):  "Extreme  Unction  was  insti- 
tuted as  a  true  and  real  Sacrament  of  the  New  Testament,  indi- 
cated by  St.  Mark,  but  recommended  and  promulgated  to  the 
faithful  by  the  Apostle  St.  James,  a  relative  of  our  Lord,  in  these 
words:  Is  any  man  sick  among  you?  let  him  bring  in 
the  priests  of  the  Church,  and  let  them  pray  over 
him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord: 
and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick  man:  and 
the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up:  and  if  he  be  in  sins,  they 
shall  be  forgiven  him.  (James  v.  14,  15.)  St.  James  could  not 
have  said  this,  if  he  had  not  known  the  institution  and  command 
of  Christ;  to  it  also  uninterrupted  and  apostolic  tradition  gives 
testimony. 

What  is  the  external  sign  of  this  Sacrament? 
The  anointing  with  holy  oil,  which  is  blessed  by  the  bishop  on 
Holy  or  Maundy  Thursday,  and  the  prayer  of  the  priest. 

What  graces  does  this  Sacrament  produce  in  the  sick  man? 

The  Council  of  Trent,  in  accordance  with  the  words  of  St. 
James,  enumerates  the  four  following,  as  effects  of  this  Sacra- 
ment: 1)  the  sins  which  may  still  remain  to  be  satisfied  for,  and 
2)  the  remains  of  sins  are  taken  away;  3)  the  soul  of  the  sick 
man  is  strengthened  and  alleviated,  in  as  much  as  confidence  in 
God  is  produced  in  the  sick  man,  and -he  receives  strength,  the 
easier  to  bear  the  inconveniences  and  sufferings  of  sickness  as 
well  as  to  resist  the  temptations  of  the  devil,  who  lies  in  wait  for 
his  heel ;  and  4)  sometimes  the  health  of  the  body  is  restored,  if 
it  is  expedient  for  the  soul.  (Sess.  xiv.  c.  3.) 


OF  EXTREME  UNCTION.  431 

What  intentions  must  the  sick  man  have,  in  order  to  gain  these 

graces ? 

Since  the  Sacraments  work  the  more  powerfully  the  better  the 
preparation  made  by  those  who  receive  them,  and  since  by  this 
Sacrament  the  known  sins  are  not  remitted,  but  only  those  that 
we  have  forgotten,  or  have  not  sufficiently  known,  therefore  the 
sick  man  should,  if  it  be  possible,  receive  beforehand  the  ho'y 
Sacrament  of  Penance  and  the  blessed  Eucharist,  or  if  this  cannot 
be  done,  he  should  excite  in  himself  an  act  of  perfect  contrition 
with  a  wisli  to  confess  if  possible.  He  should,  therefore,  not  put 
off  the  reception  of  this  Sacrament  to  the  last  moment,  when  the 
violence  of  the  sickness  has  already  taken  away  the  use  of  his 
reason  and  senses,  but  he  should,  whilst  yet  enjoying  the  use  of 
reason,  ask  for  this  Sacrament  himself,  so  that  he  may  receive  it 
with  devotion  and  useful  result. 

Is  this  Sacrament  necessary  for  salvation? 

No;  yet  we  should  not  neglect  in  case  of  sickness  to  partake 
of  the  excel'ent  fruits  of  this  Sacrament  by  a  worthy  reception  of 
it,  since  the  Council  of  Trent  teaches:  "The  despising  of  so  great 
a  Sacrament,  cannot  be  without  a  great  sin  and  without  contu- 
mely to  the  Holy  Ghost."  (Sess.  xiv.  c.  3.) 

Can  we  receive  this  Sacrament  more  than  once  ? 

Yes,  and  as  often  as  we  are  in  danger  of  death  by  any  sickness; 
but  we  must  bear  in  mind,  that  we  can  be  anointed  only  once  in 
the  same  sickness,  in  which  we  are  in  danger  of  death. 

Why  is  this  Sacrament  called  Extreme  Unction? 

Because  among  all  unctions  which  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
ordained  in  His  Church,  this  one  must  be  dispensed  last.  But 
from  this  it  does  not  follow,  as  so  many  sick  persons,  weak  in 
faith,  believe,  that  every  one  who  receives  this  Sacrament,  must 
soon  die,  but  it  will  rather  become  a  means  of  salvation  for  their 
souls,  and  if  it  be  for  their  eternal  welfare,  it  will  also  restore 
their  bodily  health. 

What  does  the  priest  do,  when  he  enters  the  house  of  the  sick 

person  ? 

He  wishes  the  house  peace  and  wellbeing,  and  prays  that  God 
may  send  His  angel  to  protect  its  inmates,  that  He  may  drive 
away  all  the  snares  of  the  enemy,  and  console  the  sick  pen  on, 
strengthen  him,  and  give  health  back  to  him. 

Why  does  the  priest  sprinkle  the  sick  person  with  holy  water  ? 

To  remind  him,  that  he  should  implore  of  God  the  forgiveness 
of  his  sins,  with  tears  of  contrition;  in  order  to  dispel  the  in- 
fluence of  the  evil  spirit. 


432  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRAMENT  OF  EXTREME  UNCTION. 

Why  is  the  Litany  of  the  Saints  recited? 
That  God  may  grant,  through  the  intercession  of  the  saints' 
whatever  may  contribute  to  the  welfare  of  the  sick  man's  body 
and  soul. 

For  what  does  the  priest  pray,  when  he  imposes  his  hands  on  the 
head  of  the  sick  person? 
He  begs,  that  God,  through  the  imposition  of  hands  and  by 
the  intercession  of  all  the  saints,  may  take  the  sick  person  under 
His  protection,  and  destroy  the  power  of  the  devil,  who  attacks 
the  sick  person  particularly  in  the  hour  of  death. 

What  does  the  priest  say  at  the  anointing  with  oil? 
He  begs,  that  God,  through  this  anointing  and  through  His 
gracious  mercy,  may  forgive  the  sick  person  all  the  sins,  which 
he  has  committed  with  his  five  senses.  At  the  same  time  the  sick 
person  should,  in  a  spirit  of  humility  and  with  a  repenting  and 
contrite  heart,  implore  of  vGod  the  forgiveness  of  all  the  sins  he 
has  committed  with  his  five  senses. 

Why  does  the  priest  show  a  crucifix  to  the  sick  person,  bless  him 
with  it,  and  offer  it  to  him  to  kiss? 

To  remind  him  that,  like  Jesus,  he  should  suffer  with  patience, 
and  place  his  whole  confidence  in  His  infinite  merits,  and  be 
willing  to  suffer  and  die  for  love  of  Him.  For  this  reason  the  cru- 
cifix ought  often  to  be  presented  to  the  dying  person,  that  he 
may  kiss  it. 

What  should  the  sick  person  do,  when  the  priest  has  performed  all? 

He  should  use  all  his  remaining  strength,  to  thank  God  sin- 
cerely for  the  benefit  he  has  received,  commend  himself  to  the 
wounds  and  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  meditate  with  quiet  recol- 
lection on  death  and  eternity. 


How  consoling  does  our  holy  Catholic  Church  appear  in  the 
continual  use  of  this  holy  Sacrament!  Having,  like  a  tender  mo- 
ther, received  man  by  holy  Baptism  into  her  maternal  bosom,  by 
holy  Confirmation  given  him  the  necessary  weapons  against  sin, 
heresy,  and  infidelity,  by  the  holy  Sacrament  of  Penance  purified 
him  from  stains  and  sins,  and  raised  him  up  after  the  fall,  and  by 
the  blessed  Eucharist  nourished  him  with  the  bread  of  life,  en- 
riched him  with  virtues,  and  secured  him  against  falling,  she  does 
not  desert  him  even  in  the  last,  all  important  moment  of  death. 
In  this  dangerous  hour,  when  the  dying  person,  deserted  by  all, 
even  often  by  his  most  intimate  friends,  or  looked  upon  with  fear, 
lies  on  his  bed  of  pain,  when  behind  him  time  ceases  and  before 
him  a  certain,  still  unknown  eternity  unfolds  itself,  when  Satan 
brings  all  his  resources  into  play,  in  order  to  ruin  his  soul,  and 
the  thought  of  the  coming  judgment  makes  the  heart  quake,  —  in 


INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  THIRTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  433 

this  terrible  hour  the  faithful  mother,  the  Catholic  Church,  does 
not  desert  him ;  she  sends  the  priest,  her  servant,  like  a  consoling 
angel  to  his  couch,  to  encourage  the  sufferer  and  strengthen  the 
fearful  with  the  word  of  the  Lord,  to  cleanse  the  sinner  and  re- 
concile him  with  God  by  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  to  fortify  the 
weak  and  nourish  him  with  the  bread  of  life,  to  strengthen  the 
combatant  with  the  holy  oil,  and  providing  him  thus  with  all 
the  means  of  grace  which  Jesus  obtained  and  gave  to  His  Church, 
to  conduct  his  soul  with  prayer  before  the  face  of  the  eternal 
Judge,  there  to  find  grace  and  mercy  for  His  most  holy  name's 
sake. 

If  now,  dear  Christian,  you  consider  this,  ought  you  not  to 
feel  happy  to  be  a  member  of  this  Church,  ought  you  not  to  thank 
God  continually,  and  cling  with  fidelity  to  a  Church,  in  which 
it  certainly  is  good  to  die,  if  it  is  not,  as  in  the  bosom 
of  irreligion  good  to  live. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRTEENTH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


Ray  to-day  at  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  with  the 


Church  against  her  enemies 


Have  regard  to 


thy  covenant,  0  Lord,  and  abandon  not 
the  souls  of  thy  poor:  arise,  0  Lord,  judge 
thine  own  cause,  and  forget  not  the  cries 
of  those  who  seek  thee.  (Ps.  lxxiii.)  Why, 
0  God,  hast  thou  cast  us  off  unto  the  end: 

why  is  thy  wrath  kindled  against  the  sheep  of  thy 

pasture?    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  Almighty  and  eternal 
God,  grant  us  an  increase  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity;  and, 
that  we  may  deserve  what  Thou  promisest ,  make  us  love 
what  Thou  commandest.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  (Gal.m.  16—22.)  Brethren:  To  Abraham  were 
the  promises  made  and  to  his  seed.  He  saith  not,  and  to  his 
seeds  as  of  many :  but  as  of  one,  and  to  thy  seed,  which  is 
Christ.  Now  this  I  say,  that  the  testament  which  was  con- 
firmed by  God,  the  law  which  was  made  after  four  hundred 
and  thirty  years,  doth  not  disannul,  or  make  the  promise  of 
no  effect.  For  if  the  inheritance  be  of  the  law,  it  is  no  more 
of  promise.  But  God  gave  it  to  Abraham  by  promise.  Why 
then  was  the  law*?  It  was  set  because  of  transgressions,  until 
the  seed  should  come,  to  whom  he  made  the  promise,  being 


o« 


434  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

ordained  by  angels  in  the  hand  of  a  mediator.  Now  a  me- 
diator is  not  of  one :  but  God  is  one.  Was  the  law  then 
against  the  promises  of  God  ?  God  forbid.  For  if  there  had 
been  a  law  given  which  could  give  life,  verily  justice  should 
have  been  by  the  law.  But  the  scripture  hath  concluded  all 
under  sin,  that  the  promise  by  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  might 
be  given  to  them  that  believe. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  wishes  to  show  and  prove  in  this 
epistle  to  the  Galatians,  who,  misled  by  false  doctrines,  adhered 
too  much  to  the  Jewish  law,  that  it  is  insufficient  and  useless, 
that  they  were  liberated  by  Christ  from  its  yoke,  and  that  they 
will  be  saved  through  a  lively  faith  in  Christ,  enriched  by  good 
works.  Therefore  he  says,  that  the  great  promises,  made  by  God 
to  Abraham,  who  is  a  type  of  Christ,  were  directed  to  Christ, 
through  whom  all  nations  of  the  earth,  who  would  believe  in  Him, 
would  be  blessed  and  saved.  (Gen.  xii.  3.,  and  xxii.  18.)  The  law, 
indeed,  does  not  contend  against  the  promises,  since  it  rather 
leads  to  their  attainment,  yet  it  must  be  placed  after  these  pro- 
mises because  of  their  advantages,  nay  even  cease  to  exist,  be- 
cause the  promises  are  now  fulfilled,  because  Christ,  the  promised 
Messiah,  has  really  appeared  and  liberated  men,  who  could  not 
be  freed  from  their  sins  by  the  Jewish  law. 

0,  let  us  be  grateful  for  this  promise,  yet  more,  however,  for 
the  Incarnation  of  Christ,  whereby  this  promise  has  been  fulfilled. 

ASPIRATION.  0  God,  who  didst  not  only  promise,  but 
also  didst  send  the  Promised  One,  and  with  Him  hast  given 
us  all,  grant  that  we,  through  a  lively  faith  in  Him,  may 
become  heirs  of  heaven. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  xvii.  11  — 19.)  At  that  time:  As  Jesus 
was  going  to  Jerusalem,  he  passed  through  the  midst  of  Sa- 
maria and  Galilee.  And  as  he  entered  into  a  certain  town, 
there  met  him  ten  men  that  were  lepers,  who  stood  afar  off; 
and  lifted  up  their  voice,  saying:  Jesus,  master,  have  mercy 
on  us.  Whom  when  he  saw,  he  said:  Go,  shew  yourselves  to 
the  priests.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  as  they  went,  they 
were  made  clean.  And  one  of  them  when  he  saw  that  he  was 
made  clean,  went  back,  with  a  loud  voice  glorifying  God. 
And  he  fell  on  his  face  before  his  feet,  giving  thanks :  and 
this  was  a  Samaritan.  And  Jesus  answering  said:  Were  not 
ten  made  clean,  and  where  are  the  nine?  There  is  no  one 
found  to  return  and  give  glory  to  God,  but  this  stranger.^  And 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  435 


he  said  to  him:  Arise,  go  thy  way;  for  thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole. 

What  may  be  understood  by  leprosy,  in  a  spiritual  sense  ? 
Sin,  particularly  impurity,  by  which  the  soul  of  man  is  stained 
much  more  than  is  the  body  by  the  most  horrid  leprosy.  In  the 
Jewish  law  (Lev.xiii.)  three  kinds  of  leprosy  are  enumerated,  viz : 
the  leprosy  of  the  flesh,  of  garments,  and  of  houses.  Spiritually, 
the  impure  are  afflicted  with  the  leprosy  of  the  flesh,  who 
very  easily  infect  others  by  looks,  words,  gestures,  &c,  with  this 
kind  of  leprosy,  and  are  therefore  to  be  most  carefully  avoided. 
The  leprosy  of  garments  consists  in  extravagance  of  dress 
and  scandalous  fashions,  whereby  not  only  individuals,  but  also 
whole  communities  are  brought  to  poverty,  and  many  lose  their 


28* 


436  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  THIRTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST 

innocence.  The  leprosy  of  houses,  finally,  is  to  he  found  in 
those  places,  where  scandalous  servants  are  retained,  where  noc- 
turnal gatherings  of  both  sexes  are  encouraged,  where  obscenities 
are  indulged  in,  where  unbecoming  dances  and  plays  are  held, 
and  filthy  actions  performed ;  where  married  people  allow  them- 
selves liberties  in  presence  of  others,  and  give  scandal  to  their 
household,  where  they  take  their  small  children  and  even  such 
that  already  have  the  use  of  reason  with  themselves  to  bed, 
where  they  permit  children  of  different  sexes  to  sleep  together,  &c. 
Such  houses  are  to  be  avoided,  since  they  are  infected  with  the 
pestilential  leprosy  of  sin  ,and  woe  to  them  who  voluntarily  remain 
in  them. 

Why  did  the  lepers  remain  standing  afar  off? 
Because  it  was  thus  commanded  in  the  law  of  Moses  {Lev. 
xiii.  46.),  so  that  no  one  would  be  infected  by  them.  From  this 
we  learn,  that  we  must  carefully  avoid  scandalous  persons  and 
houses;  for  he  who  converses  with  lewd,  vain  and  unchaste  per- 
sons, will  soon  become  like  them.  (Eccl.  xiii.  31.) 

Why  did  Christ  send  the  lepers  to  the  priests  ? 

This  He  did  to  show  the  honor  due  to  the  sacerdotal  dignity 
and  the  law  of  God:  for  it  was  commanded  {Lev.  xiv.),  that  the 
lepers  should  show  themselves  to  the  priests,  in  order  to  be  de- 
clared clean  or  unclean  by  them ;  He  did  it  to  try  the  faith,  the 
confidence,  and  the  obedience  of  these  lepers :  for  Christ  did  not 
wish  to  heal  them  upon  their  mere  prayer,  but  their  cure  was  to 
cost  them  something,  and  they  were  to  merit  it  by  their  coopera- 
tion. Their  purification,  therefore,  was  the  reward  of  their  obe- 
dience and  faith.  Further  Christ  sent  these  lepers  to  the  priests 
to  show  in  figure,  as  it  wrere,  that  he  who  wishes  to  be  freed  from 
the  leprosy  of  sin,  must  contritely  approach  the  priest,  sincerely 
confess  his  sins  to  him,  and  be  cleansed  by  him  by  means  of  ab- 
solution. 

Why  did  Christ  ask  for  the  others,  that  were  also  made  clean  ? 

.  To  show  how  much  ingratitude  displeases  Him.  Although  He 
silently  bore  all  other  injuries,  inflicted  upon  Him,  yet  He  could 
not  permit  this  ingratitude  to  pass  unresented.  So  great,  there- 
fore, is  the  vice  of  ingratitude,  hateful  alike  to  God  and  man ! 
"  Ingratitude,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "is  an  enemy  of  the  soul,  which 
destroys  the  merits,  vitiates  virtues,  impedes  graces :  it  is  a  heavy 
wind,  which  dries  up  the  fountain  of  goodness,  the  dew  of  mercy, 
and  the  stream  of  the  grace  of  God."  "The  best  means,"  says  St. 
Chrysostom,  "of  preserving  benefits,  is  the  remembrance  of  them 
and  gratitude  for  them,  and  nothing  is  more  acceptable  to  God 
than  a  grateful  soul ;  for,  while  He  daily  overloads  us  with  in- 
numerable benefits,  He  asks  nothing  for  them,  but  that  we  thank 
Him  for  them."  Therefore,  my  dear  Christian,  by  no  means  forget 


L 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  HOLY  ORDERS.  437 

to  thank  God  in  the  morning  and  evening,  before  and  after  meals. 
As  often  as  you  experience  the  blessing  of  God  in  your  house,  in 
your  children,  and  your  whole  property,  thank  God,  but  parti- 
cularly when  you  take  in  the  fruits  of  the  earth  (Lev.  xxiii.  10.) ; 
by  this  you  will  always  bring  upon  yourself  new  blessings  and  new 
graces.  "We  cannot  think,  say,  or. write  anything  better  or  more 
pleasing  to  God,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "than:  thanks  be  to  God." 

ASPIRATION.  0  most  gracious  Jesus!  who,  as  an  example 
to  us,  wast  always  grateful  to  Thy  Heavenly  Father,  as  long 
as  Thou  didst  live  upon  earth,  grant,  that  I  may  always 
thank  God  for  all  His  benefits,  according  to  Thy  example  and 
the  teaching  of  Thy  servant  St.  Paul.  (Col.  iii.  17.) 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  HOLY 
ORDERS. 

SGo,  show  yourselves  to  the  priests.  (Luke xvii.  14.) 
Uch  honor  did  God  show  to  the  priests  of  the  Old  Law,  that 
He  sent  the  lepers  to  them,  although  they  could  in  no  wise 
contribute  to  the  removal  of  leprosy.  "What  honor,  therefore,  do 
the  priests  of  the  New  Law  deserve,  who  through  the  sacerdotal 
ordination  have  not  only  received  from  God  the  power  to  free 
mankind  from  the  leprosy  of  the  soul,  but  also  far  higher  privileges. 

Is  the  priesthood  a  special  and  holy  state,  selected  by  God? 

Yes;  this  is  evident  from  the  writings  of  the  Old  as  well  as  of 
the  New  Testament,  and  is  confirmed  by  holy  apostolic  tradition. 
God  Himself  selected  a  particular  race  in  the  Mosaic  law— Aaron 
and  his  descendants— from  among  the  tribes  of  Juda,  to  perform 
the  public  service  solemnly,  to  pray  for  the  people,  and  instruct 
them  in  matters  of  religion  (Exod.  xxviii.  1.  et  seqq.;  Lev.ix.  7.; 
i.  Kings  ii.  28  seqg.) ,  but  particularly  to  offer  the  daily  sacrifices 
(Lev.i.  11.;  Numb,  xviii.),  for  which  offices  they  were  consecrated 
for  seven  days,  by  different  significant  ceremonies,  ordained  by  God. 
(Exod.  xxviii.  4  $c.  ib.  xxix.)  Besides  these,  God  instituted  a  sort  of 
minor  priests,  Levites,  for  the  service  of  the  temple  and  of  God 
(Num.  iii.  12.;  viii.  6— IS.);  they  were  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  and 
received  no  land  like  the  other  tribes,  but  lived  on  the  offerings 
and  tithes,  and  were  consecrated  like  the  priests.  (Num.  xviii.  21.; 
viii.  6—26.)  This  priesthood,  an  emblem  of  the  real  priesthood 
of  the  New  Testament,  was  not  abolished  by  Christ,  but  He 
brought  it  to  its  fulfilment  and  completed  it,  since  He  did  not 
come  to  take  away  the  law,  but  to  fulfil  it.  For  this  reason  Christ 
selected  twelve  apostles  and  seventy  two  disciples  from  among 
the  faithful,  at  the  commencement  of  His  public  life,  and  He  said 
to  them:  I  have  chosen  you,  and  have  appointed  you, 
that  you  should  go,  and  should  bring  forth  fruit.  (John 


438     INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  HOLY  ORDERS. 

xv.  16.)  He  gave  them  power  to  free  man  from  sin,  to  sanctify  and 
reconcile  him  with  God.  (Matt,  xviii.  18.)  He  commanded  them 
to  preach  His  gospel  to  all  nations  {Matt,  xxviii.  18 — 20.),  and  to 
offer  up  His  holy  Sacrifice.  [Luke  xxii.  19.)  Just  as  the  apostles 
were  chosen  by  Christ,  so  afterwards  by  the  Holy  Ghost  St.  Paul 
was  chosen  to  be  an  apostle,  and  he  calls  himself  a  minister  of 
Christ  and  a  dispenser  of  the  mysteries  of  God  (i.  Cor.  iv.  1.; 
Tit.  i.  7.),  and  who  together  with  Barnabas  was  ordained.  {Acts 
xiii.  2, 3.)  In  the  same  manner  the  apostles  chose  their  successors, 
and  ordained  them  (i.  Tim.  iv.  14. ;  ii.  Tim.  i.  16.) ,  and  even  ap- 
pointed seven  deacons,  as  assistants  in  the  priestly  office.  {Acts 
vi.  1-3.)  From  these  clear  testimonies  of  holy  Writ,  it  is  evident, 
that,  as  God  in  the  Old  Testament,  so  Christ  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment chose  a  particular  class  of  men,  and  established  certain 
grades  among  them,  for  the  government  of  His  Church,  for  the 
service  of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  the  faithful,  as  holy  apostolic 
tradition  also  confirms.  Already  the  earliest  fathers,  Ignatius  and 
Clement,  disciples  of  the  apostles,  write  of  bishops,  priests,  and 
deacons,  as  holy  Writ  calls  them,  who  are  destined  for  the  service 
of  God  and  the  faithful.  Subdeacons,  ostiariates,  lectors,  exor- 
cists, and  acolytes,  are  mentioned  by  St.  Gregory  of  Nazianzen,  St. 
Justin,  St.  Cyprian,  and  many  others,  but  particularly  by  the 
Council  of  Carthago  in  the  year  398,  which  also  gives  the  manner 
of  ordaining  priests. 

The  heretics,  indeed,  contend  that  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church 
robs  the  true  believers  of  their  dignity,  since  she  grants  the  priest- 
hood only  to  a  certain  class,  and  give  as  proofs  of  their  assertion 
two  texts,  where  St.  Peter  (i.  Pet.  ii.  9.)  calls  the  faithful  a  kingly 
priesthood,  and  where  St.  John  (Apoc.  i.  6.)  says,  that  Christ  made 
us  kings  and  priests.  But  these  texts  only  speak  of  an  internal 
priesthood,  according  to  which  every  Christian,  sanctified  by  bap- 
tism, who  is  in  the  state  of  grace,  and  consequently  justified, 
and  a  living  member  of  Christ,  the  great  High  Priest,  should  offer 
spiritual  sacrifices,*)  that  is,  good  works,  such  as  prayer,  morti- 
fication, charity,  penance,  &c,  on  the  altar  of  the  heart,  as  also 
St.  Peter  (i.  Pet.  ii.  5.),  St.  Paul  (Bom.  xii.  1.),  #nd  David  (Ps.  1.  19.) 
teach.  If  the  assertion  of  the  heretics,  that  all  believers  are  priests, 
were  true,  why  did  God  in  the  Old  Law  already  institute  an  espe- 
cial priesthood,  why  did  Christ  and  the  apostles  choose  suitable 
men  for  the  service  of  God?  If  all  believers  must  be  priests,  why 
are  not  all  kings,  since  St.  John  says,  that  Christ  has  made  us 
kings?  God,  on  the  contrary,  severely  punished  those  who  pre- 
sumed to  arrogate  to  themselves  a  priestly  office,  as  He  has  done 
to  King  Ozias,  who  was  afflicted  by  Him  with  leprosy,  because 
he  burnt  incense  in  the  temple,  which  the  priests  were  alone  per- 
mitted to  do.  (ii.  Paralip.  xxvi.) 

*)  See  the  Instruction  on  Sacrifice  on  the  fifth  Sunday  after  Pentecost, 
and  on  Rational  "Worship  on  the  first  Sunday  after  Epiphany. 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  HOLY  ORDERS.  439 

Of  course  heretics  must  make  this  assertion ;  for  since  they 
say,  that  Scripture  is  the  only  rule  of  faith,  and  that  every  one 
can  explain  it,  for  what  purpose  are  preachers  necessary?  And 
since  they  have  no  sacrifice,  and  with  the  exception  of  baptism,  no 
Sacraments,  for  what  purpose  should  they  want  priests?  But  since 
the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  is  to  continue  in  the  Catholic  Church  until 
the  end  of  time,  since  all  the  Sacraments,  instituted  by  Christ, 
are  still  dispensed  in  her,  and  the  command  of  Christ  to  teach  all 
nations,  must  be  carried  out  by  her,  therefore  there  must  be 
priests  chosen  and  destined,  who  will  perform  the  ministry  of  the 
Lord,  and  these  must  not  only  be  chosen,  but  also  be  consecrated 
for  this  by  a  special  Sacrament. 

What  is  meant  by  Holy  Orders  ? 

Holy  Orders  is  a  Sacrament,  instituted  by  Christ,  by  which  a 
certain  spiritual  power  and  particular  grace  to  administer  spiri- 
tual duties  rightly  and  holily,  is  conferred  upon  men  properly 
called,  who  give  themselves  to  the  service  of  the  Church. 

What  is  the  external  sign,  by  which  grace  is  communicated  to  the 

priests  ? 

The  imposition  of  the  bishop's  hands,  and  the  giving  of  the 
chalice  with  bread  and  wine,  together  with  the  words  necessary 
to  change  it  into  the  true  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  and  to  for- 
give or  retain  sins.  {Cone.  Flor.  in  Deer.  Eug.  et  Trid.  Sess.  14.  c.  3. 
de  poen.  et  Sess.  22.  c.  1.) 

When  did  Christ  institute  this  Sacrament? 

At  the  Last  Supper,  when,  having  changed  bread  and  wine 
into  His  body  and  blood,  He  said:  Do  this  for  a  commemo- 
ration of  me,  and  when  after  His  resurrection  He  said  to  them: 
As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  I  also  send  you  (to  free 
mankind  from  sin  and  to  sanctify  it),  and  then  breathing 
u,pon  them,  gave  them  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  power  to 
forgive  or  retain  sins.  (John  xx.  21—23.) 

Have  Holy  Orders  always  been  regarded  as  a  Sacrament  in  the 

Church ? 
Yes,  for  St.  Paul  admonishes  his  disciple  Timothy  (i.  Tim.  iv. 
14.)  not  to  neglect  the  grace  conferred  upon  him  by  the  imposition 
of  the  hands  of  the  priesthood  (bishops),  and  in  another  place  he 
admonishes  him  (ii.  Tim.  i.  6.)  to  stir  up  the  grace,  which  was  in 
him  by  the  imposition  of  his  (St.  Paul's)  hands.  From  this  it 
follows,  that  St.  Paul  believed,  that  the  external  sign  of  the  im- 
position of  hands  of  the  bishops  and  the  priests  conferred  a  par- 
ticular grace,  wherein,  indeed,  the  essence  of  a  Sacrament  con- 
sists. Therefore  the  Council  of  Trent  (Sess.  23.  de  ord.  can.  3.) 
declares  those  anathema,  who  contend,  that  Holy  Orders  is  not  a 
real  and.  true  Sacrament,  instituted  by  Christ,  but  only  a  human 


440    INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  HOLY  ORDERS. 

invention,  or  a  certain  form  of  electing  the  ministers  of  the  Word 
of  God  and  the  Sacraments. 

Are  those  called  to  the  priesthood,  ordained  immediately? 
No,  they  are  only  admitted  to  the  Holy  Orders,  of  which  there 
are  seven,  and  after  which  they  are  priests,  a  rigid  examination 
having  been  made  of  their  knowledge  in  the  sacred  sciences,  and 
a  careful  investigation,  instituted  into  their  vocation  and  their 
moral  conduct. 

What  are  these  Orders? 

They  are  the  four  minor  and  the  three  sacred  Orders, 
hence  so  many  steps  to  the  sublime  dignity  of  the  priesthood. 
But  first  he,  who  dedicates  himself  to  the  sacerdotal  state,  and 
has  received  admission  into  it,  receives  the  tonsure,  which  con- 
sists in  this,  that  the  bishop,  or  his  representative,  cuts  off  the 
hair  from  four  parts  of  the  head  and  invests  him  with  a  white 
surplice  to  remind  him,  that  he  must  henceforth  renounce  the 
vanities  of  the  world  and  follow  Christ,  the  thorncrowned  King, 
with  spotless  purity,  wherefore  clerics  wear  a  shaven  crown. 
When  the  one  destined  for  the  priesthood,  has  thus  been  made  a 
cleric,  that  is,  one  who  has  taken  God  and  His  holy  service  for 
his  portion,  and  only  finds  pleasure  in  spiritual  and  heavenly 
things,  he  then  receives  the  four  minor  Orders.  By  these  the 
bishop  gives  him  1)  the  office  of  ostiariate,  or  doorkeeper, 
by  which  the  furniture  of  the  Church,  and  the  closing  and  un- 
closing of  it  is  confided  to  him;  2)  the  lectorship,  or  duty  of 
reading,  which  empowers  him  to  read  from  the  Scriptures  or 
Fathers  in  the  Church,  and  to  bless  bread  and  fruits;  3)  the  power 
of  exorcising  the  evil  spirits,  which  enables  him  to  free  those 
possessed  by  the  devil,  by  means  of  the  imposition  of  hands  and 
prayer;  4)  the  office  of  acolyte,  or  torch-bearer,  whose  duty 
it  is  to  light  the  candles  at  the  divine  service,  to  carry  them,  and 
to  present  wine  and  water  at  the  holy  Sacrifice. 

After  a  certain  time  and  after  renewed  probation  he,  who  has 
received  minor  Orders,  is  admitted  to  the  sacred  Orders,  which 
are: 

1)  Subdeaconship,  by  which  he  is  entitled  to  assist  the 
deacon  at  solemn  Mass,  to  sing  the  epistle,  to  wash  the  altar-linen, 
to  present  the  chalice  and  paten  at  the  altar,  &c. ; 

2)  Deacon  ship,  by  which  he  receives  the  authority  to  preach, 
to  sing  the  gospel,  to  baptize,  to  give  holy  Communion,  &c.  —  All 
these  orders  are  given  by  the  bishop  with  many  prayers,  full  of 
unction,  and  by  the  presentation  of  different  ecclesiastical  instru- 
ments and  sacerdotal  vestments.  When  the  cleric  has  received 
all  these  orders : 

3)  the  plenitude  of  power  is  finally  given  him  by  the  order  of 
priesthood,  in  as  much  as  with  many  prayers,  instructions,  and 
admonitions,  the  hands  of  the  bishop  are  imposed  upon  him,  his 


INSTKUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  441 

hands  are  anointed  with  holy  chrism,  the  chalice  with  wine  and 
water,  and  the  paten  with  the  host  are  presented  to  him,  and 
thus  power  is  given  him  to  bless,  to  preside,  to  preach,  to  dispense 
the  Sacraments,. and  to  offer  up  the  holy  Sacrifice  which  he,  after 
the  ordination,  offers  together  with  the  bishop  for  the  first  time 
to  almighty  God. 

Learn  from  this  instruction  to  honor  and  respect  the  priests, 
whose  dignity  as  representatives  of  God  and  dispensers  of  His 
mysteries,  surpasses  all  human  dignity;  upon  whom  a  load,  too 
heavy  even  for  angels,  as  St.  Chrysostom  says,  has  been  imposed, 
namely  the  care  of  your  immortal  soul;  who  daily  enter  the 
sanctuary  before  the  face  of  the  Lord,  to  offer  the  immaculate 
Lamb  of  God  for  the  propitiation  of  the  Almighty;  to  whom 
Jesus  confided  the  merits  of  His  most  precious  blood,  in  order  to 
cleanse  your  soul  therewith  in  the  tribunal  of  penance,  if  you 
confess  your  sins  contritely:  of  whom  God  will  one  day  ask  the 
strictest  account.  Honor,  therefore,  these  ministers  of  God,  pray 
daily  for  the  assistance  of  heaven  in  their  difficult  calling ;  parti- 
cularly on  the  Ember- days  implore  God,  that  He  may  send  pious 
and  zealous  priests;  and  if,  perhaps,  you  know  a  bad  priest,  do 
not  despise  his  high  dignity  wliich  is  indelibly  imprinted  on  him, 
have  compassion  on  him,  pray  for  him ,  and  consider  that  Jesus 
has  said  of  such:  "All  whatsoever  they  shall  say  to  you, 
observe  and  do:  but  according  to  their  works  do  ye 
not.  {Matt,  xxiii.  3.) 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTEENTH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


T  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  excite  in  your- 
self an  ardent  desire  for  heaven  with  these 
words:  Behold,  0  God,  our  protector: 
and  look  on  the  face  of  thy  Christ: 
for  better  is  one  day  in  thy  courts 
above  thousands.  How  lovely  are  thy 
tabernacles,   0  Lord  of  hosts!     My 

sou]  longeth  and  fainteth  for  the  courts  of  the  Lord. 

(Ps.  lxxxiii.)     Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Preserve,  0  Lord,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  Thy  Church  by  Thy  constant  mercy:  and  since 
our  weak  mortality  is  continually  falling  without  Thy  assis- 
tance, may  Thy  grace  withdraw  it  from  what  is  hurtful,  and 
direct  it  in  the  ways  of  salvation.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE.  (Gal.  v.  16—24.)  Brethren:  Walk  in  the 
spirit,  and  you  shall  not  fulfil  the  lusts  of  the  flesh.  For  the 


442  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit:  and  the  spirit  against  the 
flesh :  for  these  are  contrary  one  to  another :  so  that  you  do 
not  the  things  that  you  would.  But  if  you  are  led  by  the 
spirit,  you  are  not  under  the  law.  Now  the  works  of  the 
flesh  are  manifest,  which  are,  fornication,  uncleanness,  im- 
modesty, luxury,  idolatry,  witchcrafts,  enmities,  conten- 
tions, emulations,  wraths,  quarrels,  dissensions,  sects,  envy, 
murders,  drunkenness,  revellings,  and  such  like.  Of  the  which 
I  foretell  you,  as  I  have  foretold  to  yon,  that  they  who  do 
such  things,  shall  not  obtain  the  kingdom  of  God.  But  the 
fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  charity,  joy,  peace,  patience,  benignity, 
goodness,  longanimity,  mildness,  faith,  modesty,  continency, 
chastity.  Against  such  there  is  no  law.  And  they  that  are 
Christ's,  have  crucified  their  flesh  with  the  vices  and  concu- 
piscences. 

What  is  it  to  walk  in  the  spirit? 

It  is  to  obey  the  inspirations  of  the  Holy  Ghost  always  and  in 
all  things.  He  who  does  this,  says  St.  Paul,  will  not  do  the  evil 
works  of  the  flesh,  which  are  here  enumerated,  but  he  will  rather 
suppress  and  mortify  all  sensual  desires,  in  this  manner  crucify 
his  flesh  together  with  its  vices  and  lusts,  and  make  himself 
worthy  of  the  fruits  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  are  likewise  here 
enumerated;  he  will  belong  to  Christ,  and  assure  himself  of  his 
eternal  happiness.  On  the  contrary,  he  who  lives  according  to  the 
flesh,  that  is,  gives  way  to  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  commits 
the  things  here  described,  has  no  hope  of  salvation. 

It  is  strange,  that  all  Christians  wish  to  belong  to  Christ  and 
become  heirs  of  His  kingdom,  but  few  wish  to  crucify  the  flesh 
and  its  lusts,  though  Christ  says  to  all:  If  any  man  will  come 
after  me,  let  him  deny  himself  (battle  with  his  evil  inclina- 
tions), and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me.  (Matt.xvi.24.) 

ASPIRATION.  Intercede  for  me,  0  St.  Paul,  that  God 
may  give  me  the  grace  to  crucify  my  flesh  together  with  its 
lusts,  and  thus  I  may  have  part  with  thee  in  Christ. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  vi.  24 — 33.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples:  No  man  can  serve  two  masters.  For  either 
he  will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other:  or  he  will  sustain 
the  one,  and  despise  the  other.  You  cannot  serve  God  and 
mammon.  Therefore  I  say  to  you,  be  not  solicitous  for  your 
life,  what  you  shall  eat,  nor  for  your  body,  what  you  shall 
put  on.     Is  not  the  life  more  than  the  meat,  and  the  body 


INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  FOURTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  443 


more  than  the  raiment  ?  Behold  the  birds  of  the  air,  for  they 
neither  sow,  nor  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns,  and 
your  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them.  Are  not  you  of  much 
more  value  than  they?  And  which  of  you,  by  taking  thought, 
can  add  to  his  stature  one  cubit  ?  And  for  raiment  why  are 
you  solicitous?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field  how  they  grow: 
they  labour  not,  neither  do  they  spin.  But  I  say  to  you,  that 
not  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  arrayed  as  one  of  these. 
And  if  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  is  to-day  and  to-morrow 
is  cast  into  the  oven,  God  doth  so  clothe,  how  much  more 
you,  0  ye  of  little  faith?  Be  not  solicitous  therefore,  saying, 


444  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FOURTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

what  shall  we  eat,  or  what  shall  we  drink,  or  wherewith 
shall  we  be  clothed?  For  after  all  these  things  do  the  heath- 
ens seek.  For  your  Father  knoweth  that  you  have  need  of  all 
these  things.  Seek  ye  therefore  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
his  justice,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you. 
What  is  meant  by  serving  God? 

It  means  to  do  the  will  of  God,  or  to  perform  all  that  God 
asks  of  us  in  our  age  and  condition,  faithfully  and  zealously  for 
love  of  Him. 

Who  are  the  two  masters,  whom  we  cannot  serve  alike  ? 
God  and  mammon,  or  riches,  whereby  also  the  other  goods 
and  pleasures  of  the  world  are  understood.  These  we  cannot  serve 
at  the  same  time,  because  they  command  things  diametrically  op- 
posed to  each  other;  for  instance,  God  prohibits  usury,  theft,  de- 
ceit, &c;  the  desire  for  wealth  impels  to  them.  God.  commands, 
that  we  should  keep  holy  Sundays  and  Holidays,  and  spend  them 
in  His  service;  the  desire  for  riches  tempts  man  to  omit  religious 
worship  and  to  seek  temporal  gain ;  it  makes  man  restless  in  the 
Church,  so  that  he  is  only  present  with  his  body,  but  with  the 
heart  he  remains  with  his  temporal  goods  and  business. 

To  whom  can  riches  be  useful? 
To  those  who  like  so  many  saints  perform  works  of  mercy 
with  them,  and  thus  lay  up  a  treasure  for  themselves  in  heaven. 

Why  does  Christ  call  our  attention  to  the  birds  of  the  air  and  the 

lilies  of  the  field? 
In  order  to  excite  in  us  confidence  in  the  providence  of  God, 
which  preserves  even  the  birds  and  the  flowers.  Surely,  if  God 
feeds  the  young  ravens  which  cry  to  Him  (Ps.  cxlvi.  9.),  if  He  nou- 
rishes the  birds  which  neither  sow,  nor  reap,  nor  gather  in  barns, 
if  He  vests  the  flowers  of  the  field  so  beautifully:  how  much  more 
will  He  care  for  men,  whom  He  has  made  to  His  own  image  and 
likeness,  and  whom  He  has  made  His  children,  if  they  only  act 
as  His  children,  keep  His  commandments,  and  always  entertain 
a  filial  confidence  in  Him. 

Should  we,  therefore,  lay  aside  all  care  and  never  work? 

This  does  not  follow  from  what  has  been  said.  Christ  only 
condemns  the  superfluous  cares,  which  cause  man  to  forget  God 
and  to  neglect  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  Besides,  God  has  Him- 
self ordered  {Gen.  hi.  17—19.),  that  man  should  eat  the  fruits  of 
the  earth  with  much  labor,  that  he  should  earn  his  bread  with 
the  sweat  of  his  brow,  and  St.  Paul  says:  If  any  man  will  not 
work,  neither  let  him  eat.  (ii.  Thess.  iii.  10.) 


CONSOLATION  IN  POVERTY.  445 

What  can  take  away  superfluous  cares  ? 
A  firm  and  living  faith,  that  God  can  and  will  help  us.  That 
He  can  do  it,  is  evident,  because  He  is  almighty ;  that  He  will  do 
it,  is  certain,  because  He  promises  it  in  so  many  passages  of  holy 
Writ,  and  because  He  is  infinitely  faithful  in  all  His  promises. 
Christ  encourages  us  to  this  lively  confidence  with  these  words : 
All  things  whatsoever  you  ask  when  ye  pray,  believe 
that  you  shall  receive  them,  and  they  shall  come  unto 
you.  (Mark.  xi.  24.)  Therefore  the  apostle  also  commands  us  to 
throw  all  cares  upon  the  Lord,  who  cares  for  us.  (i.  Pet.  v.  7.) 
And  why  should  God  not  care  for  us,  since  He  sent  us  His  Son 
and  with  Him  all;  for  which  reason  St.  Augustine  says:  "How 
can  you  doubt,  that  God  will  give  you  good  things,  since  He 
vouchsafed  to  assume  evil  for  you !" 

PRAYER.  0  Lord  Jesus!  give  me  a  firm  confidence  in 
Thy  Divine  Providence,  and  increase  it  daily  in  me,  that  I 
may  confidently  believe  in  all  my  concerns,  that  if  I  above 
all  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  justice,  the  rest  shall 
be  added  unto  me. 

CONSOLATION  IN  POVERTY. 

I  Be  not  solicitous  for  your  life.  (Matt.yi.  25.) 

F  you  are  born  in  poverty,  or  through  any  accident,  or  through 
your  own  fault  fall  into  poverty,  console  yourself,  because 
God  has  sent  you  this  poverty,  for  your  own  good;  for  good 
things  and  evil,  life  and  death,  poverty  and  riches, 
are  from  God.  (Eccl.  xi.  14.)  Therefore  receive  it  without  im- 
patience or  murmuring  from  the,  hand  of  God  as  a  means  by  which 
He  wishes  to  keep  you  from  forgetting  Him  which  would,  per- 
haps, happen  if  He  were  to  bless  you  with  temporal  prosperity. 
For  riches  and  good  living  are  a  source  of  destruction  for  many. 
If  you  have  brought  poverty  upon  yourself  by  a  licentious  and 
sinful  life,  receive  it  in  a  spirit  of  penance  as  a  just  and  salutary 
chastisement,  and  thank  God,  that  He  gives  you  a  chance  to  do 
penance  for  your  sins.  But  if  poverty  has  come  upon  you  without 
your  fault,  console  yourself  with  the  saints,  of  whom  St.  Paul 
says,  that  they  bear  the  unjust  taking  away  of  their  goods  with 
joy,  because  they  know  that  a  better  and  unchangeable  treasure 
is  in  store  for  them  in  heaven.  (Hebr.  x.  34.)  But  particularly 
ought  the  example  of  Christ  to  console  you,  who,  since  He  was 
rich,  became  poor  for  us  (ii.  Cor.  viii.  9.),  and  had  not  a  place 
wherein  to  lay  His  head.  (Matt.  viii.  20.) 

In  your  distress  say  often  with  Job  (i.  21.):  The  Lord  gave 
and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away:  as  it  pleased  the  Lord, 
so  it  is  done:  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Naked 
came  I  out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and  naked  shall  I 


446    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

return  thither.  Fear  not,  my  son,  says  Tobias,  we  lead 
indeed  a  poor  life,  but  we  shall  have  many  good  things, 
if  we  fear  God,  and  depart  from  all  sins,  and  do  that 
which  is  good.  {Job.  iv.  23.)  To  serve  God  and  to  be  content 
with  few  things,  always  brings  rich  reward,  if  not  in  this,  at  least 
in  the  next  life.  Therefore  Christ  promised  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
to  the  poor  in  spirit,  that  is,  not  only  to  the  humble,  but  also  to 
the  poor  who  imitate  Christ  in  all  patience  and  resignation.  Fol- 
low, therefore,  the  poor  Jesus,  follow  His  poor  mother,  by  imitat- 
ing their  example,  and  you  will  possess  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  USURY. 
You  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon. 

U{Matt.  vi.  24.) 
Sury  is  to  demand  more  than  legal  interest  from  our  neigh- 
bor, to  whom  we  have  lent  something,  or  who  is  otherwise 
indebted  to  us.  Those  are  also  commonly  called  usurers,  who,  in 
times  of  want,  hoard  up  necessary  food,  such  as  grain,  flour,  &c, 
and  only  sell  them  at  the  highest  price ;  or  who  buy  up  all  such 
articles  to  sell  it  to  the  needy  for  enormous  prices.  —  Usury  is 
a  grievous  sin,  and  usurers  are  threatened  with  eternal  death, 
and  Christ  expressly  prohibits  lending  with  usury.  {Luke  vi.  34, 35.) 
Usurers  are  the  real  bloodsuckers  of  the  poor,  whom  they  rob 
of  their  sweat  and  blood,  and  since  they  transgress  the  natural 
law,  but  still  more  the  divine  law,  which  commands  us  to  love  our 
neighbor  and  to  be  merciful  to  the  needy,  they  will  surely  not 
possess  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Would  the  hard-hearted  usurers 
only  consider  this,  and  take  to  heart  the  words  of  Christ:  What 
doth  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and 
lose  his  own  soul!     {Matt.  xvi.  26.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTEENTH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

He  Introit  of  the  Mass  is  a  fervent  prayer, 
which  may  be  said  in  every  necessity  and  ad- 
versity: Bow  down  thy  ear,  0  Lord, 
and  hear  me:  save  thy  servant,  0  my 
God,  who  hopeth  in  thee:  have  mercy 
on  me,  0  Lord,  for  I  have  cried  to  thee 
all  the  day.     Give  joy  to  the  soul  of 

thy  servant:  for  to  thee,  0  Lord,  I  have  lifted  up  my 

soul.  {Ps.  lxxxv.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  May  Thy  continual  mercy 
purify  and  defend  Thy  Church :  and  since  without  Thee  it 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  447 

cannot  be  safe,  may  it  always  be  directed  by  the  influence 
of  Thy  grace.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  {Gal.  v.  25,  26.;  vi.  1  —  10.)  Brethren:  If  we 
live  in  the  Spirit,  let  us  also  walk  in  the  Spirit.  Let  us  not 
be  made  desirous  of  vain  glory,  provoking  one  another,  envy- 
ing one  another.  Brethren,  if  a  man  be  overtaken  in  any 
fault,  you,  who  are  spiritual,  instruct  such  a  one  in  the  spirit 
of  meekness,  considering  thyself,  lest  thou  also  be  tempted. 
Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens:  and  so  you  shall  fulfil  the 
law  of  Christ.  For  if  any  man  think  himself  to  be  some- 
thing, whereas  he  is  nothing,  he  deceive th  himself.  But  let 
every  one  prove  his  own  work,  and  so  he  shall  have  glory  in 
himself  only,  and  not  in  another.  For  every  one  shall  bear 
his  own  burden.  And  let  him,  that  is  instructed  in  the  word, 
communicate  to  him,  that  instructeth  him,  in  all  good  things. 
Be  not  deceived,  God  is  not  mocked.  For  what  things  a  man 
shall  sow,  those  also  shall  he  reap.  For  he  that  soweth  in 
his  flesh,  of  the  flesh  also  shall  reap  corruption.  But  he,  that 
soweth  in  the  spirit,  of  the  spirit  shall  reap  life  everlasting. 
And  in  doing  good,  let  us  not  fail.  For  in  due  time  we  shall 
reap  not  failing.  Therefore,  whilst  we  have  time,  let  us  work 
good  to  all  men,  but  especially  to  those  who  are  of  the  house- 
hold of  the  faith. 

EXPLANATION.  This  epistle  is  taken,  like  that  of  Sunday 
before  last,  from  the  epistle  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Galatians,  in  which 
St.  Paul  shows  them  the  insufficiency  of  the  Jewish  law,  and  that 
they  can  only  he  saved  by  a  lively  faith  in  Christ,  but  now  he 
admonishes  them  to  carry  out  this  faith  in  good  works.  You  now 
live,  he  tells  them,  in  the  Spirit,  that  is,  the  Holy  Ghost  animates 
your  hearts  by  His  grace,  enlightens,  confirms,  and  inflames  you, 
admonishes  and  teaches  you,  impels  your  hearts  to  do  good;  you 
must,  therefore,  also  regulate  your  external  conduct  accordingly, 
and  you  must  particularly  devote  yourself  to  the  practice  of  hu- 
mility and  charity,  as  the  foundations  of  a  truly  spiritual  life. 
Humility  must  teach  and  move  you  to  have  a  little  opinion  of 
yourself,  that  you  avoid  vain  glory,  and  do  not  confide  in  your 
own  strength.  But  charity  should  impel  you  to  be  meek  and  com- 

f)assionate  to  all,  even  sinners,  to  correct  them  charitably,  and 
ead  them  back  to  the  path  of  virtue ;  since  he  who  is  harsh  to 
the  erring,  despises  them,  and  treats  them  roughly,  is  often  per- 
mitted by  the  permission  of  God  to  fall  into  the  same,  nay,  often 
even  greater  sins. 


448  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

Particularly  you  must  show  your  charity  for  one  another,  that 
one  bears  the  burdens  of  another:  that  you  bear  the  faults  and 
imperfections  of  others  just  as  patiently,  as  you  wish  others  to 
bear  with  your  own  imperfections ;  thus  you  will  fulfil  the  law  of 
Christ,  which  commands  us  to  love  our  neighbor ;  you  will  prevent 
many  sins  which  come  into  existence,  when  we  consider  ourselves 
perfect,  without  blemish,  and,  therefore,  raise  ourselves  above 
others,  criticise  their  failings,  and  cause  disturbance.  He  who 
acts  thus,  deceives  himself,  and  is  no  credit  to  himself.  True  glory 
consists  in  this,  that  we  learn  to  know  ourselves,  our  faults,  and 
inclinations  always  better,  that  we  battle  with  them  and  lay  them 
aside,  since  every  one  has  enough  faults  to  correct  in  himself. 
Be  also  grateful  to  those  who  instruct  you  in  the  word  of  God, 
and  give  them  some  of  your  goods.  Do  not  deceive  yourselves, 
however,  with  regard  to  what  has  been  said  concerning  the 
manner  of  living  as  a  true  Christian,  Cod  will  not  be  trifled  with. 
For  what  you  sow,  you  shall  reap ;  if  you  only  follow  the  dictates 
of  the  desires  of  the  flesh,  do  not  mortify  yourselves,  do  not  cor- 
rect your  failings,  and  do  indulge  your  sinful  appetites,  you  will 
one  day  reap  death,  destruction,  and  damnation,  whereas,  on  the 
contrary,  if  you  follow  the  dictates  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  do  good 
untiringly,  you  will  reap  of  the  Spirit  of  life. 

Let  us  obey  this  doctrine,  for  it  is  also  of  interest  to  us,  and 
impress  deeply  on  our  heart,  that  without  mortification  of  body 
and  soul  we  cannot  be  saved. 

ASPIRATION.  0  St.  Paul!  beg  of  God  the  grace  for  me, 
that  I  may  always  walk  in  humility  and  the  love  of  my 
neighbor,  particularly  in  bearing  with  his  imperfections  and 
failings,  and  thus  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ  in  this  as  well  as 
in  all  things. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  vii.  11  — 16.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  went 
into  a  city  called  Nairn :  and  there  went  with  him  his  disci- 
ples, and  a  great  multitude.  And  when  he  came  nigh  to  the 
city,  behold,  a  dead  man  was  carried  out,  the  only  son  of  his 
mother;  and  she  was  a  widow:  and  much  people  of  the  city 
were  with  her.  And  when  the  Lord  saw  her,  he  had  com- 
passion on  her,  and  said  to  her:  Weep  not.  And  he  came 
near  and  touched  the  bier.  And  they  that  carried  it,  stood 
still.  And  he  said:  Young  man,  I  say  to  thee,  arise.  And  he 
that  was  dead,  sat  up,  and  began  to  speak.  And  he  delivered 
him  to  his  mother.  And  there  came  a  fear  on  them  all :  and 
they  glorified  God,  saying:  A  great  prophet  is  risen  up 
amongst  us,  and  God  hath  visited  his  people. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FIFTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  44<J 


Why  did  Christ  show  compassion  to  this  widow  ? 

To  convince  us,  that  God  takes  sorrowful  and  destitute  widows 
under  His  protection,  and  is  to  them  a  consoler  and  helper ;  and 
to  teach  us  to  do  the  same.  Woe,  therefore,  to  those  who  instead 
of  consoling  and  supporting  widows  and  orphans,  rather  oppress 
them,  and  cause  them  to  weep.  The  tears  and  cries  of  widows 
will  rise  up  to  God,  who  will  terrihly  punish  the  injuries  inflicted 
upon  them.  (Exod.  xxii.  22  §c.) 

Christ  had  still  other  reasons  for  compassion,  for  He  sawrin  this 
deceased  youth  the  death  of  sinners,  and  in  the  afflicted  mother 
the  pain  which  the  Church,  our  mother,  experiences  at  the  loss 
of  so  many  of  her  children,  who  are  tempted  by  the  evil  spirit 
and  the  corrupt  world  to  all  vices,  or  who  are  infected  by  the 
spirit  of  lies  and  error,  and  exclude  themselves  from  salvation. 


OQ 


450  INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  DEATH. 

This  was  the  principal  cause  which  moved  our  Saviour  to  com- 
passion, and  this  should  also  awaken  our  compassion.  If  we  are 
faithful  children  of  our  mother,  the  Church,  it  is  impossible  for 
us  not  to  share  her  sorrow,  and  we  would  surely  not  be  her 
children,  and  even  spiritually  dead,  if  we  could  without  sorrow 
contemplate  how  many  daily  die  spiritually  by  sins  of  all  sorts, 
and  so  many  who  are  partly  already  captives  of  the  darkness  of 
error  and  become  partly  seduced  to  error,  and  thus,  separated 
from  tlje  living  body  of  Christ,  hasten  to  eternal  destruction.  0 
let  us  pray  daily  without  ceasing  with  tine  Church  to  Jesus,  that 
He  may  raise  sinners  from  their  terrible  spiritual  death,  may  en- 
lighten those  in  error,  so  that  all  may  recognize  the  truth,  and 
find  and  walk  the  path  which  leads  to  life ! 

Why  did  Christ  say  to  the  widow:  Weep  not? 
-  He  wished  to  moderate  her  excessive  sorrow,  and  to  teach  us, 
that  we  should  not  be  sorrowful  over  the  losS  of  our  relatives, 
like  the  heathens  who  have  no  hope  of  resurrection  to  eternal  life. 
{Thess.  iv.  12.)  Patient  resignation  to  the  will  of  God  becomes 
the  Christian,  who  believes  and  hopes  in  a  resurrection,  and  this 
with  prayer  and  good  works  will  be  more  useful  to  the  deceased 
than  many  tears. 

What  else  do  we  learn  from  this  yospel? 
That  no  one,  be  he  ever  so  young  and  healthy,  is  safe  from 
death,  wherefore  we  should  always  be  prepared  to  die. 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  DEATH. 

IF  there  were  locked  up  in  a  prison  several  hundred  persons,  over 
whom  sentence  of  death  had  been  irrevocably  pronounced, 
and  of  whom  none  knew  the  day  or  hour  of  death;  if  in  the  mean 
time  one  after  the  other,  and  often  he  who  least  thought  of  it, 
was  taken  out  to  be  executed;  would  not  every  one's  heart  trem- 
ble, whenever  the  prison-door  was  opened?  Now  the  irrevocable 
sentence  of  death  is  pronounced  over  us  all;  we  are  all  locked  up 
in  our  bodies,  as.  in  a  prison  (Ps.  cxiv.  8.);  one  after  the  other  is 
taken  out,  and  yet  we  do  not  care  in  the  least  for  it.  We  live  as 
though  we  could  live  forever ;  we  think  only  of  the  body,  that  it 
is  well ;  only  for  this  we  heap  up  wealth,  but  for  the  soul  nothing- 
is  done,  except  that  we  load  it  with  sins  and  vices. 

Is  this  rational?  The  body  will  be  food  for  worms,  but  the 
soul  (without  knowing,  when)  will  travel  into  the  house  of  eter- 
nity, to  which  place  she  -must  bring  treasures  of  good  works,  or 
must  already  have  brought  them,  in  order  to  live  happy  for  all 
eternity.  Who  would,  therefore,  be  so  foolish  and  daring  as  to  care 
for  the  body  during  life,  and  neglect  the  salvation  of  the  soul? 

0  man,  says  St.  Francis  of  Sales  {Phil.  part.  i.  chap.  13.),  re- 
present to  yourself  in  lively  colors,  that  at  your  death  the  world 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  CEREMONIES  USED  AT  FUNERALS.         451 

will  cease  to  exist  with  respect  to  you.  For  you  there  will  no 
longer  be  any  world;  you  will  see  how  it  perishes  before  your 
eyes.  For  in  that  last  hour  the  pleasures,  the'  vanities,  the  riches, 
the  honors,  the  friendships,  and  all  which  were  dear  to  you,  will 
disappear  before  your  eyes  as  so  many  shadows.  Ah !  fool  that  I 
am !  you  will  then  say,  for  what  trifles  and  fooleries  have  I  lost 
all !  On  the  contrary  piety,  good  works,  penance,  &c,  will  appear 
pleasant  to  you,  and  you  will  exclaim:  0,  why  did  I  not  travel 
on  this^blessed  road!  Then  the  sins  which  you  consider  as  mere 
trifles,  will  seem  to  you  like  mountains,  and  all  that  you  thought 
you  had  accomplished  as  great  things,  with  regard  to  piety,  will 
seem  to  you  very  little. 

What  terrible  fear  will  then  seize  your  soul,  when  she  must 
all  alone  travel  into  the  bottomless  abyss  of  eternity,  which,  as 
St.  Bernard  says,  devours  all  possible  imaginable  ages,  and  of 
which  St.  Gregory  says,  that  we  can  easier  say,  what  it  is  not  than 
what  it  is.  What  terrors  will  befall  her,  when  she  must  appear 
before  the  tribunal  of  God,  whom  she  never  really  loved  and  hon- 
ored in  her  life-time,  and  before  whom  she  must  now  give  the 
strictest  account,  and  hear  an  irrevocable  and  just  sentence! 

Should  these  thoughts  not  make  an  impression  upon  you?  But 
how  can  you  escape  this  terrible  condition?  By  this,  that  you 
now  live,  as  you  would  wish  to  have  lived  at  the  hour  of  death. 
Learn  the  science  of  dying  a  good  death  in  your  life-time,  it  is 
the  highest  science  which  we  can  practise  only  once.  Die  daily 
with  St.  Paul,  in  as  much  as  you  crucify  the  flesh  and  its  lusts, 
and  voluntarily  withdraw  your  heart  from  the  world,  its  pomps 
and  vanities,  before  death  will  do  this  with  violence;  for,  says  a 
wise  and  pious  man:  "He  who  dies,  before  he  dies,  will  not  die, 
when  he  dies." 

PRAYER.  0  world !  because  I  cannot  know  the  hour,  in 
which  I  must  leave  you,  I  will  not  be  attached  to  you.  0 
you  dear  friends  and  relatives,  you,  too,  I  will  in  future  love 
only  with  a  holy  inclination,  directed  to  God,  which  will  not 
cease  with  death,  but  remain  forever.  0  Lord!  help  me,  that 
I  may  die  totally  to  myself  and  the  world,  and  live  only  for 
Thee,  and  partake  of  eternal  happiness. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  CEREMONIES  USED  AT 

FUNERALS. 
Behold,  a  dead  man  teas  carried  out,  the  only  son  of 
his  mother  —  and  much  people  were  with  her. 

(Luke  vii.  12.) 
F  these  people  who  accompanied  the  funeral  of  the  youth, 
we  should  learn  to  give  the  last  honor  to  the  death,  and 


0 


452        INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  CEREMONIES  USED  AT  FUNERALS. 

accompany  their  bodies  to  the  grave,  which  is  a  meritorious  work 
and  one  pleasing  to  God  {Tab.  1.  20,  21.;  ii.  3.),  if  it  be  not  per- 
formed from  vanity  and  selfinterest,  but  from  a  good  motive  and 
for  love  of  God  and  the  deceased;  in  order  to  assist  him  by  prayer. 
Therefore  those  do  very  wrong,  who  from  worldly  motives  either 
omit  this  good  work  entirely,  or  during  the  funeral  procession 
indulge  in  vain  talk  and  grudge  the  deceased  even  a  short  prayer. 

Why  is  a  cross  carried  before  the  dead  body? 

By  this  is  indicated,  that  the  deceased  during  life  professed 
Christ,  died  in  the  faith  in  Him,  and  hopes  for  resurrection 
through  Him. 

Why  are  liyhted  candles  carried  before  the  bier? 

By  this  the  Church  wishes  to  represent  her  desire,  that  the 
deceased  may  be  received  into  the  eternal  light  through  the  grace 
of  God,  and  that  we  should,  therefore,  pray  for  him.  This  custom 
is  very  ancient,  for -St.  Cyprian  who  was  beheaded  for  Christ's 
sake,  in  the  year  258  after  Christ,  was  buried  with  wax- candles 
and  torches,  with  prayer  and  great  solemnity.  {Rui?iart.) 

Why  are  the  coffin  and  the  yrave  sprinkled  with  holy  water  ? 

In  order,  as  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  (Lib.  iii.  art.  21.)  remarks,  to 
implore  God  that,  on  account  of  the  prayers  which  the  Church 
says  when  she  blesses  the  water,  the  souls  of  the  faithful  may  be 
cleansed  from  all  stains,  and  may  receive  consolation  and  refresh- 
ment in  the  tortures,  which  they  may  still  have  to  suffer. 

Why  are  the  body  and  the  grave  incensed? 

By  this  the  Church  indicates,  that  the  deceased  by  his  Chris- 
tian calling  was  a  sweet  perfume  of  Christ  (ii.  Cor.  ii.  14, 15.),  and 
admonishes  the  faithful,  that  they  should  send  up  their  prayers 
to  heaven  like  incense  for  the'  deceased. 

Why  are  Psalms  and  other  sacred  canticles  sung? 

This  is  done  to  remind  us  of  the  teaching  of  St.  Paul  (i.  Thess. 
iv.  12.),  not  to  be  excessively  sorrowful  for  the  loss  of  the  de- 
ceased, like  the  heathens  who  have  no  hope  of  a  resurrection  to 
eternal  life.  We  also  signify,  thereby,  that  we  congratulate  the 
dead  for  the  peace  which  they  now  enjoy.  (Apoc.  iii.)  This  custom 
as  St.  Jerome  shows  (Ep.  53.}.  is  derived  from  the  apostles,  who 
interred  St.  Stephen  with  Psalms  and  hymns  of  praise. 

Why  are  the  bells  rung  ? 

To  invite  the  faithful  to  the  funeral  and  to  pray  for  the  dead, 
who,  during  his  life- time,  was  called  very  often  by  the  same  bells, 
prayed  with  and  for  us  during  religious  worship,  and  who  is  not 
separated  from  us  by  death. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  453 

Why  are  the  bodies  of  the  faithful  buried  with  the  head  towards  the 
East,  and  those  of  the  priests  towards  the  West? 
The  faithful  are  buried  towards  the  East,  whence  the  sun 
rises,  to  indicate,  that  they  are  waiting  for  Christ  who  is  called 
the  Orient  from  on  High  (Luke  i.  78.),  and  whose  voice  they  will 
hear  at  the  end  of  the  world,  when  He  calls  them  to  the  resur- 
rection; the  priests  towards  the  West,  as  a  sign,  that  on  the 
day  of  judgment  they  will  be  placed  opposite  to  the  souls,  con- 
fided to  them,  to  give  an  account  of  their  charge,  and  to  bear 
judgment  for  or  against  them. 

Why  is  a  cross  or  monument  erected  over  the  grave? 
To  show  that  the  deceased  was  a  follower  of  Christ,  the  Cru- 
cified, and  to  admonish  the  passers  by  to  pray  for  him,  and  to 
remind  us  of  the  just  moment  of  death. 

Why  is  the  body  laid  in  consecrated  ground,  near  the  Church? 
This  is  done  through  reverence  for  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
which  are,  by  baptism,  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  to  show  that, 
even  in  death,  they  still  belong  to  the  communion  of  that  holy 
Church,  in  which  they  were  embodied  during  life  by  baptism,  and 
clung  to  it  in  faith  even  until  death;  to  inspire  the  surviving  with 
a  holy  fear  from  profaning  the  graves. 

Why  is  the  solemn  funeral  service  of  the  Church  denied  to  heretics? 

Because  they  would  not  belong  to  the  Church  during  life,  and 
despised  the  holy  customs  and  prayers  of  the  Church  for  the  dead. 
How  should  the  blessing  and  prayer  of  the  Church  be  useful  in 
death  to  one,  who  despises  them  during  life? 

Why  does  the  Church  not  permit  criminals  and  suicides  to  be  buried 
in  consecrated  ground? 
In  order  to  express  her  horror  for  the  crimes  perpetrated  by 
them,  and  to  deter  the  faithful  from  committing  similar  actions. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTEENTH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


T  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  implore  with 
great  confidence  the  mercy  of  God  in  the 
^iJj^SB^S^  words  of />*.  lxxxv. :  Have  mercy  on  me 
0  Lord,  for  I  have  cried  to  thee  all 
the  day:  for  thou,  0  Lord,  art  sweet 
and  mild,  and  plenteous  in  mercy  to 
all  that  call  upon  thee.     Bow  down 

thy  ear,  0  Lord,  and  hear  me:  for  I  am  needy  and  poor. 

Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 


454  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  May  Thy  grace,  0  Lord, 
always  prevent  and  follow  us;  and  make  us  constantly  zeal- 
ous in  the  practice  of  good  works.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  (JEphes.  iii.  1&—  21.)  Brethren:  I  pray  you  not 
to  faint  at  my  tribulations  for  you,  which  is  your  glory.  For 
this  cause  I  bow  my  knee  to  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  of  whom  all  paternity  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named, 
that  he  would  grant  you,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory, 
to  be  strengthened  by  his  Spirit  with  might  unto  the  inward 
man.  That  Christ  may  dwell  by  faith  in  your  hearts:  that 
being  rooted  and  founded  in  charity,  you  may  be  able  to 
comprehend ,  with  all  the  saints ,  what  is  the  breadth  and 
length,  and  height  and  depth:  to  know  also  the  charity  of 
Christ,  which  surpasseth  all  knowledge,  that  you  may  be 
filled  unto  all  the  fulness  of  God.  Now  to  him  who  is  able 
to  do  all  things  more  abundantly  than  we  desire  or  under- 
stand, according  to  the  power  that  worketh  in  us:  to  him  be 
glory  in  the  Church,  and  in  Christ  Jesus,  unto  all  generations 
world  without  end. 

EXPLANATION.  In  the  epistle  of  the  following  Sunday  St. 
Paul  tells  us,  that  he  was  at  the  time  of  writing  this  letter  in  prison 
at  Rome,  whither  he  was  brought  upon  the  false  accusations  cf  the 
Jews.  From  prison  he  wrote  to  the  Ephesians,  whom  he  had  con- 
verted to  Christianity,  and  who  zealously  obeyed  his  counsels,  in 
order  to  confirm  them 'in  their  zeal  and  to  console  them  with  regard 
to  his  sufferings  which  he  bore  for  Christ's  sake.  These  sufferings 
which  I  bear,  he  writes,  redound  to  your  honor>  since  I,  your  spiri- 
tual father,  am  considered  by  God  worthy  to  suffer  like  His  Son ; 
yes,  I  thank  the  Father  of  your  Lord  Jesus  for  it,  and  beg  Him  on 
my  knees,  that  He  will  vouchsafe  to  strengthen  you  with  His  Holy 
Spirit,  so  that  you  may  overcome  your  evil  inclinations  and  pas- 
sions, cleanse  your  hearts  more  and  more,  and  sanctify  your  souls, 
that  if  you  live  thus  according  to  your  faith,  you  may  be  made 
the  habitations  of  Christ.  He  begs  God  also  to  give  them  a  well 
grounded  charity,  which  not  only  loves  God  on  account  of  the 
reward,  but  also  on  account  of  our  sufferings,  thus  to  become  like 
to  Christ,  the  Crucified.  By  this  constant  love  for  Jesus,  even  in 
adversities,  we  only  comprehend  with  the  saints  the  greatness  of 
the  love  of  Jesus,  the  Crucified,  its  breadth,  since  all  the 
members  of  His  body,  all  the  powers  of  His  soul  were  tormented 
with  all  sorts  of  tortures,  on  account  of  the  sins  of  all  men ;  the 
length,  since  He  had  all  these  sufferings  for  thirty  three  years 
before  His  eyes,  and  bore  them  in  His  soul;  the  depth,  since 
these  tortures  surpassed  in  intensity  all  which  men  ever  suffered 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.  455 

or  will  suffer;  the  height,  since  Christ  on  the  cross  saw,  with 
the  most  perfect  knowledge,  the  awful  malice  of  each  single  sin, 
and  the  terrible  insult  offered  to  the  sublime  Majesty  of  God,  and 
He  bore  the  punishment  for  them  in  Himself,  and  did  penance  for 
them.  Other  holy  fathers  say,  that  by  these  words  the  whole 
mystery  of  our  redemption  is  to  be  understood,  and,  indeed,  the 
breadth  thereof  is,  that  it  is  for  all  men;  the  length,  that  it 
lasts  for  all  centuries,  and  reaches  into  eternity;  the  height, 
that  its  contemplation  takes  us  away  from  the  earth  and  raises 
us  to  heaven;  the  depth,  that  it  even  penetrates  down  to  the 
kingdom  of  the  dead.  By  contemplating  these  mysteries  we  learn 
to  know  the  infinite  love  of  God,  to  loye  Him  more  and  more,  and 
thus  make  ourselves  partakers  of  God's  graces. — Obey  the  teach- 
ing of  this  holy  apostle,  contemplate  the  suffering  Saviour  and 
His  love,  endeavor  to  become  like  to  Him  by  suffering,  and  when 
you  see,  how  the  Church,  her  ministers,  the  bishops  and  priests, 
are  persecuted  and  ,in  tribulation,  be  not  disheartened,  but  con- 
sider that  the  discipleship  of  Jesus  consists  particularly  in  suf- 
fering, that,  therefore,  the  Church  and  her  ministers  must  suffer, 
since  their  head,  Jesus,  has  suffered.  The  holy  Church  has  borne 
the  crown  of  thorns  of  Jesus  for  eighteen  hundred  years  and 
drank  from  His  chalice;  but  like  Jesus,  her  Head,  she  will  triumph 
over  all  her  enemies,  and  whilst  these  are  hastening  to  destruc- 
tion, she  will  continually  live  victorious  until  the  end  of  time,  and 
will  triumph  eternally  in  heaven. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  xiv.  1  — 11.)  At  that  time:  When  Jesus 
went  into  the  house  of  one  of  the  chief  of  the  Pharisees  on 
the  Sabbath-day  to  eat  bread,  they  watched  him.  And  be- 
hold, there  was  a  certain  man  before  him  that  had  the  dropsy. 
And  Jesus  answering,  spoke  to  the  lawyers  and  Pharisees 
saying:  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the  Sabbath-day?  But  they 
held  their  peace.  But  he  taking  him,  healed  him,  and  sent 
him  away.  And  answering  them,  he  said:  Which  of  you  shall 
have  an  ass  or  an  ox  fall  into  a  pit;  and  will  not  immedia- 
tely draw  him  out  on  the  Sabbath-day1?  And  they  could  not 
answer  him  to  these  things.  And  he  spoke  a  parable  also  to 
them  that  were  invited,  marking  how  they  chose  the  first 
seats  at  the  table,  saying  to  them :  When  thou  art  invited 
to  a  wedding,  sit  not  down  in  the  first  place,  lest  perhaps 
one  more  honourable  than  thou  be  invited  by  him ;  and  he 
that  invited  thee  and  him,  come  and  say  to  thee, '  Give  this 
man  place,  and  then  thou  begin  with  shame  to  take  the 


456    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SIXTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


lowest  place.  But  when  thou  art  invited,  go,  sit  down  in  the 
lowest  place :  that  when  he  who  invited  thee  cometh,  he  may 
say  to  thee,  Friend,  go  up  higher.  Then  shalt  thou  have 
glory  before  them  that  sit  at  table  with  thee:  because  every 
one  that  exaiteth  himself,  shall  be  humbled;  and  he  that 
humbleth  himself,  shall  be  exalted. 

Why  did  Jesus  dine  with  the  Pharisees  ? 
To  take  oecasion  from  this,  as  St.  Cyril  says,  to  instruct  them, 
that  it  is  allowed  to  heal  the  sick  on  the  Sabbath,  and  to  show, 
how  those  who  give  invitations  to  a  supper,  and  those  who  are 
invited,  should  conduct  themselves.  The  Pharisees'  invitation  to 
Jesus  was  not  actuated  by  kindness,  but  by  the  desire  to  find 


INSTRUCTION  ON  KEEPING  SUNDAY  HOLY.  457 

something  in  His  actions,  which  they  might  criticise;  but  Jesus 
approaches  them  with  meekness  and  endeavors  to  inspire  them 
with  a  better  intention.  Beware  of  the  spirit  of  criticism,  and 
like  Jesus  make  use  of  every  occasion  to  do  good  even  to  your 
enemies. 

Who  may  be  understood  by  the  dropsical  man? 

The  debauchees  and  misers;  for  as  a  dropsical  person  always 
wishes  to  drink  more,  the  more  he  has  already  drunk,  so  the  de- 
bauched always  wish  more  and  more  for  the  shameful  gratifica- 
tion of  their  lusts,  the  more  they  have  indulged  in  them,  and  the 
miserly  for  goods  and  riches,  the  more  they  have.  And  just  as 
the  dropsical  are  hard  to  cure,  so  the  debauched  and  miserly  are 
hard  to  convert. 

Why  is  covetousness  classed  among  the  seven  deadly  sins? 

Because  it  is  the  root  of  all  evil  (i.  Tim.  vi.  10.),  for  it  leads  to 
usury,  theft,  to  the  employment  of  false  weights  and  measures,  to 
the  suppression  of  justice  in  courts,  to  perjury,  to  the  oppression 
of  widows  and  orphans,  nay,  even  to  the  denial  of  faith,  as  was 
the  case  with  Judas.  Therefore  the  apostle  says:  They  who 
would  become  rich,  fall  into  temptation,  and  into  the 
snare  of  the  devil,  and  into  many  unprofitable  and 
hurtful  desires,  which  drown  men  in  destruction  and 
perdition;  and  admonishes  us:  to  fly  these  things,  and 
pursue  justice,  piety,  faith,  charity,  patience,  meek- 
ness, (i.  Tim.  vi.  9,  11.) 

A  powerful  remedy  against  avarice  is  to  consider,  that  we  are 
not  owners  of  what  we  possess,  and  shall  not  take  the  least  thing 
with  us  in  death,  and  shall  have  to  render  a  strict  account  of  the 
use  to  which  we  put  our  riches,  (i.  Tim.  vi.  7.) 

INSTRUCTION  ON  KEEPING  SUNDAY  HOLY. 
Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the  Sabbath-day?    (Lukex\i.S.) 
Why  did  Christ  put  this  question  ? 
Ecause  the  Jews,  particularly  the  Pharisees,  were  so  very 


B 


superstitious  in  keeping  the  Sabbath,  and  because  they 
would  not  recognize  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  because  He  healed  on 
the  Sabbath,  which  was  a  really  good  work.  But  if  the  Jews  were 
so  conscientious,  through  superstition  and  hypocrisy,  in  keeping 
the  Sabbath,  and  considered  the  performing  of  an  external  good 
work  on  this  day  as  a  sin,  some  Christians,  on  the  contrary,  blinded 
by  avarice  and  worldly  pleasure,  place  themselves  heedlessly,  nay, 
insolently  above  the  commandment  to  keep  holy  the  Sunday,  and 
do  not  consider  those  things  sins,  which  are  sins,  sometimes  even 
very  grievous  sins. 


458  INSTRUCTION  ON  KEEPING  SUNDAY  HOLY. 

Consider,  my  dear  Christian,  you  serve  your  body  the  whole 
week,  you  use  all  your  powers  for  temporal  business,  to  support 
yourself  and  your  family,  and  God  blesses  you,  if  you  work  with 
a  good  intention.  Now  God  chose  one  day  in  the  week,  Sunday, 
and  in  the  year  several  other  Holidays,  which  you  should  devote 
wholly  to  His  service  and  the  salvation  of  your  soul;  is  it,  there- 
fore, not  the  greatest  ingratitude,  when  you  steal  these  days 
from  God  and  your  soul,  and  employ  them  for  the  gaining  of  a 
transient  good  or  for  the  indulgence  of  vain,  sinful  pleasures? 
At  certain  times  man  gives  rest  to  irrational  animals,  and  you 
give  the  powers  of  your  body  and  soul  none  of  the  rest  they 
would  and  should  find  in  quiet  devotion,  in  prayer  and  medita- 
tion, in  attending  divine  service,  in  receiving  the  holy  Sacra- 
ments, &c.  And  if  you  enquire,  whence  these  shameful  violations 
of  Sundays  and  Holidays  come,  you  will  find,  that  there  is  no 
other  reason  than  love  of  gain  and  avarice,  sinful  love  of  pleasure, 
and  often  complete  want  of  faith  and  confidence  in  God's  provi- 
dence. We  wish  to  become  rich  by  all  means,  and  we  do  not  re- 
flect that  this  will  not  happen  without  the  blessing  of  God,  and 
that  wealth  is  a  net,  in  which  thousands  entangle  themselves  to 
their  eternal  perdition.  We  wish  to  live  merrily  and  do  ourselves 
good,  but  we  do  not  consider,  that  our  life-time  is  only  a  time  of 
penance  to  attain  that  eternally  blissful  rest,  of  which  Sunday  is 
an  emblem.  We  spend  Sundays  and  Holidays  in  idleness,  finery, 
vain  conversations,  buying  and  selling,  servile  work,  or  in  still 
worse  things,  without  experiencing  the  slightest  scruple.  But  God 
will  cover  the  violators  of  His  sacred  days  with  confusion  and 
shame  (Malach.  ii.  3.),  and  permit  all  sorts  of  temporal  evils  to 
come  upon  them,  als  daily  experience  shows.  For  never  can  the 
blessing  of  God  rest  upon  those  who  never  care  for  it,  but  rather 
make  themselves  unworthy  to  receive  it,  by  violating  days,  con- 
secrated to  God.  Let  this  be  a  warning  to  you. 

PRAYER.  0  best  Saviour!  how  meekness  and  wisdom 
shine  through  all  Thy  words  and  actions!  0,  grant,  that  we 
may  regulate  all  our  actions  in  such  a  manner,  that  they 
will  be  acceptable  to  Thee  and  tend  to  the  edification  of  our 
neighbor.  Give  us  the  grace  to  employ  all  Thy  days,  conse- 
crated to  Thee,  for  Thy  honor  and  our  salvation ,  that  we 
may  never  raise  ourselves  above  others,  but  follow  Thee  in 
all  humility. 


459 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SEVENTEENTH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

N  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  the  justice  and  mercy 
of  God  is  praised:  Thou  art  just,  OLord, 
and  thy  judgment  is  right:  deal  with 
thy  servant  according  to  thy  mercy. 
Blessed  are  the  undefiled  in  the  way: 
who  walk  in  the  law  of  the  Lord.  (Ps. 
k  cxviii.)    Glory,  &c.  - 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant  we  beseech  Thee,  0 
Lord,  that  Thy  people  may  avoid  all  contagion  of  the  devil : 
and  with  a  clean  heart  follow  thee,  the  only  true  God.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE.  (JEphes.  iv.  1  —  6.)  Brethken:  I  who  am  a  pri- 
soner in  the  Lord,  beseech  you  that  you  walk  worthy  of  the 
vocation  in  which  you  are  called.  With  all  humility  and 
mildness,  with  patience,  supporting  one  another  in  charity. 
Careful  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace. 
One  body  and  one  spirit ;  as  you  are  called  in  one  hope  of 
your  calling.  One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism.  One  God, 
and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through  all,  and  in 
us  all,  who  is  blessed  for  ever  more. 

ADMONITION.  Implore  God  continually  for  the  grace 
to  accomplish  and  make  certain  your  vocation  by  performing 
these  virtues,  recommended  by  St.  Paul. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  ONE  ONLY  SAVING  FAITH. 

One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father 
of  all.  (Ephes.  iv.  5.) 

THese  words  of  the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  show  clearly, 
that  it  is  not  a  matter  of  indiiference,  whether  this  or  that 
faith,  this  or  that  religion  is  professed.  Yet  in  our  times,  poor  in 
faith,  we  so  often  hear  the  assertion  from  socalled  enlightened 
men:  "It  is  all  the  same  to  what  religion  we  belong,  we  can  he 
saved  in  any  one,  if  we  only  believe  in  God  and  live  uprightly." 
How  impious  is  this  assertion !  Consider,  my  dear  Christian,  there 
is  hut  one  God,  and  this  one  God  has  sent  only  one  Redeemer, 
and  this  one  Redeemer  has  preached  only  one  doctrine  and  es- 
tablished one  Church.  Had  God  wished  that  there  should  be  more 
than  one  Church,  then  Jesus  should  have  said  so,  He  should  have 
founded  several  Churches,  nay,  He  should  not  have  preached  a 


460      INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  ONE  ONLY  SAVING  FAITH. 

new  doctrine,  founded  a  new,  Christian  Church ;  for  the  Jews  also 
believed  in  one  God.  But  Jesus  cast  aside  heathenism  and  Ju- 
daism, preached  only  one  and,  indeed,  a  new  religion,  founded 
only  one  Church.  Nowhere  does  He  speak  of  Churches,  but 
always  of  one  Church.  He  says  that  we  must  hear  this  Church, 
and  does  not  add,  that  if  we  will  not  hear  this  Church,  we  may 
hear  some  other  one.  He  speaks  of  only  one  shepherd,  one  flock, 
and  one  fold,  into  which  all  men  are  to  be  brought.  In  the  same 
manner  He  speaks  always  of  one  kingdom  of  God  on  earth,  just 
as  there  is  only  one  kingdom  of  heaven ;  of  only  one  master  of 
the  house  and  one  family,  of  one  field  and  one  vineyard,  whereby 
He  understood  His  Church;  of  only  one  rock,  upon  which  He 
would  build  His  Church.  On  the  day  before  His  death,  He  prayed 
fervently  to  His  Heavenly  Father,  that  all  who  believe  in  Him, 
might  be  and  remain  one,  as  He  and  the  Father  are  one,  and  He 
also  gave  His  disciples  the  express  command  to  preach  His  gospel 
to  all  nations,  and  to  teach  them  all  things,  whatsoever  He  had 
commanded  them.  This  command  the  apostles  carried  out  exactly. 
Everywhere  they  preached  one  and  the  same  doctrine,  founded, 
indeed,  in  all  places  Christian  communities,  but  which  were  united 
by  the  bond  of  the  same  faith.  It  was  one  of  the  principal  cares 
of  the  apostles  to  prevent  schisms  in  faith,  they  warned  from 
heresy,  commanded  all  originators  of  such  to  be  avoided,  and 
anathematised  those  who  preached  a  gospel  different  from  theirs. 
As  the  apostles  so  their  successors.  All  the  holy  fathers  speak 
with  burning  love  of  the  necessary  unity  of  faith,  and  deny  those, 
who  remain  knowingly  in  schism  and  separation  from  the  true 
Church  of  Jesus,  all  claim  to  salvation. 

Learn  from  this,  therefore,  my  dear  Christian,  that  there  can 
be  but  one  true  Church ;  but  if  there  is  but  one  true  Church,  it 
naturally  follows,  that  in  her  alone  salvation  can  be  obtained,  and 
the  assertion,  that  we  can  be  saved  in  any  creed,  is  false  and 
impious.  Jesus  who  is  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life,  speaks 
of  only  one  Church,  which  we  must  hear,  if  we  wish  to  be  saved. 
He  who  does  not  hear  the  Church,  He  says,  should  be  considered 
as  a  heathen  and  publican.  He  speaks  furthermore  of  one  fold, 
and  He  promises  eternal  life  only  to  those  sheep  who  belong  to 
this  fold ,  obey  the  voice  of  the  one  shepherd  and  feed  in  His 
pasture.  The  apostles  were  also  convinced,  that  only  the  one,  true 
Church  makes  salvation  certain.  Without  faith  it  is  impos- 
sible to  please  God,  writes  St.  Paul  to  the  Hebrews  (xi.  6.), 
and  this  faith  is  only  one,  he  teaches  the  Ephesians.  (iv. 5.) 
If  the  apostles  had  believed,  that  any  religion  can  save  man,  they 
would  certainly  not  have  contended  so  strenuously  for  unity,  they 
would  not  have  declared  so  solemnly,  that  we  cannot  belong  to 
any  other  than  to  Christ  alone,  and  that  we  must  receive  and 
obey  His  doctrine.  As  the  apostles  their  successors  and  all  the 
fathers  agree,  that  there  is  no  salvation  outside  of  the  true  Church. 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  ONE  ONLY  SAVING  FAITH.      461 

St.  Cyprian  writes:  "If  any  one  outside  Noah's  ark  could  find 
safety,  then  also  will  one  outside  the  Church  find  it."  (De  unit, 
eccl.  c.  7.)  From  all  this  it  follows,  that  there  is  only  one  true 
Church  which  gives  salvation,  outside  of  which  there  can  be  no 
salvation. 

But  which  is  this  Church?  Certainly  only  the  Roman-Catholic, 
Apostolic  Church,  for  she  alone  is  founded  by  Christ,  she  alone  is 
watered  with  the  blood  of  the  apostles  and  so  many  thousands  of 
holy  martyrs,  she  alone  has  the  marks  of  the  true  Church  of 
Jesus  [see  the  Instruction  on  the  first  Sunday  after  Easter] ,  to 
which  He  has  promised,  that  she  shall,  notwithstanding  all  the 
attacks  of  her  enemies,  stand  to  the  end  of  the  world.  Those 
who  fell  away  from  the  Church  three  hundred  years  ago,  do,  in- 
deed, contend  that  the  Church  fell  into  error  and  no  longer  pos- 
sessed the  true,  pure  gospel  of  Jesus.  Were  they  right,  Jesus 
were  to  be  blamed,  for  He  founded  this  Church,  He  promised  to 
remain  with  her  and  guide  her  through  the  Holy  Ghost  until  the 
end  of  the  world.  He  would,  therefore,  have  broken  His  word,  or 
He  was  not  powerful  enough  to  keep  it.  But  who  will  say  this? 
On  the  contrary,  she  has  existed  for  eighteen  hundred  years, 
whilst  the  greatest  and  most  powerful  kingdoms  have  been  mined, 
and  the  firmest  thrones  crumbled  away.  If  she  were  not  the  only 
true  and  saving  Church,  founded  by  Christ,  how  could  she  have 
existed  so  long,  since  Jesus  said,  that  every  plant  that  His  Hea- 
venly Father  has  not  planted,  shall  be  rooted  up?  {Matt.  xv.  13.) 
If  she  were  not  the  Church  of  Christ,  long  ago  would  she  be  de- 
stroyed, but  she  still  stands  to-day,  whilst  her  enemies  who  battled 
with  her,  have  disappeared  and  shall  disappear;  for  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail  against  her,  says  our  Lord,  and  He  has  kept 
His  word  and  will  keep  it,  notwithstanding  all  the  oppositions 
and  calumnies  of  her  implacable  enemies. 

You  see,  therefore,  my  dear  Christian,  that  the  Catholic  Church 
is  the  only  true  and  the  only  saving  Church ;  do  not  let  yourself 
be  deceived  by  those  who  are  neither  cold  nor  warm,  and  who 
use  these  words:  "We  can  be  saved  in  any  religion,  if  we  only 
believe  in  God  and  live  uprightly,"  and  who  wish  to  rob  you  of 
your  holy  faith,  and  precipitate  you  into  the  sea  of  doubt,  error, 
and  falsehood.  Outside  of  the  Catholic  Church  there  is  no  salva- 
tion; this  hold  firmly,  for  it  is  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  His  apostles, 
and  all  the  fathers;  for  this  doctrine  the  apostles  and  a  countless 
host  of  the  faithful  have  shed  their  blood ;  but  obey  the  teaching 
of  this  Church,  follow  her  laws,  make  use  of  her  help  and  assis- 
tance, and  often  raise  your  hands  and  heart  to  heaven  to  thank 
God  for  the  priceless  grace  of  belonging  to  this  one,  true  Church; 
forget  not  to  pray  for  your  erring  brethren,  who  are  still  outside 
of  the  Church,  that  the  Lord  may  lead  them  into  her,  that  His 
promise  may  be  fulfilled:  There  will  be  one  fold  and  one 
shepherd. 


462  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SEVENTEENTH  SUNDAY 


GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xxii.  34—46.)  At  that  time:  The  Phar- 
isees come  to  Jesus:  and  one  of  them,  a  doctor  of  the  law, 
asked  him,  tempting  him :  Master,  which  is  the  great  com- 
mandment of  the  law?  Jesus  said  to  him:  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  thy  whole  heart,  and  with  thy  whole 
soul,  and  with  thy  whole  mind.  This  is  the  greatest  and  the 
first  commandment.  And  the  second  is  like  to  this :  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.  On  these  two  command- 
ments dependeth  the  whole  law  and  the  prophets.  And  the 
Pharisees  being  gathered  together,  Jesus  asked  them,  saying: 
What  think  you  of  Christ?  whose  son  is  he?  They  say  to  him: 


AFTER  PENTECOST.  463 

David's.  He  saith  to  them:  How  then  doth  David  in  spirit 
call  him  Lord,  saying:  The  Lord  said  to  my  Lord,  sit  on  my 
right  hand  until  I  make  thy  enemies  thy  footstool  ?  If  David 
then  call  him  Lord,  how  is  he  his  son?  And  no  man  was 
able  to  answer  him  a  word ;  neither  durst  any  man  from  that 
day  forth  ask  him  any  more  questions. 

What  is  meant  by  loving  God? 
It  means  to  mid  one's  pleasure,  happiness,  and  joy  in  God, 
because  He  is  the  highest  and  most  perfect  good;  to  rejoice  in 
His  infinite  majesty  and  glory,  to  direct  one's  thoughts,  words, 
and  actions  towards  Him  as  our  only  end,  to  fulfil  His  will  in  all 
things,  and  be  prepared  always  rather  to  lose  everything,  even 
life  itself,  than  His  friendship. 

What  is  meant  by  loving  God  with  our  whole  heart,  our  whole 

soul,  $c? 

These  different  expressions  all  mean,  principally,  the  same 
thing,  namely,  that  we  should  cling  to  God  with  a  true,  sincere 
and  heartfelt  love.  But  by  our  heart  our  will  may  be  understood, 
that  power  by  which  we  wish  God  all  happiness  and  glory,  and 
desire  nothing  more  than  that  He  be  known,  loved,  and  honored, 
and  His  will  accomplished  by  us  and  by  all  men,  most  perfectly. 
The  intellect  can  be  taken  for  the  soul,  with  which  we  should 
endeavor  to  arrive  at  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God,  by  means 
of  meditation  on  all  created  things,  and  to  praise  and  glorify  Him 
above  all  things.  The  mind  may  signify  our  memory,  with  which 
we  continually  remember  God  and  the  innumerable  benefits,  be- 
stowed on  us  by  Him,  praise  Him  for  them,  thank  Him,  and 
always  walk  irreproachably  before  His  face.  We  love  God,  finally, 
with  all  our  strength,  if  we  employ  all  the  motions  of  our  body, 
of  the  five  senses,  of  our  hands  and  feet,  tongue,  &c,  in  the  ser- 
vice of  God,  and  direct  all  our  actions  to  Him  as  our  last  end. 

Is  it  also  true  love,  if  we  love  God  only  because  He  is  good  to  us? 
This  is  grateful  love,  which  is  good  and  praiseworthy,  but  it 
is  not  perfect  love,  because  our  selnove,  selfinterest,  and  desires 
are  present  in  it. 

What,  therefore,  is  perfect  love? 
It  is  this,  when  we  love  God  only,  because  He  is  in  Himself 
the  Highest  Good,  and  most  worthy  of  all  love.  In  this  manner 
we  should  endeavor  to  love  Him;  not  through  selfinterest,  not 
through  hope  of  reward,  not  through  fear  of  punishment,  but 
only  because  He,  as  the  Greatest  Good,  contains  all  goodness  and, 
therefore,  deserves  to  be  loved  only  on  account  of  Himself.  Such 
love  St.  Francis  Xavier  had,  who  very  beautifully.expresses  this 
love  in  the  following  canticle  which  he  himself  composed. 


464 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  SEVENTEENTH  SUNDAY 


"My  God,  I  love  Thee,  not  because 
I  hope  for  heaven  thereby, 
Nor  because  they  who  love  Thee  not, 
Must  burn  eternally! 


Then  why,  0  blessed  Jesus  Christ, 
Should  I  not  love  Thee  well; 
Not  for  the  sake  of  winning  heaven, 
Or  of  escaping  hell. 


Thou,  0  my  Jesus,  Thou  didst  me        Not  with  the  hope  of  gaining  aught, 
Upon  the  cross  embrace,  Not  seeking  a  reward, 

For  me  didst  bear  the  nails  and  spear,  J  But  as  Thyself  hast  loved  me, 
And  manifold  disgrace.  0  ever  loving  Lord! 


And  griefs  and  torments  numberless, 
And  sweat  of  agony; 
Even  death  itself,  and  all  for  one 
Who  was  Thine  enemy! 


Yes,  so  I  love  Thee  and  will  love, 
And  in  Thy  praise  will  sing; 
Solely  because  Thou  art  my  God 
And  my  eternal  King." 


Can  fear  exist  with  love  ? 
Servile  fear  cannot,  but  filial  fear  may.  Servile  fear  is 
rather  a  fear  of  punishment  than  a  fear  of  God,  or  a  fear  of  of- 
fending Him.  This  fear  cannot  agree  with  the  love  of  God;  for 
in  love,  writes  St.  Augustine  {in  Joann.  Tr.  9.),  there  is  no  fear, 
for  perfect  love  castetn  out  fear.  (i.  John  iv.  18.)  Filial  fear,  on 
the  contrary,  is  a  fear  of  offending  God,  the  kindest  of  fathers. 
This  fear  leads  to  love  and  is  also  an  effect  of  love;  yes,  it  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom.  {Eccl.  i.  27.)  This  fear,  therefore,  we  should 
endeavor  to  obtain,  for  it  will  drive  sins  away  from  us,  as  keepers 
drive  off  thieves  {Eccl.  i.  11-13 );  it  will  rejoice  us  with  joy  and 
gladness,  with  glory  and  splendor  and  a  long  life,  and  obtain  for 
us  at  the  hour  of  our  death  the  divine  blessing  and  a  divine  death. 

How  may  ice  obtain  a  perfect  lore  of  God? 

By  meditating  on  His  infinite,  divine  perfections,  His  almighty 
power,  His  wisdom,  His  splendor,  His  beauty,  &c;  by  contem- 
plating His  bountless  love  for  us,  which  He  has  shown  us  in  the 
incarnation,  sufferings,  and  death  of  His  only  begotten  Son ;  by 
frequent  practice  of  this  virtue;  by  frequent  prayer  for  it. 

When  should  we  practise  the  virtue  of  love  of  God? 

As  soon  as  we  have  come  to  the  full  use  of  reason,  know  God, 
and  obtain  an  insight  into  reasons,  why  we  must  love  Him;  when 
the  world,  the  devil,  and  the  flesh,  endeavor  to  withdraw  us  from 
the  Only  Good,  God,. by  their  apparent  goods  and  pleasures; 
when  we  have  separated  ourselves  from  God  by  a  mortal  sin; 
when  we  receive  the  holy  Sacraments,  particularly  holy  Commu- 
nion ;  when  we  receive  a  particular  grace  from  God ;  when  we 
use  food  and  drink,  and  other  permitted  enjoyments;  when  we 
contemplate  God's  creatures ;  in  the  hour  of  death ;  often  during 
the  day,  for  which  purpose  we  may  use  different  acts  of  love,  as 
they  are  to  be  found  in  good  prayer-books.' 

[ Concerning  the  love  of  our  neighbor,  see  on  the  twelfth  Sunday 
after  Pentecost.] 


AFTER  PENTECOST.  465 

Why  is  the  commandment  to  love  God  and  our  neighbor  called  the 
greatest  commandment? 
Because  in  it  are  contained  all  the  other  commandments,  and 
in  it,  as  Christ  says,  consists  the  whole  law.  He  therefore,  who, 
fulfils  this  commandment,  fulfils  the  whole  law,  and  does  all  that 
is  pleasing  to  God;  for  he  who  loves  God  with  his  heart,  does 
not  separate  Himself  from  God  by  infidelity,  does  not  practise 
public  or  private  superstition  and  idolatry ;  he  does  not  murmur 
against  God,  he  does  not  desecrate  the  name  of  God  by  cursing 
and  swearing;  he  does  not  profane  the  Sabbath,  because  he  knows, 
that  all  this  is  displeasing  to  God.  On  the  contrary,  he  hopes  in 
God,  keeps  Sundays  and  Holidays  -holy,  and  keeps  all  the  com- 
mandments of  the  Church,  because  God  wishes,  that  we  hear  the 
Church;  he  honors  his  parents,  inflicts  no  evil  upon  his  neigh- 
bor; strikes  and  kills  no  one,  does  not  commit  adultery,  does  not 
steal,  calumniates  no  one,  does  not  bear  false  witness,  does  not 
judge  rashly,  is  not  envious,  full  of  enmity,  cruel,  but  rather 
practises  the  corporal  and  spiritual  works  of  mercy ;  and  he  does 
all  this,  because  he  loves  God  and  for  God's  sake  his  neighbor  as 
himself. 

" What  think  you  of  Christ?" 

Thus  Christ  asked  the  Pharisees,  to  convince  them  from  their 
own  answer,  that  He  was  not  only  man  and  not  only  the  carnal 
Son  of  David,  but  also  that  He  as  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God 
was  the  Lord  of  David  and  all  men  from  eternity.  (Ps.  ii.  7.)  — 
Even  to-day  there  are  unhappily  men,  such  as  freemasons,  free- 
thinkers, and  others,  who  like  the  Pharisees  deny  the  divine  nature 
of  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  consider  Him  merely  a  very 
wise  and  virtuous  man,  and  do  not  receive  His  doctrine,  con- 
firmed by  so  many  miracles.  Beware,  my  dear  Christian,  of  these 
men  who  rob  you  the  peace  the  soul  and  the  consoling  hope  of  a 
future  resurrection  and  an  eternal  life,  together  with  the  faith 
in  Christ,  the  divine  Redeemer.  But  if  you  believe  Christ  to  be 
the  Son  of  God,  and  our  Lord,  Lawgiver,  Instructor,  and  Re- 
deemer, follow  His  teaching,  and  do  not  contradict  in  deed,  what 
you  profess  with  your  lips. 

PRAYER.  0  most  amiable  Jesus!  who  hast  admonished 
us  so  affectionately  to  love  God  and  our  neighbor,  pour  the 
fire  of  Thy  love  into  our  hearts,  that  all  our  deeds  and  actions,  „ 
all  pur  thoughts  and  words  may  begin  with  Thy  love  and  be 
ended  with  it.  Grant,  that  we  may  love  Thee  with  all  the 
powers  of  our  body  and  soul,  and  thereby  be  so  united  to 
Thee,  that,  like  St.  Paul,  no  temptation,  no  tribulation,  no 
danger,  not  even  death,  may  be  able  to  separate  us  from 
Thee.  Grant  us  also,  that  we  may  love  our  neighbors,  friends, 


30 


466         WEDNESDAY  FOLLOWING  THE  SEVENTEENTH  SUNDAY 

and  enemies  as  ourselves  for  Thy  sake,  and  thus  be  made 
worthy  to  possess  Thee  as  our  Redeemer  and  merciful  Judge. 

WEDNESDAY  FOLLOWING  THE  SEVENTEENTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 

[Emberday.] 

LESSON,  (ii.  Esdras  viii.  1  —  10.)    In  those  days:  All  the 
people  were  gathered  together  as  one  man,  to  the  street 
which  is  before  the  water  gate,  and  they  spoke  to  Esdras  the 
scribe,  to  bring  the  book  of  the  law  of  Moses,  which  the  Lord 
had  commanded  to  Israel.     Then  Esdras  the  priest  brought 
the  law  before  the  multitude  of  men  and  women,  and  all 
those  that  could  understand,  on  the  first  day  of  the  seventh 
month.  And  he  read  it  plainly  in  the  street  that  was  before 
the  water  gate,  from  the  morning  until  mid-day,  before  the 
men  and  the  women,  and  all  those  that  could  understand. 
And  the  ears  of  all  the  people  were  attentive  to  the  book. 
And  Esdras  the  scribe  stood  upon  a  step  of  wood,  which  he 
made  to  speak  upon.  And  he  opened  the  book  before  all  the 
people,  for  he  was  above  all  the  people;  and  when  he  had 
opened  it,  all  the  people  stood.  And  Esdras  blessed  the  Lord 
the  great  God:  and  all  the  people  answered:  Amen,  amen; 
lifting  up  their  hands.     And  they  bowed  down,  with  their 
faces  to  the  ground.     Now  the  Levites  made  silence  among 
the  people  to  hear  the  law;  and  the  people  stood  in  their 
place.  And  they  read  in  the  book  of  the  law  of  God  distinctly 
and  plainly  to  be  understood;  and  they  understood  when  it 
was  read.    And  Nehemias,  and  Esdras  the  priest  and  scribe, 
and  the  Levites  who  interpreted  to  all  the  people,  said:  This 
is  a  holy  day  to  the  Lord  our  God,  do  not  mourn  nor  weep. 
For  all  the  people  wept  when  they  heard  the  words  of  the 
law.     And  he  said  to  them:  Go,  eat  fat  meats,  and  drink 
sweet  wine,  and  send  portions  to  them  that  have  not  pre- 
pared for  themselves;  because  it  is  the  holy  day  of  the  Lord, 
and  be  not  sad,  for  the  jOy  of  the  Lord  is  our  strength. 

PRAYER.  0  Lord !  send  zealous  priests,  like  Esdras,  into 
Thy  vineyard,  the  Church,  and  grant,  that  we,  like  this 
people,  may  ardently  listen  to  the  word  of  God,  which  Thy 
ministers,  the  priests,  preach  to  us,  that  we  may  sincerely 


AFTER  PENTECOST.  467 

bewail  our  sins  and  thus  seek  in  Thee,  our  Lord,  our  only 
happiness  and  strength. 

GOSPEL.  (Markix.  16— .28.)  At  that  time:  One  of  the 
multitude  speaking  to  Jesus,  said :  Master,  I  have  brought 
my  son  to  thee,  having  a  dumb  spirit,  who,  wheresoever  he 
taketh  him,  dasheth  him,  and  he  foameth,  and  gnasheth 
with  his  teeth,  and  pineth  away:  and  I  spoke  to  thy  disciples 
to  cast  him  out,  and  they  could  not.  Who  answering  them, 
said:  0  incredulous  generation,  how  long  shall  I  be  with  you? 
how  long  shall  I  suffer  you?  bring  him  unto  me.  And  they 
brought  him.  And  when  he  had  seen  him,  immediately  the 
spirit  troubled  him :  and  being  thrown  down  upon  the  ground, 
he  rolled  about  foaming.  And  he  asked  his  father:  How 
long  time  is  it  since  this  hath  happened  unto  him?  But  he 
said:  From  his  infancy:  and  oftentimes  hath  he  cast  him 
into  the  fire  and  into  waters,  to  destroy  him.  But  if  thou 
canst  do  any  thing,  help  us,  having  compassion  on  us.  And 
Jesus  saith  to  him:  If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are  pos- 
sible to  him  that  believeth.  And  immediately  the  Father  of 
the  boy  crying  out,  with  tears  said:  I  do  believe,  Lord,  help 
my  unbelief.  And  when  Jesus  saw  the  multitude  running 
together,  he  threatened  the  unclean  spirit,  saying  to  him: 
Deaf  and  dumb  spirit,  I  command  thee,  go  out  of  him;  and 
enter  not  any  more  into  him.  And  crying  out,  and  greatly 
tearing  him,  he  went  out  of  him,  and  he  became  as  dead,  so 
that  many  said:  He  is  dead.  But  Jesus  taking  him  by  the 
hand,  lifted  him  up;  and  he  arose.  And  when  he  was  come 
into  the  house,  his  disciples  secretly  asked  him:  Why  could 
not  we  cast  him  out?  And  he  said  to  them:  This  kind  can 
go  out  by  nothing,  but  by  prayer  and  fasting. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  May  our  weakness,  0  Lord, 
we  beseech  Thee,  be  supported,  by  the  relief  of  Thy  mercy; 
that  as  we  are  continually  decaying  by  our  own  nature,  we 
may  be  strengthened  by  Thy  goodness.  Thro'. 


468 

FRIDAY  FOLLOWING  THE  SEVENTEENTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 

[EmberdayJ 
LESSON.  (OseexW.  2— 10.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord :  Return 
0  Israel,  to  the  Lord  thy  God:  for  thou  hast  fallen  down  by 
thy  iniquity.  Take  with  you  words,  and  return  to  the  Lord 
and  say  to  him:  Take  away  all  iniquity,  and  receive  the 
good;  and  we  will  render  the  calves  of  our  lips.  Assyria  shall 
not  save  us,  we  will  not  ride  upon  horses,  neither  will  we  say 
any  more :  the  works  of  our  hands  are  our  gods ;  for  thou 
wilt  have  mercy  on  the  fatherless  that  is  in  thee.  I  will  heal 
their  breaches,  I  will  love  them  freely;  for  my  wrath  is  turn- 
ed away  from  them.  I  will  be  as  the  dew,  Israel  shall  spring 
as  the  lily,  and  his  root  shall  shoot  forth  as  that  of  Libanus. 
His  branches  shall  spread,  and  his  glory  shall  be  as  the  olive- 
tree;  and  his  smell  as  that  of  Libanus.  They  shall  be  con- 
verted that  sit  under  his  shadow,  they  shall  live  upon  wheat, 
and  they  shall  blossom  as  a  vine :  his  memorial  shall  be  as 
the  wine  of  Libanus.  Ephraim  shall  say,  What  have  I  to  do 
any  more  with  idols?  I  will  hear  him,  and  I  will  make  him 
flourish  like  a  green  fir-tree:  from  me  is  thy  fruit  found. 
Who  is  wise,  and  he  shall  understand  these  things?  prudent, 
and  he  shall  know  these  things?  —  For  the  ways  of  the  Lord 
are  right,  and  the  just  shall  walk  in  them ;  but  the  trans- 
gressor shall  fall  in  them. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Prophet  Osee  calls  the  people  of  Is- 
rael, by  God's  command,  to  do  penance,  and  endeavors  to  per- 
suade them  to  it  by  describing  the  happiness,  consequent  upon  it. 
0  what  blessing  and  what  joy  does  sincere  penance  give  during 
life  and  particularly  in  death ! 

[The  gospel  see  on  the  feast  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen  in  the  sec- 
ond part  of  this  book.] 

SATURDAY  FOLLOWING  THE  SEVENTEENTH  SUNDAY 
AFTER  PENTECOST. 

[EmberdayJ 

EPISTLE.   (Hebrews  ix.  2— 12.)    Brethren:  There  was  a 

tabernacle  made  the  first,  wherein  were  the  candlesticks,  and 

the  table,  and  the  setting  forth  of  loaves,  which  is  called  the 

Holy.     And  after  the  second  veil,  the  tabernacle,  which  is 


SATURDAY  FOLLOWING  THE  SEVENTEENTH  SUNDAY,  &c.   469 

called  the  Holy  of  Holies:  having  the  golden  censer,  and  the 
ark  of  the  testament  covered  about  on  every  part  with  gold, 
in  which  was  a  golden  pot  that  had  manna,  and  the  rod  of 
Aaron  that  had  blossomed,  and  the  tables  of  the  testament, 
and  over  it  were  the  cherubims  of  glory  overshadowing  the 
propitiatory :  of  which  it  is  not  needful  to  speak  now  parti- 
cularly. Now  these  things  being  thus  ordered;  into. the  first 
tabernacle  the  priests  indeed  always  entered,  accomplishing 
the  offices  of  sacrifices.  But  into  the  second,  the  high-priest 
alone,  once  a  year;  not  without  blood,  which  he  offereth  for 
his  own,  and  the  people's  ignorance:  the  Holy  Ghost  signify- 
ing this,  that  the  way  into  the  Holies  was  not  yet  made 
manifest,  whilst  the  former  tabernacle  was  yet  standing. 
Which  is  a  parable  of  the  time  then  present :  according  to 
which  gifts  and  sacrifices  are  offered,  which  cannot,  las  to  the 
conscience,  make  him  perfect  that  serveth,  only  in  meats 
and  in  drinks,  and  divers  washings,  and  justices  of  the  flesh, 
laid  on  them  until  the  time  of  correction.  But  Christ  being 
come  an  highpriest  of  the  good  things  to  come,  by  a  greater 
and  more  perfect  tabernacle  not  made  with  hands,  that  is, 
not  of  this  creation :  neither  by  the  blood  of  goats ,  or  of 
calves,  but  by  his  own  blood,  entered  once  into  the  Holies, 
having  obtained  eternal  redemption. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  teaches  in  this  epistle,  that 
the  bloody  sacrifices  of  the  priests  of  the  Old  Law  are  only  figures 
of  the  bloody  sacrifice  of  Jesus  on  the  cross,  and  that  they  could 
produce  no  internal  justification,  and  could  not  free  from  sin  and 
death.  This  can  be  done  by  Christ  only,  who  accomplished  a  re- 
demption, which  reaches, over  time  and  eternity,  by  His  death  on 
the  cross  and  by  His  entrance  into  heaven,  where  He  continually 
offers  the  merits  of  His  death  to  His  Father.  Often  and  fervently 
thank  God  for  the  grace  of  this  redemption,  and  make^yourself  a 
partaker  in  it  by  a  life  of  piety. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  xiii.  6 — 17.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spoke 
to  the  multitude  this  parable:  A  certain  man  had  a  fig-tree 
planted  in  his  vineyard,  and  he  came  seeking  fruit  on  it,  and 
found  none.  And  he  said  to  the  dresser  of  the  vineyard:  Be- 
hold, for  these  three  years  I  come  seeking  fruit  on  this  fig- 
tree,  and  I  find  none.  Cut  it  down  therefore:  why  cumbereth 
it  the  ground?  But  he  answering  said  to  him:  Lord,  let  it 
alone  this  year  also  until  I  dig  about  it,  and  dung  it.  And  if 


470  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  EIGHTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

happily  it  bear  fruit;  but  if  not,  then  after  thou  shalt  cut  it 
down.  And  he  was  teaching  in  their  synagogue  on  the  Sab- 
bath. And  behold,  there  was  a  woman  who  had  a  spirit  of 
infirmity  eighteen  years :  and  she  was  bowed  together,  neither 
could  she  look  upwards  at  all.  Whom  when  Jesus  saw,  he 
called  her  unto  him,  and  said  to  her :  Woman,  thou  art  de- 
livered from  thy  infirmity.  And  he  laid  his  hands  upon  her, 
and  immediately  she  was  made  straight,  and  glorified  God. 
And  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  (being  angry  that  Jesus  had 
healed  on  the  Sabbath)  answering ,  said  to  the  multitude : 
Six  days  there  are  wherein  you  ought  to  work.  In  them 
therefore  come,  and  be  healed;  and  not  on  the  Sabbath-day. 
And  the  Lord  answering  him  said :  Ye  hypocrites,  doth  not 
every  one  of  you  on  the  Sabbath  day  loose  his  ox  or  his  ass 
from  the  manger,  and  lead  them  to  water?  And  ought  not 
this  daughter  of  Abraham,  whom  Satan  had  bound,  lo,  these 
eighteen  years,  be  loosed  from  this  bond  on  the  Sabbath-day1? 
And  when  he  had  said  these  things,  all  his  adversaries  were 
ashamed :  and  all  the  people  rejoiced  for  all  the  things  that 
were  gloriously  done  by  him. 

PRAYER.  0  Lord,  do  not  permit  that  we,  when  Thou 
comest  and  askest  fruits  of  true  penance,  be  found  without 
them  and  be  rejected  by  Thee;  grant  us  rather  time  for  pen- 
ance and  the  grace,  that  we,  faithfully  following  Thy  foot- 
prints, may  abound  in  all  good  works  and  thus  be  made 
partakers  of  eternal  happiness.  Send  also  holy  priests  into 
Thy  Church,  who  have  only  Thy  honor  and  the  salvation  of 
souls  at  heart,  and  by  word  and  example  lead  the  faithful  to 
heaven.  Amen. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  EIGHTEENTH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

THe  Church  prays  at  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  for  the  peace 
which  God  has  promised  by  His  prophets:  Give  peace, 
0  Lord,  to  those  who  patiently  wait  for  thee,  that  thy 
prophets  may  be  found  faithful:  hear  the  prayers  of 
thy  servant,  and  of  thy  people  Israel.    I  rejoiced  at 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  EIGHTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.    4 71 

the  things  that  were  said  to  me:  we  shall  go  into  the 
house  of  the  Lord.  (Ps.  cxxi.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  May  the  influence  of  Thy 
mercy,  0  Lord ,  direct  our  souls :  for  without  Thy  help  we 
can  do  nothing  well  pleasing  to  Thee.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  i.  4 — 8.)  Brethren:  I  give  thanks  to  my 
God  always  for  you,  for  the  grace  of  God,  that  is  given  you 
in  Christ  Jesus;  that  in  all  things  you  are  made  rich  in  him, 
in  all  utterance,  and  in  all  knowledge,  as  the  testimony  of 
Christ  was  confirmed  in  you.  So  that  nothing  is  wanting  to 
you  in  any  grace,  waiting  for  the  manifestation  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Who  also  will  confirm  you  unto  the  end  with- 
out crime,  in  the  day  of  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  shows  in  this  epistle,  that  true 
love  for  his  neighbor  reigns  in  him,  because  he  rejoices  and 
thanks  God,  that  he  enriched  the  Corinthians  with  different  graces 
and  gifts,  particularly  with  frequent  preaching  of  the  word  of 
God  and  the  necessary  knowledge  of  the  doctrines  of  faith  and 
morals,  thus  confirming  the  testimony  of  Christ  in  them,  so  that 
they  could  without  fear  expect  the  arrival  of  Christ  for  judg- 
ment. Do  thou  also  rejoice,  with  St.  Paul,  at  the  graces  given  to 
thy  neighbor,  for  this  is  a  mark  of  particular  love  for  our  neighbor. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  ix.  1 — 8.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  entering 
into  a  boat,  he  passed  over  the  water  and  came  into  his  own 
city.  And  behold,  they  brought  to  him  one  sick  of  the  palsy, 
lying  on  a  bed.  And  Jesus  seeing  their  faith,  said  to  the  man 
sick  of  the  palsy:  Be  of  good  heart,  son,  thy  sins  are  forgiven 
thee.  And  behold,  some  of  the  Scribes  said  within  them- 
selves: He  blasphemeth.  And  Jesus  seeing  their  thoughts, 
said:  Why  do  you  think  evil  in  your  hearts?  Whether  it  is 
easier  to  say,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee:  or  to  say,  Arise 
and  walk.  But  that  you  may  know  that  the  Son  of  Man 
hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins,  (then  said  he  to  the 
nian  sick  of  the  palsy,)  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  into 
thy  house.  And  he  arose  and  went  into  his  house.  And  the 
multitudes  seeing  it,  feared,  and  glorified  God  that  gave  such 
power  to  men. 

EXPLANATIONS.  I.  Those  who  brought  this  sick  man  to 
Christ,  give  us  a  touching  example  of  how  we  should  take  care 


472  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  EIGHTEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


for  the  sick  and  help  them  according  to  our  ability.  And  since 
Christ  was  so  well  pleased  with  their  faith*  and  their  charity,  as 
to  remit  the  sins  and  cure  the  man  sick  of  palsy,  let  us  learn, 
how  many  who  are  deceased  in  their  soul,  we  might  assist,  if  we 
were  to  lead  them  to  God  by  confident  prayer,  by  urgent  admo- 
nitions, or  by  good  example.  Let  us,  therefore,  not  omit,  at  least 
to  pray  diligently  for  sinners,  if  we  are  unable  to  do  anything  else 
for  them. 

II.  Christ  did  not  cure  the  one  sick  of  palsy,  until  He  had 
forgiven  him  his  sins,  by  which  He  wished  to  teach  us,  that  sins 
are  often  the  causes  of  diseases  and  other  evils,  by  which  we  are . 
visited,  and  which  would  not  come  upon  us  or  would  leave  us,  if 
we  would  abstain  from  our  sins  and  perform  true  penance.  This 
doctrine  Jesus  confirmed,  when  He  said  to  the  man,  who  had  been 
sick  for  thirty  eight  years:    Sin  no  more,  lest  some  worse 


INSTRUCTION  ON  INDULGENCES.  473 

thing  happen  to  thee.  (John  v.  14.)  Would  that  this  were 
considered  by  those  who  so  often  impetuously  demand  of  God 
liberation  from  their  evils,  but  do  not  intend  to  free  themselves 
from  their  sins,  which  are  the  cause  of  these  evils,  by  a  sincere 
repentance. 

III.  "He  blasphemeth."  Thus  thought  the  Jews,  in 
their  perverted  hearts,  of  Christ,  because  they  believed,  that  He 
in  remitting  the  sins  of  the  sick  man,  usurped  the  rights  of  God 
and  thus  did  a  great  injury  to"  God;  for  to  inflict  an  injury  on 
God,  to  think,  say,  or  do  anything  disgraceful  against  God  and 
His  saints,  this  is  to  blaspheme  God.  But  these  Jews  did  not  con- 
sider, that  they  by  their  rash  judgment  blasphemed,  since  they 
blasphemed  Christ  who  sufficiently  proved  Himself  God  by  the 
cure  of  the  man  sick  of  palsy  and  by  many  other  works,  beyond 
the  power  of  man.  By  the  accusation  that  He  blasphemed  God, 
they  offered  Him  so  great  an  insult,  that  He  was  obliged  to  re- 
prove their  fault.  If  Christ  so  severely  reprimanded  the  Jews, 
who  would  not  recognise  Him  as  God,  for  a  blasphemous  thought 
against  Him,  what  will  He  do  with  those  Christians  who,  though 
they  wish  to  be  adorers  of  God  and  His  Son,  nevertheless  utter 
blasphemies,  curses,  and  profanations  of  the  holy  Sacraments? 

IV.  When  Jesus  saw  their  thoughts,  He  said:  Why  think  you 
evil  in  your  hearts?  This  may  be  taken  to  heart  by  those  who 
think,  that  thoughts  are  free,  to  whom  it  never  occurs  to  confess 
anything  with  regard  to  their  evil  and  shameful  thoughts,  though 
God,  the  most  Holy  and  most  Just,  will,  nevertheless,  not  leave  a 
voluntary  unchaste,  proud,  angry,  revengeful,  envious  thought 
unpunished,  any  more  than  an  idle  word.  {Matt.  xii.  36.)  The  best 
remedy  against  evil  thoughts  would  be  the  recollection,  that  God 
who  searches  the  heart,  sees  them  and  will  punish  them. 

PRAYER.  How  great,  0  Jesus!  is  Thy  love  and  mercy 
towards  poor  sinners,  since  Thou  not  only  forgavest  the  sins 
of  the  man  sick  of  palsy,  in  the  day's  gospel,  but  didst  also 
call  him  a  son,  console  and  entirely  cure  him.  This  Thy  love 
encourages  me  to  beg  of  Thee  the  grace,  that  we  may  rise 
from  our  bed  of  sins  by  true  penance,  amend  our  life,  and 
enter  the  house  of  eternal  happiness  on  the  way  of  Thy  com- 
mandments. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  INDULGENCES. 

Be  of  good  heart,  my  son,  thy  sins  are  forgiven. 

{Matt.  ix.  2.) 
He  same  that  Christ  says  to  the  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  the 


T 


priest  says  to  every  contrite  sinner  in  the  confessional,  and 
thus  remits  the  crime  or  the  guilt  of  his  sins  and  the  eternal 


474  INSTRUCTION  ON  INDULGENCES. 

punishment,  by  virtue  of  the  authority  given  him  by  God.  But 
since  the  sins,  besides  the  guilt  and  eternal  punishment,  draw 
after  them  also  temporal  punishment  [see  Instruction  on  Satis- 
faction on  the  fourth  Sunday  in  Advent],  and  indeed  spiritual  or 
supernatural  ones,  as:  different  painful  conditions  of  the  soul, 
as  well  in  this  world  as  in  the  next  in  purgatory,  and  natural 
ones,  as:  poverty,  disease,  all  sorts  of  adversities  and  accidents, 
we  should  endeavor  to  liberate  ourselves  from  them  by  means  of 
indulgences. 

What  is  an  indulgence  ? 
It  is  a  total  or  partial  remission  of  temporal  punishment,  which 
man  would  have  to  suffer  either  in  this  or  the  next  life,  after  the 
sins  have  been  remitted. 

How  do  we  know,  that  after  the  remission  of  the  sin,  there  still 
remains  temporal  punishment? 
From  holy  Scripture ;  for  our  first  parents  after  the  forgiveness 
of  their  sin,  were  still  afflicted  with  a  temporal  punishment. 
(Gen.  iii.)  God  likewise  forgave  the  sins  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
who  murmured  so  often  against  Him  in  the  desert,  but  not  their 
punishment,  for  He  excluded  them  from  the  Promised  Land,  and 
caused  them  to  die  in  the  desert.  (Numb,  xiv.)  Moses  and  Aaron 
experienced  the  same,  on  account  of  a  little  want  of  confidence  in 
God.  (Num. xx.  12.,  Oeut.xxxii.  51.)  David,  indeed,  received  pardon 
from  God  through  the  Prophet  Nathan  for  his  adultery  and  mur- 
der (ii.  Kings  xii.),  still  he  had  to  endure  heavy  temporal  punish- 
ment, as  for  instance  the  death  of  his  only  beloved  son  Absolon. 
Finally,  faith  teaches  us,  that  we  are  tortured  in  purgatory  for 
our  sins,  until  we  have  paid  the  last  farthing.  (Matt.  v.  26.) 

Did  the  Church  always  agree  with  this  doctrine  of  Scripture  ? 

Yes;  for  resting  on  these  texts  of  Scripture  she  always  taught, 
that  by  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  the  guilt  and  eternal  punish- 
ment, due  to  sin,  are  indeed  forgiven  for  the  sake  of  the  infinite 
merits  of  Jesus,  but  that  temporal  punishments  still  remain,  for 
which  the  sinner  must  do  penance.  Even  in  the  earliest  times  she 
imposed  great  penalties  and  penances  upon  sinners  for  their  sins 
which  were  already  forgiven.  For  murder,  for  instance,  for  ad- 
ultery a  penance  of  twenty  years,  for  perjury  eleven,  for  impurity, 
for  denial  of  faith,  for  fortune-telling  seven  years  of  severe  pe- 
nance with  fasting,  &c,  were  imposed;  during  this  time  it  was 
not  allowed  to  travel,  except  on  foot,  to  be  present  at  the  holy 
Sacrifice  of  Mass,  to  receive  the  holy  Eucharist,  &c.  But  if  the 
penitents  showed  a  great  zeal  for  penance  and  sincere  amend- 
ment, or  if  distinguished  members  of  the  Church,  particularly 
martyrs,  interceded  for  them,  the  bishops  granted  them  an  in- 
dulgence,  that  is,  they  remitted  the  remaining  punishment 
either  totally  or  partially.  But  in  our  days,  on  account  of  the 
weakness  of  the  faithful,'  the  Church  must  give  lenity  the  upper 


INSTRUCTION  ON  INDULGENCES.  475 

hand.  Besides  the  ecclesiastical  punishments,  the  spiritual  punish- 
ments which  would  have  to  be  suffered  either  here  or  in  purga- 
tory for  the  taking  away  of  sins,  are  shortened  and  mitigated  by 
the  indulgences  through  the  treasure  of  the  communion  of  saints. 

Has  the  Church  the  power  to  remit  temporal  punishments,  or  to 
grant  indulgences? 

The  Council  of  Trent  expressly  states,  that  the  Church  has 
power  to  grant  indulgences  (Sess.  25.),  and  this  statement  it  sup- 
ports by  the  words  of  Christ.  For  as  Christ  protests:  Verily  I 
say  unto  you:  whatsoever  you  shall  bind  upon  earth, 
shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven;  so  He  also  promised,  that 
whatever  the  Church  looses  upon  earth,  is  ratified  and  loosed  in 
heaven.  Whatsoever  you  shall  loose  upon  earth,  shall 
be  loosed  in  heaven.  (Afatt. xviii,  18.)  Even  an  apostle  granted 
an  indulgence.  St.  Paul  forgave  the  incestuous  Corinthian,  upon 
whom  he  had  imposed  a  heavy  punishment,  what  he  would  still 
have  had  to  suffer,  in  the  person  and  power  of  Christ,  that 
his  spirit  might  be  saved  in  the  day  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  (ii.  Cor.  ii.  10.;  i.  Cor.  v.  4,  5.) 

What  is  meant  by  saying,  indulgences  are  granted  out  of  the 

treasury  of  the  saints  or  of  the  Church? 
By  this  is  meant,  that  God  remits  the  sinner's  temporal  punish- 
ment by  the  Church  for  the  sake  of  the  merits  of  Christ  and  the 
saints,  and  supplies,  as  it  were,  by  these  merits  what  is  still 
wanting  in  our  satisfaction. 

What  kinds  of  indulgences  are  there  ? 

Two;  plenary  indulgences  and  partial  indigences.  A  plen- 
ary indulgence,  if  rightly  received,  remits  all  ecclesiastical  and 
temporal  punishment,  which  we  would  otherwise  have  to  expiate 
by  the  usual  ecclesiastical  penance.  A  partial  indulgence  of  so 
many  days  or  years,  remits  so  much  of  the  temporal  punishment 
as  the  sinner  could  have  expiated  in  so  many  days  or  years  of 
severe  penance,  according  to  the  penitential  code  of  the  earliest 
ages  of  the  Church,  hence  also  the  name  forty  day's  indulgence,  &c. 

What  is  a  jubilee?*) 
It  is  a  plenary  indulgence,  which  the  pope  grants  to  all  the 
faithful  over  the  whole  world,  out  of  the  treasure  of  the  infinite 
merits  of  Christ  and  His  saints,  and  by  which  all  temporal  punish- 

*)  The  word  jubilee  signifies  deliverance,  remittance.  With  the  Jews 
every  fiftieth  year  was  called  so,  and  all  the  prisoners  and  slaves  were  to  be 
set  free  in  this  year  according  to  the  command  of  God,  the  inheritances  which 
had  been  sold,  restored  to  their  masters,  the  debts  canceled,  and  the  earth 
left  untitled.  This  was  a  year  of  grace  and  rest  for  the  Jews.  This  jubilee 
of  the  Jews  was  a  figure  of  the  Catholic  jubilee,  in  which  the  captives  of  sin 
and  Satan  are  liberated,  the,  debt  of  sin  remitted,  and  the  inheritance  of  hea- 
ven, which  the  sinner  had  sold  to  Satan,  is  restored  to  him. 


476  INSTRUCTION  ON  INDULGENCES. 

ments  for  all,  even  the  most  heinous  sins,  otherwise  reserved  to 
the  pope  and  the  bishops,  together  with  the  accompanying  eccle- 
siastical punishment,  are  remitted  and  forgiven  in  the  name  of 
God,  if  the  sinner  confesses  contritely  and  receives  the  holy  Eu- 
charist and  has  a  firm  purpose  of  doing  penance. 

What  is  required  to  receive  an  indulgence  ? 

That  we  be  free  from  all  mortal  sin,  hence  in  the  state  of  grace, 
which  can  be  obtained  by  the  worthy  reception  of  the  holy  Sa- 
craments; moreover  that  we  put  aside  all  inclination  for  sin  and 
feel  a  perfect  detestation  not  only  for  sin,  but  also  for  all  evil  oc- 
casions of  it,  and  for  all  that  leads  to  sin;  also  that  we  ardently 
perform  the  prescribed  good  works,  especially  the  prayer  for  the 
exaltation  and  spreading  of  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  for  peace 
and  unity  of  Christian  princes,  for  rooting  up  of  heresies,  &c. 
(which  generally  consists  in  seven  Our  Fathers  and  Hail  Marys, 
Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c,  with  the  Apostles'  Creed.) 

Do  indulgences  free  us  from  all  works  of  penance  ? 

By  no  means;  for  besides  that  among  a  thousand  there  is 
hardly  one  in  the  proper  state  of  soul  to  receive  an  indulgence 
worthily,  since  besides  purity  of  soul  the  inclination  to  sin  must 
be  rooted  out,  it  is  by  no  means  the  intention  of  the  Church,  to 
free  us  from  all  works  of  penance  by  granting  us  indulgences. 
For  she  cannot  act>contrary  to  the  words  of  our  Saviour:  Unless 
you  do  penance,  you  shall  all  likewise  perish.  (Luke 
xiii.  3.)  She  rather  wishes  to  assist  our  weakness,  to  supply  our 
inability  to  do  the  required  penance,  and  to  contribute  what  is 
wanting  in  our  penance,  by  applying  the  satisfaction  of  Christ  and 
the  saints  to  us  by  indulgences.  If  we,  therefore,  do  not  wish  to 
do  penance  for  our  own  sins,  whe  shall  have  no  part  in  the  pen- 
ances of  others  by  indulgences. 

Are  indulgences  useful  for  the  dead? 
Yes,  by  way  of  suffrage,  so  far  as  we  comply  with  the  re- 
quired conditions,  and  thus  beg  of  God,  for  the  merits  of  His  Son 
and  the  saints,  to  remit  the  punishments  of  the  souls  in  purgatory. 
Whether  God  will  receive  this  petition  or  not,  remains  with  Him, 
and  He  will  act  only  according  to  the  condition  of  the  deceased 
person.  We  must,  therefore,  not  depend  upon  the  indulgences  and 
good  works,  which  may  be  performed  for  us  after  death,  but  we 
should  rather  endeavor,  during  our  life-time,  to  secure  our  sal- 
vation by  leading  a  pious  life  and  by  our  own  good  works  and  by 
the  gaining  of  indulgences. 

What  follows  from  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  concerning  indulgences? 

That  an  indulgence  is  not  a  charter  or  license  to  commit  any 
sin,  as  the  enemies  .of  the  Church  falsely  contend ;  that  by  an  in- 
dulgence no  forgiveness  of  a  committed  or  a  future  sin  is  granted ; 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINETEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.    477 

that  no  Catholic  can  believe,  that  he  is  free  from  doing  works  of 
penance  or  other  good  works  by  gaining  indulgences,  that  he  is 
free  to  waver  and  change  his  mind,  free  from  the  fight  with  his 
evil  inclinations,  passions,  and  habits,  from  compensating  for  in- 
juries, repairing  scandals,  from  retrieving  neglected  good,  and  the 
glorifying  of  God  by  works  and  sufferings ;  but  that  indulgences 
give  nothing  else  than  partial  or  total  remission  of  temporal  pun- 
ishment; that  they  remind  us  of  our  weakness  and  lukewarm- 
ness  in  comparison  with  the  early  Christians ;  that  they  impel  us 
to  propitiate  the  justice  of  God  according  to  our  ability;  and, 
finally,  they  remind  us  to  thank  God  continually,  that  He  gave 
the  Church  a  means  in  the  inexhaustible  treasure  of  the  merits 
of  Christ  and  His  saints,  to  help  our  weakness  and  to  supply  what 
is  wanting  in  our  penance. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINETEENTH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

N  the  Introit  of  the  Mass,  God  says:  I  am 
the  Saviour  of  my  people,  saith  the 
Lord:  in  whatever  distress  they  call  on 
me,  I  will  hear  them:  and  will  be  their 
Lord  for  ever.  Attend,  0  my  people, 
to  my  law,  incline  your  ears  to  the 
j-  words  ofmy  mouth.  (Ps.  lxxvii.)  Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  Almighty  and  merciful 
God,  favourably  defend  us  from  all  adversity:  that  being  free 
both  in  soul  and  body,  we  may  with  security  of  mind  per- 
form Thy  service.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  {Ephes.  iv.  23—28.)  Brethren:  Be  renewed  in 
the  spirit  of  your  mind ;  and  put  on  the  new  man,  who,  ac- 
cording to  God,  is  created  in  justice  and  holiness  of  truth. 
Wherefore  putting  away  lying,  speak  ye  the  truth  every  man 
with  his  neighbour:  for  we  are  members  one  of  another.  Be 
angry  and  sin  not.  Let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your  anger. 
Give  not  place  to  the  devil.  He  that  stole,  let  him  now  steal 
no  more:  but  rather  let  him  labour  working  with  his  hands 
the  thing  which  is  good,  that  he  may  have  something  to  give 
to  him  that  sufTereth  need. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  admonishes  the  Ephesians  and  us, 
that  we  should  lay  aside  the  old  man,  like  a  worn  out  garment, 
and  put  on  the  new  man,  that  is,  renew  our  internal  and  external 


478  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINETEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

conduct.  This  renewal  according  to  his  teaching  takes  place, 
when  we  by  a  true  repentance  put  away  our  usual  vices,  shun  all 
lying,  anger,  injustice,  &c,  and,  on  the  contrary,  adorn  our  soul 
with  holy  virtues  and  zealously  seek  after  Christian  justice  and 
perfection. — We  have,  perhaps,  already  sought  to  change  our 
manner  of  living,  for  which  a  jubilee  or  another  particular  solem- 
nity of  the  Church  gave  us  occasion,  and  at  that  time,  perhaps, 
purified  our  soul  by  a  general  confession,  and  made  the  firm  pur- 
pose, to  live  for  God  and  our  salvation,  we  appeared  converted 
and  to  be  other  men :  but  how  long  did  this  conversion  last?  Ah, 
how  soon  did  we  fall  back  into  the  old,  sinful  way  of  living !  And 
why?  Certainly  because  we  lived  in  too  great,  deceitful  security. 
We  thought  everything  accomplished  by  the  general  confession ; 
we  were  satisfied  and  omitted  to  employ  the  means  of  keeping  in 
the  state  of  renewal.  We  did  not  thank  God  for  the  grace  of  con- 
version, we  did  not  ask  Him  for  the  grace  of  perseverance.  We 
frequented  evil  company  as  before,  and  did  not  avoid  dangerous 
occasions,  we  indulged  in  idleness  and  pleasures  as  before.  How 
can  it  appear  strange,  if  such  a  conversion  is  useless?  Ah,  we 
should  remain  in  wholesome  fear  even  after  the  remission  of  our 
sins.  (Eccl.  v.  5.)  For  even  if  we  could  say,  that  we  have  done 
everything,  nevertheless  we  cannot  be  certain,  whether  we  be 
worthy  of  hatred  or  love.  (Eccl.  ix.  1.)  We  should,  therefore, 
work  out  our  salvation  according  to  the  advice  of  St.  Paul  (Philipp. 
ii.  12.)  in  fear  and  trembling,  and  thus  not  fall  into  the  old  life  of 
sin  by  rash  security,  losing  the  hope  of  a  new  conversion. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xxii.  1  — 14.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spoke 
to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  in  a  parable,  saying:  The  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  likened  to  a  king,  who  made  a  marriage 
for  his  son.  And  he  sent  his  servants,  to  call  them  that  were 
invited  to  the  marriage:  and  they  would  not  come.  Again  he 
sent  other  servants,  saying:  Tell  them  that  were  invited: 
Behold,  I  have  prepared  my  dinner;  my  beeves  and  fatlings 
are  killed,  and  all  things  are  ready :  come  ye  to  the  marriage. 
But  they  neglected,  and  went  their  ways,  one  to  his  farm, 
and  another  to  his  merchandise.  And  the  rest  laid  hands  on 
his  servants,  and  having  treated  them  contumeliously  put 
them  to  death.  But  when  the  king  had  heard  of  it,  he  was 
angry,  and  sending  his  armies,  he  destroyed  those  murderers, 
and  burnt  their  city.  Then  he  saith  to  his  servants:  The 
marriage  indeed  is  ready;  but  they  that  were  invited,  were 
not  worthy.     Go  ye  therefore  into  the  high -ways;  and  as 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINETEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.   479 


many  as  you  shall  find,  call  to  the  marriage.  And  his  ser- 
vants going  forth  into  the  ways,  gathered  together  all  they 
found,  both  bad  and  good:  and  the. marriage  was  filled  with 
guests.  And  the  king  went  in  to  see  jjhe  guests;  and  he  saw 
there  a  man  who  had  not  on  a  wedding-garment.  And  he 
saith  to  him:  Friend,  how  earnest  thou  in  hither  not  having 
on  a  wedding-garment ?  But  he  was  silent.  Then  the  king 
said  to  the  waiters :  Bind  his  hands  and  his  feet,  and  cast 
him  into  the  exterior  darkness ;  there  shall  be  weeping  and 
gnashing  of  teeth.  For  many  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen. 

REMARK.     This  parable  agrees  in  many  respects  with  that  on 
the  second  Sunday  after  Pentecost,  and  has  the  same  meaning.  See, 


480  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NINETEENTH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

therefore,  the  explanation  of  that  gospel,  as  also  of  the  gospel  on 
the  feast  of  St.  Catherine,  to  which  mag  be  added  the  following 

EXPLANATION.  The  king  in  the  present  parable  is  the 
Heavenly  Father  who  betroths  His  only  begotten  Son  to  the  Church 
as  to  a  spouse,  and  on  this  occasion  makes  the  finest  marriage- 
feast  by  giving  the  evangelical  doctrine,  the  holy  Sacraments,  and 
the  heavenly  joys.  To  this  marriage-feast,  He  first  invited  the 
Jews  through  His  servants,  the  prophets,  apostles,  and  disciples 
of  Christ.  But  the  Jews  despised  the  honor  and  grace  of  the  di- 
vine King,  destined  for  them,  abused  and  killed  His  servants,  and 
were,  therefore,  cast  aside  and  together  with  their  city  Jerusalem 
destroyed  by  the  armies  of  their  enemies,  as  a  just  punishment; 
but  in  their  stead  the  heathens  and  all  those  nations  were  called, 
who  were  on  the  broad  road  to  hell,  and  who  now  occupy  the 
places  of  the  unfortunate  Jews  at  the  marriage-feast  of  the  Church, 
and  shall  also  occupy  them  in  heaven.  In  this  manner  is  verified 
in  the  Jews,  to  whom  Christ  addressed  this  parable,  that  many 
of  them,  nay,  all  are  called,  but  few  chosen,  because  they  would 
not  heed  the  invitation. 

APPLICATION.  We  have  the  fortune  not  only  to  be  invited 
to  this  marriage-feast,  but  are  in  reality  guests  at  it,  because  we 
are  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ  by  faith.  "But  the  Chris- 
tian," says  St.  Gregory,  "who  is  a  member  of  the  Church  by  faith, 
but  has  not  charity,  is  like  to  a  man  who  comes  to  the  marriage- 
feast  without  the  wedding-garment."  With  this  garment  which  is 
charity,  Christ  was  vested,  when  He  came  to  celebrate  the  nuptials 
with  His  spouse,  the  Church,  and  by  the  bond  of  charity  the  Son 
of  God  also  unites  Himself  with  His  elect.  He  clearly  lets  us 
know,  that  charity  is  the  wedding-garment  which  should  vest  us. 
Those,  therefore,  who  believe  and  are  in  the  communion  of  the 
Church,  but  who  do  not  preserve  the  grace  of  charity,  are,  in- 
deed, in  the  wedding-chamber,  but  they  are  not  adorned  with  the 
wedding- garment.  They  are,  therefore,  dead  members  of  the 
Church,  and  shall  not  be  admitted  without  this  garment  into  the 
celestial  marriage-feast  in  the  triumphant  Church,  but  rather  be 
cast  with  that  unfortunate  guest  into  exterior  darkness.  This  one 
was  silent,  when  he  was  asked  by  the  king,  why  he  had  not  the 
wedding-garment.  By  this  we  see,  that  no  one  can  excuse  him- 
self to  God  for  not  having  charity,  because  every  one  can  have  it, 
if  he  asks  it  from  God,  and,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  our  heart  is 
the  workshop  of  charity,  and  every  one  who  has  a  heart,  can 
practise  it. 

PRAYER.  I  thank  Thee,  0  Jesus,  that  Thou  didst  call  me 
to  the  marriage-feast  in  Thy  Church,  give  me  the  wedding- 
garment  of  charity,  that  I  may  be  present  at  the  celestial 
marriage-feast,  and  not  be  cast  into  exterior  darkness. 


481 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  HELL. 
Cast  him  into  the  exterior  darkness.     {Malt.  xxii.  13.) 

HWhat  is  hell? 
Ell  is  that  awful  place  of  the  lower  regions ,   where  the 
damned  must  suffer  eternal  punishment. 

Is  there  a  hell? 

Yes,  as  shown  by  reason,  holy  Scripture,  and  the  teaching  of 
the  Church.  Reason  tells  us,  that  there  is  a  God,  that  God  is  just, 
and  if  God  is  just,  He  cannot  leave  sin  unpunished.  It  is  evident, 
that  all  sins  are  not  punished  in  this  world ;  there  is,  therefore, 
after  this  world  a  place,  where  every  sin,  not  washed  out  by  sor- 
row and  penance,  will  be  punished,  and  this  place  is — hell.  All 
nations  from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  even  those  who  had  not 
the  light  of  revelation,  believed  this. 

But  clearer  still  is  the  existence  of  hell  shown  by  holy  Scrip- 
ture. Already  the  pious  Job  (x.  12.)  speaks  of  a  region  of  misery 
and  darkness,  where  are  the  shadows  of  death  and  no  order,  but 
where  eternal  terror  reigns.  The  Prophet  Isaias  (xxx.  33.)  says, 
that  hell  is  deep  and  wide,  and  that  the  fire  burning  in  it,  is  like 
a  stream  of  sulphur,  ignited  by  the  breath  of  the  Lord.  .  Our  Sa- 
viour expressly  says,  that  those  who  have  done  evil,  shall  go  to 
everlasting  torment  {Matt.  xxv.  46),  that  they  shall  be  tortured 
with  everlasting  fire.  {Matt.  xxv.  41.)  He  makes  mention  of  hell, 
and  says  that  an  inextinguishable  fire  burns  there,  and  a  worm 
which  never  dies,  plagues  the  wicked.  {Malt.  ix.  42.;  x.  28.)  All 
the  fathers  of  the  Church  teach  and  testify  to  the  same  doctrine. 
St.  Augustine,  among  many  others,  says :  "The  infinite  wisdom  of 
God  tells  us,  that  there  is  a  hell,  and  the  illimitable  power  of  God 
it  is,  that  punishes  the  damned  in  a  wonderful,  but  real  manner." 

Wherein  do  the  pains  of  hell  consist? 

Sacred  Scripture  and  the  Church  teach  concerning  the  pains 
of  the  reprobate  in  hell,  that  they  there  burn  in  an  eternally  in- 
extinguishable fire.  {Matt.  xxv.  30.)  The  holy  doctors  of  the 
Church  say,  that  this  fire  is  never  extinguished,  and  its  smoke 
ascends  and  rises  from  century  to  century.  "I  see  this  fire,"  says 
St.  Gregory,  "as  if  it  were  gifted  with  reason;  it  makes  a  dis- 
tinction between  the  guilty,  and  tortures  the  damned  according 
to  the  nature  of  their  sins.  This  fire  burns,  but  never  consumes 
its  victims;  it  communicates,  as  Cassiodorus  says,  immortality 
to  the  reprobate  and  lets  them  suffer  pain,  which  preserves  them, 
like  salt  which  penetrates  the  flesh  and  keeps  it  from  corruption, 
as  Jesus  says :  Every  one  shall  be  salted  with  fire.  {Mark. 
ix.  48.)  Tiiis  fire  does  not  shine,  it  leaves  the  reprobate  in  dark- 
ness {Matt.  viii.  12.),  and  with  this  fire  a  worm  is  combined,  as 
Christ  says,  which  continually  torments  the  damned,  and  never 


31 


482      CONSOLING  DOCTRINE  ON  THE  JOYS  OF  HEAVEN. 

dies.  This  worm  is  not  only  the  bad  conscience,  say  the  holy  fa- 
thers, but  particularly  the  privation  of  the  Beatific  Vision.  Eter- 
nally will  the  thought  torment  the  damned:  I  have  lost  God,  the 
only,  true  and  highest  good,  I  have  lost  Him  through  my  fault,  I 
have  lost  Him  for  a  brief  pleasure,  I  have  lost  Him  for  ever.  This 
is  the  gnawing  worm  which  unremittingly  torments  and  gnaws 
the  reprobate,  this  is  the  most  terrible  torment,  the  most  in- 
supportable torture.  And  this  torment  and  torture  remain  for 
ever,  will  never  cease.  In  hell  there  is  no  more  time,  eternity 
has  devoured  all  time;  and  if  after  millions  and  millions  of  years 
a  damned  one  wailingly  asks  his  companion  in  misery:  What  time 
is  it?  he  receives  the  answer:  It  is  eternity. 

Who  would  not  fear  hell,  when  he  reflects  upon  this,  and  not 
avoid  sin  which  cast  man  down  into  it!  And  yet  there  are  so 
many,  upjpn  whom  the  truth  of  the  existence  of  a  hell  makes  no 
impression,  yes,  who  even  deny  that  there  is  a  hell,  and  say:  "God 
is  love,  He  can  have  no  pleasure  in  the  torments  of  His  creatures, 
He  cannot  eternally  punish  a  sin  which  was  committed  in  so  short 
a  time  as  is  the  life  of  man."  But  those  who  speak  thus,  forget 
that  God  is  just,  that  His  love  and  mercy  are  indeed  always  ready 
to  forgive  the  contrite  and  penitent,  but  that  His  justice  must 
also  be  satisfied,  when  the  sinner  continually  rejects  the  merciful 
love  of  God;  they  forget,  that  every  grievous  sin  which  man 
commits  voluntarily  and  knowingly,  is  an  infinite,  eternal  insult, 
offered  to  God,  which  can  only  be  atoned  for  by  an  eternal  punish- 
ment. For  the  perverted  and  malicious  will  of  a  man,  who  dies  in 
mortal  sin,  remains  perverted  and  malicious  in  eternity,  therefore 
he  must  also  be  punished  eternally. 

0  my  dear  Christian,  do  not  listen  to  such  talkers;  for  just 
on  account  of  their  sinful  life,  they  ought  to  fear  hell  which  con- 
demns their  lives,  and  therefore  they  endeavor  to  free  themselves 
from  this  fear  by  denying  the  existence  of  hell ;  but  cannot  suc- 
ceed; for  Jesus,  the  mouth  of  truth,  has  told  us,  that  there  is  a 
hell,  and  His  word  remains  true  for  all  eternity.  Endeavor  rather 
by  a  pious  and  godly  life  to  escape  hell  descend  in  spirit;  accord- 
ing to  the  advice  of  a  saint,  very  often  into  hell,  contemplate 
the  torments  of  the  damned,  and  let  this  contemplation  urge  you 
to  imitate  Christ,  who  has  promised  the  joys  of  heaven  to  all  His 
faithful  followers. 

CONSOLING  DOCTRINE  ON  THE  JOYS  OF  HEAVEN. 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  to  a  man,   being  a-  king, 
who  made  a  marriage  for  his  son.     {Matt.  xxii.  2.) 

HEaven  is  also  likened  by  Christ  to  a  marriage-feast,  be 
cause  we  can  there  enjoy  all  imaginable  pleasures  in  the 
most  perfect  union  with  God.    Wherein  these  pleasures  consist, 
St.  Paul  could  not  describe,  although  he  was  rapt  into  the  third 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTIETH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.    483 

heaven  and  tasted  these  pleasures;  he  only  said:  No  eye  hath 
seen,  no  ear  heard,  and  it  hath  not  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man,  what  God  has  prepared  for  those  that 
love  him.  (Cor.  ii.  9.)  Holy  Writ,  indeed,  gives  us  many  de- 
scriptions of  the  celestial  joys,  it  sometimes  calls  heaven  a  para- 
dise of  bliss,  sometimes  a  precious  pearl,  sometimes  a  treasure 
which  neither  rust  nor  moth  consumes,  nor  thieves  dig  up  and 
steal ;  sometimes  it  shows  heaven  in  the  picture  of  a  kingdom,  a 
throne,  a  crown,  whereby  we  are  raised  to  the  highest  honor ; 
sometimes  in  the  picture  of  a  city  which  is  built  up  of  gold,  pre- 
cious stones  and  pearls,  lighted  up  by  the  splendor  of  God,  filled 
with  magnificence  and  glory,  and  with  all  this  enjoying  undis- 
turbed peace  and  the  greatest  security ;  but  these  are  only  images 
or  similitudes,  which  are  taken  from  the  most  beautiful,  most 
precious,  and  most  magnificent  and  most  pleasant  things  of  the 
earth,  to  teach  us  that  heaven  is  as  beautiful  and  pleasant  a  place, 
as  we  can  wish  and  represent  to  ourselves,  and  that  all  possible 
beauty,  agreeableness  and  joy  may  be  found  in  heaven  in  the 
highest  and  most  perfect  manner,  without  any  evil,  without  loath- 
someness, disgust  and  fear  of  loss.  In  heaven  we  shall  possess 
God  Himself,  the  fountain  of  all  joy  and  bliss,  and  enjoy  His 
own  happiness  with  Him  for  all  eternity.  More  is  not  needed 
to  give  us  the  highest  conception  of  heaven ;  for  it  follows  from 
this:  that  we,  like  God  Himself,  far  away  from  all  evil  and  sorrow, 
shall  partake  of  His  joys  and  perfections.  We  shall  be  like  to 
Him.  (i.  John  iii.  2.)  Who  would  not  willingly  despise  the  vain, 
short  and  imperfect  pleasures  of  this  earth,  whilst  contemplating 
this  indescribable  bliss  ?  Who  would  not  willingly  bear  all  the 
misfortunes  and  misery  of  this  world,  when  considering  that  we 
shall  be  the  happier  in  the  next  world,  the  unhappier  we  have 
been  in  this  life?  What  would  it  avail  us  to  have  enjoyed  all  the 
pleasures  of  this  world,  if  deprived  of  the  pleasures  of  heaven 
hereafter ! 

ASPIRATION.  How  lovely  are  Thy  tabernacles,  0  Lord 
of  hosts!  my  soul  longeth  and  fainteth  for  the  courts  of  the 
Lord.  My  heart  and  my  flesh  have  rejoiced  in  the  living  God. 
(Ps.  lxxxiii.  2,  3.)  How  do  I  loathe  the  world,  when  I  con- 
template heaven.   (St.  Ign.  Loyola.) 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTIETH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

THe  Introit  of  the  Mass  is  an  humble  prayer,  by  which  we 
acknowledge,  that  we  are  punished  for  our  disobedience : 
Whatever  thou  hast  done  to  u^s,  0  Lord,  thou  hast  done 


31* 


484    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTIETH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

by  a  just  judgment:  for  we  have  sinned  and  disobeyed 
thy  commandments:  but  glorify  thy  name,  and  deal 
with  us  according  to  thy  great  mercy.  {Dan.  iii.  28.) 
Blessed  are  the  undefiled  in  the  way,  who  walk  in  the 
law  of  the  Lord.    Glory,  && 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Favourably  grant,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  0  Lord,  Thy  servants  both  pardon  and  peace; 
that,  being  cleansed  from  the  guilt  of  all  their  offences,  they 
may  serve  Thee  with  secure  minds.   Thro\ 

EPISTLE.  {Epli.v.  15—21.)  Brethren:  See  therefore 
how  you  walk  circumspectly  not  as  unwise,  but  as  wise:  re- 
deeming the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil.  Wherefore  be- 
come not  unwise,  but  understanding  what  is  the  will  of  God. 
And  be  not  drunk  with  wine,  wherein  is  luxury,  but  be  ye 
filled  with  the  holy  Spirit,  speaking  to  yourselves  in  psalms 
and  hymns,  and  spiritual  canticles,  singing  and  making  mel- 
ody in  your  hearts  to  the  Lord:  giving  thanks  always  for 
all  things  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  God  and 
the  Father.  Being  subject  one  to  another  in  the  fear  of 
Christ. 

How  may  we  redeem  time? 
By  employing,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  every  moment,  even  with 
the  loss  of  all  temporal  advantages,  to  gain  the  eternal  goods,  by 
letting  no  opportunity  pass  to  do  good,  to  labor  and  suffer  through 
love  for  God,  to  improve  our  lives  and  increase  in  virtue. 

"Do  you  wish  to  know,"  says  the  pious  Cornelius  a  Lapide, 
"how  precious  time  is:  Ask  the  damned,  for  these  know  it  from 
experience.  Come,  rich  man,  from  the  abyss  of  hell,  tell  us  what 
you  would  give  for  one  year,  one  day,  one  hour  of  this  time !  I 
would,  he  says,  give  the  whole  world,  all  pleasures,  all  treasures, 
and  bear  all  torments.  0,  if  only  one  moment  were  granted  me 
to  have  contrition  for  my  sins,  for  the  forgiveness  of  my  crimes, 
I  would  purchase  this  moment  with  every  labor,  with  any  pen- 
ance, with  ail  punishments,  torments,  and  tortures,  which  men 
ever  suffered  in  purgatory  or  in  hell,  even  if  they  lasted  hundred, 
yes  a  thousand  million  of  years !  0  precious  moment  upon  which 
whole  eternity  depends!  0,  how  many  moments  did  you,  my 
dear  Christian,  neglect,  in  which  you  could  have  served  God, 
could  have  done  good  for  love  of  Him,  and  gained  eternal  hap- 
piness for  them,  and  you  lost  these  precious  moments.  Remem- 
ber: with  one  moment  of  time,  if  you  employ  it  well,  you  can 
purchase  eternal  happiness,  but  with  whole  eternity  not  one  mo- 
ment of  precious  time! 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTIETH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST.     485 

ASPIRATION.  Most  bountiful  God  and  Lord!  I  am 
heartily  sorry,  that  I  have  so  badly  employed  the  time,  which 
Thou  hast  given  me  for  my  salvation.  In  order  to  supply 
what  I  have  neglected,  as  far  as  I  am  able,  I  offer  up  to  Thee 
all  that  I  have  done  or  suffered  from  the  first  use  of  my 
reason,  as  if  I  had  really  to  do  and  suffer  it  still ;  and,  in- 
deed, I  offer  it  up  in  union  with  all  the  works  and  sufferings 
of  our  Saviour,  and  beg  fervently,  that  Thou  wilt  supply, 
through  His  infinite  merits,  my  defects,  and  wilt  be  pleased 
with  all  my  actions  and  sufferings. 

Be  not  drunk  with  wine,  wherein  is  luxury/ 

[About  the  rice  of  drunkenness  see  the  third  Sunday  after  Pente- 
cost. Here  whe  shall  only  speak  of  those  who  make  others  drunk 
by  intemperately  drinkiny  toasts,  or  by  urgent  encouragement.]  The 
Persian  King  Assuerus  expressly  forbade,  that  any  one  should  be 
urged  to  drink  at  his  great  banquet.  (Esth.  i.  8.)  This  heathen 
who  knew  from  the  light  of  reason,  that  it  is  immoral  to  lead 
others  to  intemperance,  will  one  day  rise  in  judgment  against 
those  Christians  who,  enlightened  by  the  light  of  faith,  would 
not  recognise  and  avoid  this  vice.  Therefore  the  Prophet  Isaias 
(v.  22.)  pronounces,  woe  over  those  who  are  heroes  in  drinking 
and  know  how  to  intoxicate  others;  and  St.  Augustine  admonishes 
us,  by  no  means  to  consider  those  as  friends,  who  wish  to  make 
us  enemies  of  God  by  pledging  us. 

GOSPEL.  (John  iv.  46 — 53.)  At  that  time:  There  was  a 
certain  ruler  whose  son  was  sick  at  Capharnaum.  He  hav- 
ing heard  that  Jesus  was  come  from  Judea  into  Galilee,  went 
to  him,  and  prayed  him  to  come  down  and  heal  his  son:  for 
he  was  at  the  point  of  death.  Jesus  therefore  said  to  him: 
Unless  you  see  signs  and  wonders,  you  believe  not.  The  ruler 
saith  to  him:  Lord,  come  down  before  that  my  son  die.  Jesus 
saith  to  him:  Go  thy  way,  thy. son  liveth.  The  man  believed 
the  word  which  Jesus  said  to  him,  and  went  his  way.  And 
as  he  was  going  down,  his  servants  met  him;  and  they 
brought  word,  saying,  that  his  son  lived.  He  asked  therefore 
of  them  the  hour  wherein  he  grew  better.  And  they  said  to 
him:  Yesterday  at  the  seventh  hour  the  fever  left  him.  The 
father  therefore  knew  that  it  was  at  the  same  hour  that 
Jesus  said  to  him:  Thy  son  liveth;  and  himself  believed,  and 
his  whole  house. 


486  INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  TWENTIETH  SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


INSTRUCTIONS.  I.  God  permitted  the  son  of  the  ruler  to 
become  sick,  perhaps,  only  for  this  reason,  that  he  might  ask 
Christ  for  the  health  of  his  son,  and  thus  obtain  the  true  faith 
and  eternal  happiness.  In  this  manner  God  generally  seeks  to 
lead  sinners  to  Himself,  in  as  much  as  He  brings  all  sorts  of  evils 
and  misfortunes  either  upon  the  sinner  himself,  or  his  children, 
property,  cattle,  &c.  Therefore  said  David:  It  is  good  for  me, 
that  Thou  hast  humbled  me,  that  I  may  learn  Thy  jus- 
tifications (Ps.  cxviii.  71.),  and  therefore  he  also  asked  God  to 
fill  their  faces  (of  sinners)  with  shame,  that  they  should 
seek  His  name.  {Ps.  lxxxii.  17.)  This  happened  in  the  case  of 
those  of  whom  David  says:  Their  infirmities  were  multi- 
plied: afterwards  they  hastened  to  God.  (Ps.  xv.  4.)  0, 
would  we  only  do  the  same!  When  God  sends  us  failure  of  crops, 
inundations,  hailstorms,  dearth,  war,  &c,  He  wishes  nothing  else 


CONSOLATION  IN  SICKNESS.  487 

than  that  we  turn  away  from  our  sins  and  come  to  Him.  But 
what  do  we  do?  Instead  of  hastening  to  God,  we  take  refuge  in 
superstition,  or  we  murmur  against  God,  yes,  find  fault  with  or 
even  blaspheme  His  sacred  regulations ;  instead  of  removing  our 
sins  by  sincere  penance,  we  continually  commit  new  sins,  by  mur- 
muring and  impatience,  by  rash  judgments,  as  if  injustice  and 
malice  of  others  were  the  cause  of  our  misfortune,  by  hatred  and 
enmity,  &c.  What,  therefore,  must  God  still  do  if  He  cannot 
better  us,  either  by  benefits  or  by  punishments? 

II.  Christ  said  to  this  ruler:  If  you  do  not  see  signs  and 
wonders,  you  believe  not.  This  was  a  reprimand  for  his 
imperfect  faith ;  for  if  he  had  truly  believed,  he  should  not  have 
asked  Him  to  come  to  "the  house,  but  should  have,  like  the^cen- 
turion,  believed  {Matt,  viii.)  that  Christ,  even  being  absent,  could 
help  his  son.  Many  Christians  deserve  the  same  rebuke  from 
Christ,  because  they  lose  nearly  all  faith  and  confidence  in  God, 
when  He  does  not  immediately  help  them  in  their  troubles,  as 
they  wish.  But  how  displeasing  such  a  want  of  confidence  is  to 
God,  He  gives  us  to  understand,  when  He  pronounces  a  terrible 
woe  {Eccl.  ii.  1—5.)  and  denies  all  assistance  to  those  who  are  so 
fickle  and  lose  hope  and  patience. 

III.  How  much  may  not  the  example  of  the  father  of  a  family 
accomplish !  This  ruler  had  hardly  received  the  faith,  than  his 
whole  household  was  converted  and  believed  in  Christ.  0,  how 
much  good  could  fathers  and  mothers  accomplish  among  their 
subjects  and  domestics  by  their  good  example,  by  their  piety  and 
zeal  in  prayer,  by  frequent  reception  of  the  holy  Sacraments,  by 
their  meekness,  temperance,  modesty,  and  other  virtues ! 

CONSOLATION  IN  SICKNESS. 
The  son  of  a  certain  ruler  was  sick.     {Johniw.  16.) 

TO  console  yourself  in  sickness,  you  ought  to  consider  that 
God  sends  you  this  sickness  for  the  welfare  of  your  soul,  so 
that  you  may  know  your  sins;  or  if  you  be  innocent,  practise 
yourself  in  patience,  humility,  charity,  &c,  and  increase  your 
merits.  Therefore  a  holy  father  said  to  one  of  his  companions, 
who  complained,  because  he  was  sick:  "My  son!  if  you  are  gold, 
then  you  will  be  proved  by  sickness,  but  if  you  are  mixed  with 
dross,  then  you  will  be  purified."  "Many  who  are  well,  are  vi- 
cious," writes  St.  Augustine,  "who  if  they  were  sick,  would  be 
virtuous;"  and  St.  Bernard  says:  "It  is  better  to  arrive  at  sal- 
vation through  sickness,  than  to  be  well  and  be  damned." 

It  is  also  a  powerful  means  of  consolation  in  sickness,  to  re- 
present the  suffering  Redeemer  to  ourselves,  who  had  no  soundness 
from  the  top  of  His  head  to  the  sole  of  His  foot,  and  contemplating 
whom  St.  Bonaventure  used  to  cry  out:  "0  Lord,  I  do  not  wish 
to  live  without  sickness,  since  I  see  Thee  wounded  so  much." 


488  INSTRUCTION  ON  CARE  OF  THE  SICK. 

If  we  fall  into  sickness,  we  should  carefully  examine,  whether 
we  possess  any  illgotten  goods,  or  have  any  other  secret  sin  on 
our  conscience ;  and  if  we  are  conscious  of  any,  we  should  quickly 
free  ourselves  from  it  by  a  contrite,  sincere  confession,  and  by 
restoring  the  things  belonging  to  others.  Sins  are  very  often  the 
cause  of  disease,  and  no  doctor  can,  perhaps,  cure  them,  as  long 
as  we  are  stained  by  sins,  because  God  does  not  give  His  bless- 
ing, if  He  is  not  first  propitiated  by  penance.  Still  less  can  we 
expect  help,  but  rather  temporal  and  eternal  misfortune,  if  we 
have  recourse  to  superstition  and  spells,  as  King  Ochozias  expe- 
rienced, who  was  punished  with  death,  because  he  had  had  re- 
course to  an  idol,  Beelzebub,  in  sickness,  (iv.  Kings  i.) 

PRAYER.  0  Jesus,  Thou  true  physician  of  our  souls! 
Thou  who  dost  wound  us  and  heal  us,  yea,  even  permittest 
us  often  to  grow  sick  in  body,  that  our  souls  may  get  well; 
grant,  that  I  may  employ  every  bodily  pain,  according  to 
Thy  merciful  purposes,  to  the  furtherance  of  my  salvation. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  CARE  OF  THE  SICK. 
Come  down  before  that  mg  son  die.     (Johniv.  49.) 

A  LI  those  who  have  the  charge  of  sick  persons,  should  be 
like  to  this  father,  that  is,  they  should  before  all  endeavor 
to  call  in  Jesus  in  the  most  holy  Sacrament,  before  the  sick  person 
becomes  unable  to  receive  Him.  The  devil  seeks  to  hinder  noth- 
ing more  than  this.  He  excites  the  imagination  in  the  sick  person, 
making  him  believe  that  he  can  live  longer,  that  he  will  certainly 
get  well  again,  in  order  the  easier  to  ruin  him  afterwards,  because 
he  puts  off  his  conversion.  To  this  end  those  contribute  faithfully 
who  through  fear  of  frightening  the  sick  person  or  of  annoying 
him,  fail  to  call  the  priest  at  the  right  time.  But  this  is  a  cruel 
love,  which  deprives  the  sick  person  of  the  salvation  of  his  soul 
and  eternal  happiness,  and  draws  with  it  a  terrible  responsibility. 
Where  there  is  question  of  eternity,  no  carefulness  can  be  too 
great.  We  should,  therefore,  chose  the  safest  side,  because  the 
sickness  may  easily  grow  greater  and  finally  make  the  sick  person 
unable  to  attend  to  the  affair  of  saving  his  soul.  We  should, 
therefore,  not  conceal  from  him  the  danger  in  which  he  is,  and  it 
the  sick  person  has  still  the  use  of  his  reason,  should  call  in  the 
priest  whom  he  himself  asks  for,  that  he  may  receive  the  Last 
Sacraments.  He  will  not  die  any  sooner  on  that  account,  but 
rather  derive  the  greatest  benefit  from  it,  since  his  conscience 
will  be  cleansed  from  sin,  which  may  be  the  cause  of  his  sickness, 
and,  perhaps,  he  may  be  freed  from  his  illness,  or,  at  least,  he 
will  be  strengthened  by  the  newly  received  grace  of  God,  to  bear 
his  pains  with  greater  patience  and  to  die  far  easier,  securer, 
and  onore  consoled.    We  should  also  endeavor  to  encourage  the 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  FIRST  SUNDAY,  &c. 


489 


sick  person  to  resign  himself  to  the  will  of  God  and  to  a  filial 
confidence  in  God's  help,  say  consoling  prayers  for  him,  pre- 
serve and  strengthen  him  against  melancholy  thoughts  and  the 
temptations  of  the  devil;  we  should  present  him  the  crucifix 
to  kiss,  pronounce  or  read  slowly  and  not  too  loud  from  some 
prayerbook  the  sacred  names  of  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph,  and 
other  consoling  aspirations,  sign  him  with  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
sprinkle  him  with  holy  water,  and  above  all  pray  for  a  happy 
death  for  him;  but  not  weep  and  wail,  by  which  death  is  only 
made  harder  for  him,  nor  shou'.d  we  hold  useless,  idle  and  worldly 
conversations  with  him ,  because  he  is  prevented  by  them  from 
thinking  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  and  from  preparing 
himself  for  the  last  dangerous  struggle,  finally,  we  should  by  no 
means  suffer  in  his  presence  persons  who  have  given  him  occa- 
sions of  committing  sin,  because  they  would  be  obstacles  to  his 
sincere  conversion. 

There  is  truly  no  greater  work  of  charity  than  to  help  our 
neighbor  to  a  happy  death. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  FIRST- 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


T  the  Intro  it  of  the  Mass  is  said  a  prayer 
of  Mardochai,  fosterfather  of  queen  Esther, 
wrhich  may  be  used  in  all  necessities:  All 
things,  0  Lord,  are  in  thy  power:  and 
no  one  can  resist  thy  will;  for  thou 
,  madest  all  things:  heaven  and  earth, 
and  whatever  is  contained  within  the 
compass  of  the  heavens:  thou  art  Lord  of  all.  {Esther 
xiii.  9,  10.)  Blessed  are  the  undefiled  in  the  way;  who 
walk  in  the  law  of  the  Lord.  (Ps.  cxviii.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Preserve  Thy  family,  0 
Lord,  we  beseech  Thee,  by  Thy  constant  mercy:  that  under 
Thy  protection,  it  may  be  freed  from  all  adversity,  and  by 
the  practice  of  good  works,  continue  devoted  to  Thy  name. 
Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  (JEph.  vi.  10—18.)  Brethren:  Be  strengthened 
in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  might  of  his  power.  Put  you  on  the 
armour  of  God,  that  you  may  be  able  to  stand  against  the 
deceits  of  the  devil.  For  our  wrestling  is  not  against  flesh 
and  blood;  but  against  principalities  and  powers,  against  the 
rulers  of  the  world  of  this  darkness,  against  the  spirit  of 


490  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  FIRST  SUNDAY 

wickedness  in  the  high  places.  Therefore  take  unto  you  the 
armour  of  God,  that  you  may  be  able  to  resist  in  the  evil 
day,  and  to  stand  in  all  things  perfect.  Stand  therefore  hav- 
ing your  loins  girt  about  with  truth,  and  having  on  the 
breast-plate  of  justice,  and  your  feet  shod  with  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  gospel  of  peace :  in  all  things  taking  the  shield  of 
faith,  wherewith  you  may  be  able  to  extinguish  all  the  fiery 
darts  of  the  most  wicked  one.  And  take  unto  you  the  helmet 
of  salvation,  and  the  sword  of  the  spirit,  which  is  the  word 
of  God. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  teaches  the  Ephesians  and  us, 
how  hard  and  dangerous  a  struggle  every  Christian  has  to  make, 
not  against  human  enemies  of  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  spiri- 
tual, invisible  enemies,  who  were  one  time  powerful  princes  in 
heaven,  but  through  sin  became  princes  of  the  darkness  of  this 
world,  govern  the  adherents  of  the  world  and  sinful  pleasures, 
and  exercise  their  evil  influence  in  the  air  as  well  as  on  the  earth, 
as  far  as  God  permits  them  for  our  chastisement  or  trial. 

He  shows  us  also  the  manner  in  which  we  can  gain  victory 
in  this  struggle,  and  how  we  can  overcome  in  the  evil  day,  that 
is,  in  time  of  temptation,  and  particularly  in  the  hour  of  death, 
when  he  admonishes  us  to  have  confidence  in  God  and  gives  us 
the  weapons  for  the  fight.  We  should,  therefore,  gird  ourselves 
with  the  girdle  of  truth,  which  shows  us,  that  glory,  concupis- 
cence, and  riches  are  vain  and  useless,  and  we  should  put  on  the 
breast-plate  of  justice  which  is  made  of  good  works;  we  should 
put  on  the  shoes  of  the  preparation  of  the  gospel,  which  alone 
obtains  us  true  peace  to  live  faithfully;  and  take  the  shield  of 
faith,  which  teaches  us  how  richly  God  rewards  virtue  and  how 
terribly  He  punishes  those  who  succumb  to  temptation  and  sin; 
and  cover  ourselves  with  the  helmet  of  salvation,  namely,  with 
confidence  in  God  and  the  hope  of  heaven ;  and  take  the  sword  of 
the  word  of  God,  making  use,  when  violently  tempted,  of  con- 
soling and  strengthening  expressions  of  Holy  Scripture,  by  which 
we  can  put  the  devil  to  flight,  according  to  the  example  of  Christ 
{Matt,  iv.)  and  the  saints.— Let  us  diligently  use  these  weapons, 
and  we  shall  never  be  overcome  in  this  dangerous,  spiritual  com- 
bat, but  be  victorious  and  be  crowned  with  the  crown  of  victory. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt,  xviii.  23—35.)  At  that  time:  Jesus 
spoke  to  his  disciples  this  parable:  The  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  likened  to  a  king  who  would  take  an  account  of  his  ser- 
vants. And  when  he  had  begun  to  take  the  account,  one  was 
brought  to  him  that  owed  him  ten  thousand  talents.  And  as 
he  had  not  wherewith  to  pay  it,  his  lord  commanded  that 


AFTER  PENTECOST. 


4iU 


he  should  be  sold,  and  his  wife  and  children,  and  all  that  he 
had,  and  payment  to  be  made.  But  that  servant  falling 
down,  besought  him,  saying:  Have  patience  with  me,  and  I 
will  pay  thee  all.  And  the  lord  of  that  servant  being  moved 
with  pity,  let  him  go  and  forgave  him  the  debt.  But  when 
that  servant  was  gone  out,  he  found  one  of  his  fellow-servants 
that  owed  him  a  hundred  pence;  and  laying  hold  of  him,  he 
throttled  him  saying:  Pay  what  thou  owest.  And  his  fellow- 
servant  falling  down,  besought  him,  saying:  Have  patience 
with  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  all.  And  he  would  not :  but 
went  and  cast  him  into  prison,  till  he  paid  the  debt.     Now 


492  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  FIRST  SUNDAY,  &c. 

his  fellow-servants  seeing  what  was  done,  were  very  much 
grieved,  and  they  came  and  told  their  lord  all  that  was  done. 
Then  his  lord  called  him,  and  said  to  him:  Thou  wicked  ser- 
vant, I  forgave  thee  all  the  debt,  because  thou  besoughtest 
me :  shouldst  not  thou  then  have  had  compassion  also  on  thy 
fellow-servant,  even  as  I  had  compassion  on  thee?  And  his 
lord  being  angry  delivered  him  to  the  torturers,  until  he 
paid  all  the  debt.  So  also  shall  my  heavenly  Father  do  to  you, 
if  you  forgive  not  every  one  his  brother  from  your  hearts. 

Who  are  understood  by  the  king  and  the  servants  ? 
By  the  king  God,  and  by  the  servants  all  mankind. 

What  is  meant  by  the  ten  thousand  talents  ? 
The  ten  thousand  talents,  according  to  our  money  eight  mil- 
lion three  hundred  and  fifty  five  thousand  dollars,  signify  every 
mortal  sin,  the  guilt  of  which  is  so  great  and  heavy,  that  no 
creature  can  pay  it,  that  is,  satisfy  for  it ;  even  all  the  works  of 
the  saints  cannot  smooth  it  over,  because  by  every  mortal  sin  the 
infinitely  great,  good  and  holy  God  is  offended,  which  offence  it 
is  as  impossible  for  any  creature  to  cancel,  as  it  is  for  a  poor 
servant  to  pay  a  debt  of  eight  million  three  hundred  and  fifty 
five  thousand  dollars.  Nevertheless  God  is  so  merciful  and  pro- 
pitious, that  He  remits  the  whole  immeasurable  debt  of  the  sin- 
ner, on  account  of  the  infinite  merits  of  Christ,  if  the  sinner  con- 
tritely begs  for  forgiveness  and  wishes  to  make  atonement. 

Why  did  the  master  order,  not  only  the  debtor,  but  also  his  wife 
and  children  to  be  sold? 

Probably  because  they  assisted  in  enlarging  the  debt,  helped 
or  gave  occasion  for  its  increase.  This  is  a  warning  to  those  who 
in  any  way  make  themselves  partakers  of  others'  sins,  particu- 
larly for  parents  and  heads  of  families  who  are  silent  with  regard 
to  the  sins  of  their  household,  do  not  punish  them,  or  do  even 
tell  their  inferiors  to  sin;  to  servants,  and  brothers  and  sisters 
who  counsel  one  another  to  sin,  help  each  other,  take  part  therein, 
are  silent  when  they  should  speak,  do  not  hinder  one  another, 
yes,  even  protect  each  other  in  sin;  especially  to  all  those  who 
contribute  by  word  or  deed,  or  by  neglect  of  their  duty,  to  any 
sin  committed. 

What  is  understood  by  the  hundred  pence? 

By  the  hundred  pence,  about  ten  dollars  according  to  our 
money,  are  understood  the  offences,  committed  against  us,  and 
which,  in  comparison  with  our  debt  against  God,  are  something 
very  insignificant. 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  VIRTUE  OF  PATIENCE.  493 

What  does  Jesus  intend  to  show  by  this  parable? 

He  wishes  to  show,  that  if  God  is  so  merciful  and  forgives  us 
our  immense  debts,  we  should  be  merciful  and  willingly  forgive 
our  fellowmen  the  small  faults  and  offences,  which  they  commit 
against  us;  he  who  does  not  do  this,  will  also  not  receive  pardon 
from  God,  indeed,  in  him  shall  be  verified  that  which  is  said  by 
the  Apostle  St.  James:  Judgment  without  mercy  to  him 
that  hath  not  done  mercy.    {James  ii.  13.) 

Who  are  those  who  throttle  their  debtors? 
These  are  in  general  the  unmerciful,  but  in  particular  can  be 
meant  those  who  have  no  compassion  on  their  debtors  that  cannot 
pay  immediately;  those  who  right  away  go  to  law  and  rest  not 
until  the  debtor  has  sold  house  and  property;  those  who  oppress 
widows  and  orphans,  if  they  own  them  anything,  which  is  one  of 
the  sins  crying  to  heaven  for  vengeance  (Eccl.  xxxv.  18.) ;  those 
who  even  in  just  lawsuits  act  harshly  and  severely  with  their 
opponent,  without  the  slightest  giving  way  or  agreement  with 
him ;  finally,  rulers  and  landlords  who  overburden  their  subjects 
with  excessive  tithes  and  taxes,  and  exact  their  share  witli  the 
greatest  rigor. 

Who  are  those  who  accuse  these  hardened  men  before  God? 
They  are  the  guardian  angels  and  their  own  conscience ;  the 
merciless  act  itself  cries  to  God  for  vengeance. 

What  is  it  to  forgive  from  the  heart? 
It  is  to  banish  all  hatred,  ill  will  and  revengeful  desires  from 
the  heart,  to  treasure  a  true  and  sincere  love  towards  our  of- 
fenders and  enemies  not  only  in  our  hearts,  but  also  manifest  it 
externally  by  deeds  of  charity.  Therefore  those  have  not  forgiven 
from  their  hearts,  who,  indeed,  say  and  believe,  that  they  have 
no  ill  will  against  their  enemy,  but  everywhere  avoid  him,  do  not 
salute  him,  do  not  thank  him,  do  not  pray  for  him,  do  not  speak 
with  him,  and  do  not  help  him  in  necessity,  even  when  they  can, 
but  rather  rejoice  at  his  need. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  VIRTUE  OF  PATIENCE. 

SHave  patience  with  me.  {Matt,  xviii.  26.) 

Ince  God  has  such  great  and  continual  patience  with  us, 
ought  this  not  to  move  us  to  have  patience  likewise  with  the 
faults  and  weaknesses  of  our  fellowmen,  and  to  resign  ourselves 
patiently  in  all  our  sufferings  and  tribulations  to  God's  holy  will? 
Or  what  will  your  impatience  and  surly  behavior  avail  you?  Will 
you  thereby  change  or  ease  your  sufferings  ?  Do  you  by  your  im- 
patience correct  the  faults  of  your  neighbor?  No;  impatience,  on 
the  contrary,  makes  suffering  more  oppressive,  misfortune  greater, 
and  the  erring  neighbor  more  obstinate,  so  that  he  will  ultimately 


494 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  VIRTUE  OF  PATIENCE. 


refuse  even  mild  and  patient  corrections.  Besides  impatience 
leads  to  many  sins,  to  cursing,  railery,  quarrelling,  contention,  and 
murder.  The  pious  Job  gives  us  the  finest  example  of  real  patience 
and  resignation  to  the  will  of  God.  He  was  a  wealthy,  respected, 
and  at  the  same  time  godfearing  man  in  the  land  of  Hus,  he  was 
father  of  seven  sons  and  three  daughters,  and  lived  peacefully 
and  happy.  God  wished  to  try  him  and  permitted  the  devil  to 
vent  his  whole  rage  upon  him.  Job  Mas  deprived  of  his  children 
and  all  his  property,  and,  finally,  he  was  himself  afflicted  with  the 
most  painful  disease  of  leprosy.  But  in  the  midst  of  all  these 
dreadful  misfortunes  Job  remained  calm.  Naked,  covered  only 
with  a  few  patches,  he  sits  on  a  dunghill,  a  picture  of  misery,  and 
yet  no  sound  of  murmuring  comes  from  his  lips,  he  does  not  curse, 
does  not  blaspheme  God,  but  says  resignedly:  God  hath  given 
it,   God  hath  taken  it  away,   God  can  give  it  again; 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  SECOND  SUNDAY,  &c.  495 

blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.  To  all  this  misery  was 
added  the  baseness  of  his  own  wife,  who  came  and  mocked  him, 
and  of  three  intimate  friends,  who  instead  of  consoling  him,  judged 
him  falsely  and  said,  that  his  misery  was  just  punishment  from 
heaven.  And  stillJob  did  not  murmur  against  God's  wise  dispensa- 
tions; with  unshaken  patience  he  held  out  with  confidence  in  God, 
and  God  did  not  forsake  him.  He  rewarded  him  well  for  his  fide- 
lity and  patience.  For  He  made  him  well  again  and  gave  him 
greater  wealth  than  he  had  before.  See  what  patience  can  do, 
what  reward  is  in  store  for  it!  And  thou,  a  Christian,  a  follower 
of  Christ,  the  patient,  crucified  Lamb,  art  immediately  so  irritat- 
ed, so  angry  and  morose  at  every  little  cross  which  presses  you ! 
Be  ashamed  of  your  weakness,  and  learn  from  the  pious  Job, 
learn  from  Jesus,  your  Saviour,  to  practise  the  virtue  of  patience, 
for  patience  proves  hope,  and  hope  permits  us  not  to  be  put  to 
shame.  Patience  always  carries  off  victory  and  may  expect  certain 
reward  in  heaven. 

If  you  find  an  inclination  for  impatience  in  you,  then  make 
every  day  in  the  morning  a  resolution  to  battle  bravely  with  this 
vice  and  often  ask  God  for  the  virtue  of  patience  in  the  following 

PRAYER.  0  God,  who  hast  humbled  the  pride  of  the  old 
enemy  by  the  patience  of  Thy  only  begotten  Son,  vouchsafe 
that  we  may  devoutly  consider  what  He  has  suffered  for  us, 
and  accordingly  suffer  all  that  is  contrary  to  us,  through  the 
same  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  &c. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  SECOND 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

T  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  pray  for  the  for- 
giveness of  your  sins  with  the  priest :  If 
thou,  0  Lord,  wilt  mark  iniquities; 
Lord,  who  shall  stand  it?  For  with 
thee  there  is  propitiation,  0  God  of 
Israel.  Out  of  the  depths  I  have  cried 
to  thee,  0  Lord,  Lord  hear  my  voice. 
(Ps.  cxxix.)    Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  our  refuge  and 
strength,  fountain  of  all  goodness,  mercifully  give  ear  to  the 
fervent  prayers  of  Thy  Church,  and  grant,  that  what  we  ask 
with  faith,  we  may  effectually  obtain.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE.  (Philipp.  i.  6— 11.)  Brethren:  We  are  con- 
fident of  this  very  thing,  that  he  who  hath  begun  a  good 


496  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  SECOND  SUNDAY 

work  in  you,  will  perfect  it  unto  the  day  of  Christ  Jesus.  As 
it  is  meet  for  me  to  think  this  for  you  all :  for  that  I  have 
you  in  my  heart;  and  that  in  my  bands,  and  in  the  defence 
and  confirmation  of  the  gospel  you  are  all  partakers  of  my 
joy.  For  God  is  my  witness,  how  I  long  after  you  all  in  the 
bowels  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  this  I  pray,  that  your  charity 
may  more  and  more  abound  in  knowledge  and  in  all  under- 
standing; that  you  may  approve  the  better  things,  that  you 
may  bo  sincere  and  without  offence  unto  the  day  of  Christ. 
Filled  with  the  fruit  of  justice,  through  Jesus  Christ,  unto 
the  glory  and  praise  of  God. 

EXPLANATION.  This  epistle  was  written  by  St.  Paul  at 
Rome,  where  he  was  imprisoned  for  the  faith,  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Philippi  in  Macedonia,  who  had  been  converted  by  him.  He 
congratulates  them,  that  they  so  willingly  received  and  conscienti- 
ously obeyed  the  gospel  which  he  had  preached  to  them,  and  he 
says,  he  trusts  in  God  to  complete  the  good  work  which  he  has 
commenced  in  them,  and  will  give  them  perseverance  until  the 
day  of  Christ,  that  is,  until  death. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xxii.  15— 21.)  At  that  time :  The  Phar- 
isees going,  consulted  among  themselves  how  to  ensnare  Je- 
sus in  his  speech.  And  they  send  to  him  their  disciples,  with 
the  Herodians,  saying:  Master,  we  know  that  thou  art  a  true 
speaker,  and  teachest  the  way  of  God  in  truth,  neither  carest 
thou  for  any  man:  for  thou  dost  not  regard  the  person  of 
men.  Tell  us  therefore  what  thou  dost  think,  Is  it  lawful  to 
give  tribute  to  Caesar  or  not?  But  Jesus  knowing  their  wick- 
edness, said:  Why  do  you  tempt  me,  ye  hypocrites?  Shew 
me  the  coin  or  the  tribute.  And  they  offered  him  a  penny. 
And  Jesus  saith  to  them:  Whose  image  and  inscription  is 
this ?  They  say  to  him :  Caesars.  Then  he  saith  to  them : 
Render  therefore  to  Caesar '  the  things  that  are  Caesar's :  and 
to  God,  the  things  that  are  God's. 

Why  did  the  Pharisees  wish  to  ensnare  Jesus  in  His  speech  ? 

In  order  to  find  some  reason  %to  accuse  Him  before  the  em- 
peror, or  to  make  Him  hateful  to  the  Jews ;  for  had  He  denied 
tribute  to  Caesar,  they  would  have  accused  Him  before  the  em- 
peror as  guilty  of  high  treason ;  had  He,  on  the  contrary,  made  it 
obligatory  to  pay  tribute,  then  they  would  have  denounced  Him 
as  a  destroyer  of  liberty  to  the  people,  who  considered  themselves 


AFTER  PENTECOST. 


497 


a  free  nation  owing  allegiance  only  to  God. —  All  those  are  like 
the  Pharisees,  who  under  the  appearance  of  friendship  only  cause 
vexation  and  misfortune  to  their  neighbor. 

Who  are  hypocrites  in  reality? 

Those  who  in  order  to  cheat  their  neighbor,  appear  externally 
pious  and  holy,  whilst  internally  they  are  full  of  malice ;  those 
who  have  honey  on  their  tongues,  but  gall  in  their  hearts ,  and 
sting  like  scorpions,  when  we  least  expect  it.  Because  there  are 
so  many  vices  connected  with  hypocrisy  {Matt,  xxiii.),  therefore 
Christ  has  denounced  no  sin  more  awfully  than  this  one.  Hypo- 
crites are  brethren  of  Cain,  Joab,  and  Judas,  of  whom  the  first 
slyly  deceived  his  brother  and  killed  him,  the  second  his  cousin, 
and  the  third  betrayed  his  master  with  a  kiss.  Better  is  an  open 
enemy,  before  whom  we  can  be  on  our  guard  than  a  hypocritical 


32 


498       INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  FOLLY  OF  HUMAN  FEAR. 

friend,  before  whom  we  do  not  guard  ourselves.  Such  false  men 
are  cursed  by  God.  {Mai.  i.  14.)  I  hate  a  mouth  with  a  double 
tongue.  {Prov.mW.  13.)  "The  devil  silently  possesses  the  hearts 
of  hypocrites  and  quietly  he  sleeps  in  them,  whilst  he  gives  them 
no  peace,"  says  St.  Gregory;  and  St.  Jerome  writes:  "A  pretend- 
ed holiness  is  double  malice."— Beware,  therefore,  my  dear  Chris- 
tian, of  the  vice  of  hypocrisy,  which  is  so  hateful  to  God ;  endeav- 
or always  to  be  sincere  with  God,  thyself,  and  thy  neighbor,  and 
to  walk  in  true  humility  before  God's  face,  then  mayst  thou  carry 
the  image  of  God  within  thee, 

PRAYER.  Help  me,  0  Lord,  for  the  number  of  the  saints 
is  decreasing  and  truth  is  becoming  rare  among  men.  Vanity 
they  speak,  each  to  his  neighbor:  their  lips  are  deceitful, 
with  double  hearts  speak  they.  Let  the  Lord  destroy  all  de- 
ceitful lips  and  boasting  tongues  which  say:  We  will  mag- 
nify our  tongues;  our  lips  are  our  own;  who  is  Lord  over  us? 
0  Lord,  deliver  my  soul  from  wicked  lips  and  a  deceitful 
tongue;  give  me  grace  to  preserve  Thy  image  in  my  soul  by 
piety  and  virtue.  Direct  my  heart  to  justice  and  keep  it 
away'  from  avarice,  that  I  may  give  to  each  his  own.  (Ps.  xi. 
and  cxix.) 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  FOLLY  OF  HUMAN  FEAR. 

Thou  art  a  true  speaker,  neither  carest  thou  for  any 
man,  for  thou  dost  not  regard  the  person  of  men. 

I  {Matt.  xxii.  16.) 

N  this  Christians  ought  especially  to  follow  the  Saviour,  and 
not  permit  themselves  to  be  frightened  off  from  piety  and  the 
practice  of  virtue  by  human  fear  and  that  idle  phantom:  "What 
will  people  say?"  What  matters  it,  what  people  think  and  say  of 
us,  if  we  only  please  God?  He  alone  can  truly  benefit  or  injure 
us;  therefore  he  alone  is  to  be  feared,  as  Christ  says:  Fear  not 
those  that  kill  the  body,  and  cannot  kill  the  soul:  but 
rather  fear  him  that  can  destroy  both  soul  and  body 
in  hell.  {Matt.  x.  28.) 

How  foolishly,  therefore,  do  those  act  who  through  fear  of 
displeasing  certain  people,  are  afraid  to  serve  God  and  cultivate 
piety;  who  even  go  so  far  as  to  commit  sin  and  offend  God;  who 
in  order  to  be  pleasing  to  others,  oppress  innocent,  poor  and  for- 
saken people;  who  adopt  the  latest  and  most  scandalous  fashions 
and  customs;  those  who  eat  meat  on  days  of  abstinence,  or  give 
it  to  others;  those  who  sing  sinful  songs,  or  what  is  still  worse, 
do  not  hesitate  to  ridicule  sacred  things  to  give  others  occasion 
to  laugh,  or  to  be  considered  a  strong  minded  person.  Implore 
God  daily  and  sincerely,  that  He  may  take  from  you  this  vain 


INSTKUCTION  ON  THE  VALUE  AND  DIGNITY  OF  THE  SOUL.   499 

fear  of  men  and  give  you  instead  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  which  is 
the  beginning  of  wisdom. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  VALUE  AND  DIGNITY  OF 
THE  SOUL. 
Whose  image  is  this?  (Matt.  xxii.  20.) 

THus  we  should  often  ask  ourselves  with  respect  to  our  soul, 
particularly  when  we  are  tempted  to  stain  and  ruin  it  by 
sin.  Whose  image  is  this?  we  should  then  say  to  ourselves, 
"Is  it  not  the  likeness  of  God,  an  image  dyed  in  the  bloody  of  Je- 
sus, an  image  for  which  the  Saviour  gave  His  life?  Would  I 
defile  and  deform  this  by  sin  and  voluptuousness?  God  forbid!" 
Thus  we  should  say  to  ourselves,  such  resolutions  should  we  make. 
For  in  truth,  what  among  all  created  things,  except  the  angels,  is 
more  beautiful  and  more  precious  than  a  human  soul,  which  is  in 
the  state  of  grace?  "Could  we,"  says  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna,  "be- 
hold with  our  corporal  eyes  a  soul  in  the  state  of  grace,  we  would 
see  with  astonishment,  that  it  surpasses  in  splendor  all  flowers,  all 
stars,  the  whole  world,  and  there  is  hardly  a  man  that  would  not 
wish  to  die  for  such  beauty."  It  is  a  dwelling  of  the  Blessed 
Trinity!  Christ  did  not  give  His  life  for  all  the  goods  and  treas- 
ures of  this  earth,  but  for  the  human  soul.  And  yet  many  esti- 
mate their  soul  so  lightly,  that  they  sell  it  for  a  momentary  pleas- 
ure, for  a  present  not  worth  a  penny!  For  shame!  The  body  we 
estimate  so  highly,  that  we  take  all  pains  to  decorate  it  and  keep 
it  alive,  and  the  image  and  likeness  of  God,  the  soul,  we  take  no 
pains  to  keep  in  the  state  of  grace,  and  do  not  adorn  with  virtues ! 
What  folly! 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  DUTY  TO  PAY  TAXES  OR 
TRIBUTE  TO  THE  GOVERNMENT. 

Give  to  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  to  God 
the  things  that  are  God's.  (Matt.  xxii.  21.) 

TO  pay  tribute  to  the  lawful  government,  is  a  duty  of  justice 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  Himself  commands  us  to  faithfully 
fulfill.  (Rom.  xiii.  6,  7.)  Christ  Himself  paid  the  customary  di- 
trachma  for  Himself  and  St.  Peter  (Matt.  xvii.  23.);  "and  if  the 
Son  of  God  Himself  paid  duty  and  tax,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "who 
art  thou,  0  man,  that  thou  wouldst  free  thyself  from  it?"  The 
government  must  watch,  that  the  life  of  its  subjects  be  not  in- 
jured with  impunity,  that  their  property  be  not  endangered  or 
robbed,  that  there  be  security  on  the  high-ways,  that  peace,  har- 
mony and  order  be  preserved  among  the  citizens,  that  their  tem- 
poral welfare  be  promoted,  that  sciences  and  arts  flourish,  &c. 
And  for  this  teachers,  judges,  officers  and  soldiers  are  necessary, 
for  whose  support  care  must  be  taken,  and  whose  trouble  rewarded. 


32< 


500 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  THIRD  SUNDAY 


Besides  this  the  government  must  care  for  the  security  of  the 
country,  for  public  streets  and  bridges,  for  the  maintenance  o 
churches,  schools  and  other  institutions  necessary  for  the  common 
good;  to  enable  the  government  to  perform  these  duties  taxes  are 
necessary  and  lawfully  assessed.  If  you  oppose  these  laws,  you 
oppose  God,  for  by  Him  the  kings  rule  and  lawgivers  ordain,  what 
is  just;  by  Him  princes  rule  and  the  mighty  ordain  jus- 
tice. (Prov.  viii.  15, 16.)  Let  the  payment  of  duties  rather  be  a  work 
pleasing  to  God.  because  you  pay  them  for  love  of  God,  willingly 
and  resigned  to  His  holy  will  as  the  early  Christians  did,  who  even 
served  their  heathenish  government  with  pleasure,  in  all  that  was 
not  contrary  to  God's  will,  and  willingly  rendered  the  duties. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  THIRD 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 


REMARK.  If  from  Pentecost  until  Advent  there  be  only  twenty 
three  Sundays,  then  the  present  one  is  omitted,  and  the  Mass  of  the 
followiny  Sunday,  the  twenty  fourth,  is  said. 

He  Intro  it  of  the  Mass  consoles  and  incites 
us  to  confidence  in  God  who  is  so  benevolent 
towards  us  and  will  not  let  us  pine  away  in 
tribulation.  The  Lord  saith:  I  entertain 
thoughts  of  peace,  not  of  affliction: 
you  shall  call  on  me,  and  I  will  hear 
you:  and  bring  back  your  captive 
peopl  from  eall  places.  Uer. xxix.  11.)  Thou,  0  Lord,  hast 
blessed  thy  land:  thou  hast  brought  back  the  captive 
children  of  Jacob.  {Ps.  lxxxiv.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Pardon,  0  Lord,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  the  sins  of  thy  people:  that  we  may  be  delivered 
by  Thy  goodness  from  the  guilt  we  have  contracted  by  our 
own  weakness.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE.  (PMUpp.  hi.  17— 21.;  iv.l— 3.)  Brethren:  Be 
followers  of  me,  and  observe  them  who  walk  so  as  you  have 
our  model.  For  many  walk,  of  whom  I  have  told  you  often 
(and  now  tell  you  weeping)  that  they  are  enemies  of  the 
cross  of  Christ ;  whose  end  is  destruction,  whose  God  is  their 
belly,  and  whose  glory  is  their  shame:  who  mind  earthly 
things.  But  our  conversation  is  in  heaven;  from  whence  also 
we  look  for  the  Saviour,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  will 
reform  the  body  of  our  lowness,  made  like  to  the  body  of  his 


AFTER  PENTECOST.  501 

glory,  according  to  the  operation  whereby  also  he  is  able  to 
subdue  all  things  unto  himself.  Therefore,  my  dearly  belov- 
ed brethren,  and  most  desired,  my  joy,  and  my  crown :  so 
stand  fast  in  the  Lord,  my  dearly  beloved.  I  beg  of  Evodia, 
and  I  beseech  Syntyche,  to  be  of  one  mind  in  the  Lord.  And 
I  entreat  thee  also  my  sincere  companion,  help  those  women 
that  have  laboured  with  me  in  the  gospel,  with  Clement  and 
the  rest  of  my  fellow  labourers,  whose  names  are  in  the  book 
of  life. 

EXPLANATION.  There  are  unhappily  many  Christians,  as 
St.  Paul,  weeping,  complains,  who  are  declared  enemies  of  Christ's 
cross,  who  do  not  wish  to  mortify  their  senses,  but  only  serve 
their  appetites,  who  only  think  of  gratifying  their  lusts,  and,  as 
it  were,  find  their  only  pleasure,  even  seek  their  honor  in  despis- 
ing the  way  of  Jesus  and  His  saints  on  the  narrow  path  of  the 
cross,  of  mortification  and  humiliation,  and,  wallow  like  swine 
in  the  mire  of  the  most  shameful  lusts.  But  what  will  be  the  end 
of  these  people?  Eternal  perdition!  For  he  who  does  not  crucify 
the  flesh  with  its  lusts,  does  not  belong  to  Christ.  (Gal.  v.  24.)  He 
who  does  not  bear  the  marks  of  the  mortification  of  Jesus  in  his 
body,  in  him  the  life  of  Christ  shall  not  be  manifested,  (ii.  Cor. 
iv.  10.)  He  who  does  not  walk  in  heaven  during  his  life-time, 
that  is,  who  does  not  direct  his  thoughts  and  desires  heavenward 
and  despise  the  world  and  its  vanities,  will  not  find  the  entrance 
to  heaven  after  his  death. 

ASPIRATION.  Would  to  God,  I  could  say  with  St.  Paul: 
The  world  is  crucified  to  me,  and  I  to  the  world. 
(Gal.  vi.  14.) 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  ix.  18—26.)  At  that  time:  As  Jesus 
was  speaking  to  the  multitude:  Behold,  a  certain  ruler  came 
up,  and  adored  him,  saying:  Lord,  my  daughter  is  even  now 
dead;  but  come  lay  thy  hand  upon  her,  and  she  shall  live. 
And  Jesus  rising  up  followed  him,  with  his  disciples.  And 
behold,  a  woman  who  was  troubled  with  an  issue  of  blood 
twelve  years,  came  behind  him,  and  touched  the  hem  of  his 
garment.  For  she  said  within  herself:  If  I  shall  touch  only 
his  garment,  I  shall  be  healed.  But  Jesus  turning  and  seeing 
her,  said:  Be  of  good  heart,  daughter,  thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole.  And  the  woman  was  made  whole  from  that 
hour.  And  when  Jesus  was  come  into  the  house  of  the  ruler, 
and  saw  the  minstrels  and  the  multitude  making  a  rout,  he 


502  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  THIRD  SUNDAY,  &c. 


said:  Give  place:  for  the  girl  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth.  And 
they  laughed  him  to  scorn.  And  when  the  multitude  was 
put  forth,  he  went  in  and  took  her  by  the  hand.  And  the 
maid  arose.  And  the  fame  hereof  went  abroad  into  all  that 
country. 

INSTRUCTIONS.  I.  Filial  was  the  faith,  unbounded  the  con- 
fidence, profound  the  humility  of  this  woman,  and,  therefore,  she 
received  health  also.  Learn  from  this,  how  pleasing  is  filial  faith, 
firm  confidence,  and  sincere  humility  to  the  Lord ;  let  your  prayer 
always  be  penetrated  by  these  three  virtues,  and  you  will  receive 
whatever  you  ask  for. 

II.  The  devout  Louis  de  Ponte  refers  the  conduct  of  this  wo- 
man to  our  conduct  at  the  holy  Communion,  and  says:  Christ 


INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  RIDICULE  AND  DERISION.  503 

wished  to  remain  with  us  in  the  most  holy  Eucharist,  clothed 
with  the  garment  of  the  sacramental  species  of  bread,  that  he  who 
receives  His  sacred  flesh  and  blood,  and  brings  his  soul  in  con- 
nection with  it,  may  be  freed  from  the  bloody  flow  of  evil  con- 
cupiscence. If  you  wish  to  obtain  the  integrity  of  your  soul,  as 
did  this  woman  the  health  of  the  body,  imitate  her.  Receive  the 
flesh  and  blood  of  Jesus  with  the  most  profound  humility,  with  the 
firmest  confidence  in  His  power  and  goodness,  and  in  you  also 
the  fountain  of  sin,  evil  concupiscence,  will  be  dried  up. 

III.  Jesus  called  three  dead  persons  to  life,  the  twelve  years 
old  daughter  of  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  Jairus,  of  whom  there 
is  mention  made  in  this  gospel,  the  young  man  at  Nairn  {Luke  vii.), 
and  Lazarus.  {John  iv.)  Commentators  say,  that  by  these  three 
dead  persons  three  classes  of  sinners  may  be  understood :  by  the 
maiden  those  who  sin  in  their  youth  through  weakness  and  fra- 
gility, but  touched  by  the  grace  of  God,  perceive  their  fall  and 
easily  rise  up  again  through  penance,  like  this  maiden  raised  up 
by  the  hand  by  Jesus ;  by  the  young  man  at  Nairn  those  are  to 
be  understood,  who  repeat  the  sins  and  permit  them  to  become 
habits;  these  require  greater  grace,  more  trouble  and  severer 
penance,  by  Lazarus  the  public  and  obdurate  habitual  sinners 
are  to  be  understood,  who  can  be  raised  to  spiritual  life  only  by 
extraordinary  grace  of  God  and  by  public  and  most  severe  pen- 
ance, as  Jesus  also  raised  Lazarus  publicly  with  prayer  and  tears 
and  loud  calling. 

IV.  Christ  did  not  raise  the  maiden,  until  the  minstrels  and 
noisy  multitude  were  removed,  by  which  He  wished  to  teach  us, 
that  the  raising  or  conversion  of  a  soul  cannot  be  accomplished 
in  the  midst  of  the  noise  and  turmoil  of  temporal  cares  and  idle 
pleasures  and  associations. 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  RIDICULE  AND 
DERISION. 
-_  _  -—  And  they  laughed  him  to  scorn.  {Matt.  ix.  24.) 
\\!  hen  Jesus  told  the  minstrels  and  the  crowd,  that  the  girl 
▼  T  was  not  dead,  but  sleeping,  they  laughed  at  Him,  because 
they  understood  not  what  He  said.  Thus  do  carnal  minded  men 
generally  at  priests  and  ministers  of  God,  if  these  by  their  words 
and  examples  admonish  them  to  despise  honors,  riches  and  pleas- 
ures ,  and  to  embrace  the  love  of  poverty,  humility  and  mortifi- 
cation: for  this  is  an  unintelligible  and  hateful  language  to  them, 
at  which  they  laugh  and  mock,  just  as  they  do  when  they  hear, 
that  death  is  a  sleep,  from  which  we  shall  sometime  awake  and 
shall  be  obliged  to  appear  at  the  judgment- seat.  But  woe  to 
such  scoffers  by  whose  scoffs  so  many  souls  are  led  from  the  path 
of  virtue!  What  the  devil  formerly  accomplished  by  tyrants  in 
estranging  men  from  God  and  a  lively  faith  in  Him  and  His  Church, 


5()4  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  FOURTH  SUNDAY 

lie  seems  to  wish  to  accomplish  in  our  days  by  the  mockery,  scoffs, 
and  blasphemies  of  wicked  men;  for  at  no  period  have  piety  and 
virtue,  holy  simplicity  and  childlike  faith,  faithful  adherence  to  the 
holy  Roman  Church  and  her  laws,  reverence  for  her  head  and  her 
ministers,  the  priests,  been  more  mocked  at,  derided  and  blas- 
phemed. And,  unhappily,  many  permit  themselves  to  be  induced 
by  mockery  to  abandon  piety,  to  omit  the  public  practice  of  their 
faith,  to  conceal  their  Catholic  persuasion,  and  to  lead  a  lukewarm, 
unchurchlike,  indeed,  sinful  life.  But  woe  to  the  scoffers!  they  are 
hateful  to  God  (Prat.  iii.  32.)  who  will  one  day  require  all  the  souls 
perverted  by  them,  from  their  hands.  Do  not  let  these  scoffers 
turn  you  aside  from  your  adherence  to  your  holy  faith ,  and  from 
the  public  practice  of  it,  and  from  zeal  for  virtue,  remember  the 
words  of  Jesus:  He  who  denies  me  before  men,  him  I  will 
also  deny  before  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven. (Alatt.x. 33.) 
Console  yourself  with  Jesus  who  was  scoffed  and  blasphemed  for 
your  sake,  and  often  say  within  yourself: 

I  know,  my  most  amiable  Jesus,  that  the  servant  cannot  be 
more  than  his  master.  Since  Thou  wert  so  often  sneered  at,  mocked 
and  blasphemed,  why  should  I  wonder,  if  I  am  laughed  at  and 
mocked  for  my  faith  in  Thee  and  Thy  Church  and  for  the  practice 
of  virtue! 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  FOURTH 
SUNDAY  AFTER  PENTECOST. 

REMARK.  The  Mass  of  this  Sunday  is  always  the  last,  even  if 
there  are  more  than  twenty  four  Sundays  after  Pentecost;  in  that 
case  the  Sundays  remaininy  after  the  Epiphany,  which  are  noticed 
in  the  calendar,  are  inserted  between  the  twenty  third  and  the  Mass 
of  the  twenty  fourth  Sunday. 

THe  Introit  of  the  Mass  is  the  same  that  is  said  on  the 
twenty  third  Sunday  after  Pentecost. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Stir  up,  we  beseech  Thee, 
0  Lord,  the  hearts  of  Thy  faithful:  that,  becoming  more 
zealous  in  the  performance  of  good  works,  they  may  receive 
from  Thy  goodness  more  effectual  remedies  for  their  dis- 
orders.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  {Col.  i.  9— 14.)  Brethren:  We  cease  not  to  pray 
for  you,  and  to  beg  that  you  may  be  filled  with  the  know- 
ledge of  his  will,  in  all  wisdom,  and  spiritual  understand- 
ing :  that  you  may  walk  worthy  of  God,  in  all  things  pleas- 
ing: being  fruitful  in  every  good  work,  and  increasing  in  the 


AFTER  PENTECOST.  505 

knowledge  of  God :  strengthened  with  all  might,  according 
to  the  power  of  his  i^lory,  in  all  patience  and  long-suffering 
with  joy.  Giving  thanks  to  God  the  Father,  who  hath  made 
us  worthy  to  be  partakers  of  the  lot  of  the  saints  in  light : 
who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath 
translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  the  Son  of  his  love.  In 
whom  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  remission 
of  sins. 

EXPLANATION.  In  this  epistle  St.  Paul  teaches  us,  that  we 
sh  ould  continually  pray  for  our  neighbor,  according  to  his  example, 
and  thank  God  especially  for  the  light  of  the  true,  only  saving 
faith.  Let  us  endeavor  to  imitate  St.  Paul  in  his  love  and  zeal  for 
the  salvation  of  the  soul ,  then  we  shall  also  one  day  partake  of 
his  glorious  reward  in  heaven. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xxiv.  15 — 35.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples:  When  you  shall  see  the  abomination  of  de- 
solation, which  was  spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet,  stand- 
ing in  the  holy  place :  he  that  readeth,  let  him  understand. 
Then  they  that  are  in  Judea,  let  them  flee  to  the  mountains; 
and  he  that  is  on  the  house-top,  let  him  not  come  down  to 
take  any  thing  out  of  his  house :  and  he  that  is  in  the  field, 
let  him  not  go  back  to  take  his  coat.  And  wo  to  them  that 
are  with  child,  and  give  suck  in  those  days.  But  pray  that 
your  flight  be  not  in  the  winter,  or  on  the  Sabbath.  For 
there  shall  be  then  great  tribulation,  such  as  hath  not  been 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world  until  now,  neither  shall  be. 
And  unless  those  days  had  been  shortened,  no  flesh  could  be 
saved:  but  for  the  sake  of  the  elect,  those  days  shall  be  short- 
ened. Then  if  any  man  shall  say  to  you :  Lo,  here  is  Christ, 
or  there:  do  not  believe  him:  For  there  shall  arise  false 
Christs,  and  false  prophets,  and  shall  shew  great  signs  and 
wonders,  insomuch  as  to  deceive  (if  possible)  even  the  elect. 
Behold,  I  have  told  it  you,  before  hand,  if  therefore  they  shall 
say  to  you:  Behold,  he  is  in  the  desert;  go  ye  not  out:  Behold, 
he  is  in  the  closets,  believe  it  not.  For  as  lightning  cometh 
out  of  the  east,  and  appeareth  even  into  the  west;  so  shall 
also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be.  Wheresoever  the  body 
shall  be,  there  shall  the  eagles  also  be  gathered  together. 


506 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  TWENTY  FOURTH  SUNDAY 


And  immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days,  the  sun 
shall  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light, 
and  the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  paid  the  powers  of  the 
heavens  shall  be  moved :  and  there  shall  appear  the  sign  of 
the  Son  of  Man  in  heaven :  and  then  shall  all  tribes  of  the 
earth  mourn:  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man,  coming  in 
the  clouds  of  heaven  with  much  power  and  majesty.  And  he 
shall  send  his  angels  with  a  trumpet,  and  a  great  voice:  and 
they  shall  gather  together  his  elect  from  the  four  winds, 
from  the  farthest  parts  of  the  heavens  to  the  utmost  bounds 
of  them.     And  from  the  fig-tree  learn  a  parable :  when  the 


AFTER  PENTECOST.  507 

branch  thereof  is  now  tender,  and  the  leaves  come  forth,  you 
know  that  summer  is  nigh.  So  you  also,  when  you  shall  see 
all  these  things,  know  ye  that  it  is  nigh  even  at  the  doors. 
Amen,  I  say  to  you,  that  this  generation  shall  not  pass,  till 
these  things  be  done.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass,  but  my 
words  shall  not  pass. 

EXPLANATION.  When  you  shall  see  the  abomination 
of  desolation.  The  abomination  of  desolation,  of  which  Daniel 
(ix.  27.)  and  Christ  here  speak,  is  the  desecration  of  the  temple  and 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  which  was  accomplished  by  the  rebellious 
Jews  by  perpetrating  the  most  abominable  vices,  injustices,  and 
robberies,  &c,  but  principally  by  the  heathenish  Romans  by  their 
putting  up  of  their  idols.  This  destruction  which  was  accomplished 
about  forty  years  after  Christ's  death  in  the  most  awful  manner, 
is  here  foretold,  according  to  the  testimony  of  St.  Luke  (xxi.20.), 
by  Christ.  But  at  the  same  time  He  speaks  of  the  end  of  the  world 
and  of  His  coming  to  judgment,  of  which  the  desolation  of  Jeru- 
salem was  a  figure. 

Pray,  that  your  flight  be  not  in  the  winter  or  on  the 
Sabbath.  Because,^as  St.  Jerome  says,  the  severe  coldness  which 
reigns  in  the  deserts  and  mountains,  would  prevent  the  people  from 
going  thither  and  put  themselves  into  security,  and  because  it  was 
forbidden  by  the  law  for  the  Jews  to  travel  on  the  Sabbath. 

There  shall  rise  false  Christs  and  false  prophets. 
According  to  the  testimony  of  the  Jewish  historian  Josephus 
who  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  Eleazar, 
John,  Simon,  &c,  were  such,  who  under  the  pretence  of  helping 
the  Jews,  threw  them  into  still  greater  misfortunes ;  but  before 
the  end  of  the  world,  it  will  be  Antichrist  with  his  followers,  whom 
St.  Paul  on  account  of  his  diabolical  malice  and  cruelty,  calls  the 
man  of  sin  and  the  son  of  perdition  (ii.  Thess.  ii.  3.),  who  through 
devilish  malice  against  all  that  is  called  God  and  is  revered  as 
divine,  will  rise  up,  proclaim  himself  God,  sit  in  the  temple,  and 
kill  all  who  will  not  recognize  him  as  such.  Even  the  holy  and 
just  will  be  in  danger  of  being  seduced,  but  for  their  sake  God 
will  shorten  the  time  of  the  persecution  of  this  tyrant. 

Wheresoever  the  body  shall  be,  there  shall  the 
eagles  also  be  gathered  together.  St.  Jerome  sees  in  this 
a  picture  of  Christ,  for  he  says,  that  just  as  the  eagles  hasten  from 
all  sides  to  a  body  which  they  chance  to  see,  so  will  the  just  hasten 
towards  the  Redeemer,  who  will  appear  like  lightning,  and  will 
gather  around  Him.  We  may  also  understand  by  the  eagles,  wicked 
demons  who  will  rush  upon  the  damned  like  eagles. 

This  generation  shall  not  pass,  till  all  these  things 
be  done.  With  these  words  Christ  determines  the  time  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  says,  that  many  of  His  listeners  would 


508  INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  PERJURY. 

live  to  see  it,  which  also  happened.  But  when  the  end  of  the  world 
will  come,  He  says,  not  even  the  angels  in  heaven  know.  {Matt. 
xxiv.  36.)  Let  us  endeavor  to  be  always  ready  for  the  coming  of 
the  divine  Judge  by  leading  a  holy  life. 

[See  the  account  of  the  Destruction  of  Jerusalem  on  the  Ninth 
Sunday  after  Pentecost.] 

PRAYER.  Grant,  0  Lord!  that  we  may  consider  all  as 
the  abomination  of  desolation  of  the  holy  places,  which  is 
calculated  to  rob  us  of  Thy  love.  Grant,  that  we-  may  avoid 
and  shun  this  loss  as  the  death  and  certain  destruction  of 
our  souls.  Break  the  bonds  with  which  we  are  "tied  to  the 
world,  that  we  may  not  be  lost  with  it.  Give  us  the  wings 
of  eagles,  that  we  may  soar  above  all  worldly  things  by  the 
contemplation  of  Thy  sufferings,  Thy  life  and  death,  that  we 
may  hasten  towards  Thee  now,  and  gather  about  Thee,  that 
we  may  not  become  a  prey  to  the  rapacious  enemy  on  the 
day  of  judgment.  Amen. 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  PERJURY. 

Amen,  I  say  to  you.         {Matt.  xxiv.  34.) 

THe  Son  of  God  here  and  elsewhere  in  the  gospel,  confirms  His 
words  by  an  oath,  as  it  were,  in  as  much  as  He  calls  upon 
His  divine  truthfulness  as  witness  of  them;  for  swearing  is  nothing 
else  than  to  call  upon  God,  His  divine  truthfulness,  justice,  or  upon 
His  creatures  in  the  name  of  God,  as  witness  of  the  truth  of  our 
words.  — It  may  now  be  asked,  when  is  it  allowed  to  swear?  Ans- 
wer: When  justice,  necessity  or  an  important  advantage  require 
it,  and  the  cause  is  true  and  equitable.  {Jerem.  iv.  2.)  Those  sin 
grievously,  therefore,  who  swear  on  account  of  a  cause,  which 
is  false  and  unjust,  because  they  call  upon  God  as  witness  of 
falsehood  and  injustice,  by  which  His  eternal  truthfulness  and 
justice  is  desecrated ;  those  sin  who  swear  on  account  of  a  truth- 
ful cause,  but  without  necessity  and  sufficient  reason,  because  it 
is  disrespectful  to  call  upon  God  as  witness  for  every  little  thing; 
those  sin  grievously  and  are  in  a  state  of  continual  sin,  who  are 
so  accustomed  to  swearing,  that  they  without  knowing  or  consider- 
ing, whether  the  thing  is  true  or  not,  whether  they  wish  to  keep 
their  promise  or  not,  or  whether  they  will  be  able  to  keep  it, 
immediately  break  out  into  oaths,  for  they  expose  themselves  to 
swear  falsely:  "there  is  no  one,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "who  swears 
often  and  does  not  sometimes  swear  falsely,  just  as  he  who  speaks 
much,  sometimes  says  unbecoming  and  false  things."  Therefore, 
according  to  the  explanation  of  St.  Augustine,  Christ  tells  Chris- 
tians, who  seek  after  perfection,  not  to  swear  at  all  {Matt.  v.  34.), 
that  they  may  not  come  from  swearing  to  a  habit  of  swearing,  and 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  A  CHURCH'S  DEDICATION.      509 

from  this  to  perjury.  He  who  has  the  habit  of  swearing,  should, 
therefore,  take  the  greatest  pains  to  lay  aside  the  bad  habit,  and 
to  do  so  it  will  be  very  useful  to  reflect,  that  we  shall  have  to  ren- 
der a  strict  account  for  every  unnecessary,  useless  and  false  oath, 
since  every  idle  word  even  will  be  severely  judged  one  day  {Malt. 
xii.  36.),  and  that  those  who  so  easily  swear,  will  be  believed  less 
than  others;  also  that  God's  blessing  is  taken  from  him  who  com- 
mits perjury,  that  God's  curse  accompanies  him  in  all  his  ways, 
as  proved  by  daily  experience,  that  he  who  commits  perjury  in 
court,  robs  himself  of  the  merits  of  Christ's  death  and  will  be  con- 
sumed in  the  fire  of  hell,  which  is  represented  by  the  crucifix  and 
burning  tapers,  in  presence  of  which  the  oath  (in  some  places)  is 
taken.  And  if  you  have  had  the  misfortune  to  perjure  yourself,  you 
should  at  once  be  truly  sorry  and  should  weep  for  this  terrible 
sin  which  you  have  committed,  should  frankly  confess  it,  repair 
the  injury  you  may  have  caused  by  it,  and  by  rigorous  penance 
chastise  yourself  for  it. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  A 
CHURCH'S  DEDICATION. 


Why  do  we  celebrate  this  feast  annually? 
0  remind  us  of  the  day  on  which  a  Church 
was  consecrated  to  God,  and  to  give  Him  due 
thanks  for  having  deigned  to  select  a  place 
among  us  for  His  dwelling,  for  having  shown 
us  so  many  favors  in  it,  and  for  preserving  us 
in  the  true  faith. 

Is  the  consecration  of  a  Church  and  the  celebration  of  its  anni- 
versary a  modern  custom? 
By  no  means;  for  we  read  in  the  Scriptures,  that  Moses  anoint- 
ed and  sanctified  the  tabernacle,  and  that  Solomon  built  a  beau- 
tiful temple  to  the  Lord  and  solemnized  its  consecration  during 
fourteen  days  in  a  most  magnificent  manner,  that  the  anniversary 
of  this  consecration  was  observed  by  the  Jews,  and  that  Christ 
attended  this  anniversary  celebration,  (iii.  Kinys  viii.;  John  x.  22.) 
The  first  Christians  also  consecrated  their  Churches,  and  solemnly 
commemorated  the  anniversary  of  its  celebration,  as  the  old  mar- 
tyrology,  ascribed  to  St.  Jerome,  mentions  the  consecration  of  the 
first  Church  in  Rome,  supposed  to  have  been  performed  by  St. 
Peter.  Of  course,  the  Churches  of  the  first  Christians  were  not 
consecrated  with  as  much  solemnity  as  in  our  times,  because  even 
the  divine  service  had  to  be  performed  in  secret  and  by  night,  on 
account  of  the  persecutions;  but  when  the  persecutions  ceased 
during  the  reign  of  Constantine  who  was  himself  a  Christian,  the 


510     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  A  CHURCH'S  DEDICATION. 

Churches  were  consecrated  with  the  greatest  magnificence  and 
the  most  splendid  ceremonies. 

What  are  these  ceremonies? 

1.  On  the  day  previous  to  the  consecration,  the  bishop  and  the 
faithful  fast,  because  we  can  become  spiritual  temples  of  (rod  only 
by  mortification  and  penitential  works,  and  only  thus  can  enter 
the  heavenly  Jerusalem  of  which  the  Church  is  a  symbol.  2.  The 
relics  of  the  saints  which  are  to  be  enclosed  in  the  altar,  are  pre- 
served outside  the  Church  walls  in  a  tent  or  other  suitable  place, 
to  remind  us  that  the  saints  groaned  in  the  dress  of  mortality, 
like  pilgrims  and  strangers,  until  the  Lord  opened  to  them  the 
gates  of  heaven.  3.  Twelve  crosses  are  painted  upon  the  Church 
walls,  with  a  candle  under  each  to  be  lighted  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  consecration.  The  cross  is  eminently  the  Christian's 
badge,  the  twelve  candles  represent  the  twelve  apostles  whom  our 
Lord  Himself  calls  the  Light  of  the  World,  and  admonish  us  to 
live  as  children  of  light,  adhering  to  the  precepts  of  the  apostolic 
Church.  4.  The  bishop  says  the  penitential  psalms  before  the 
Church  door,  blesses  salt  and  water,  with  which  he  sprinkles  him- 
self as  well  as  the  bystanders,  goes  with  the  clergy  and  people 
around  the  Church  three  times ,  sprinkling  the  outer  walls  with 
holy  water,  and  at  every  round  knocking  with  his  crozier  at  the 
door  which  is  not  opened  until  the  third  time,  when  he  makes  the 
sign  of  the  cross  on  the  threshold,  saying:  "Behold  the  sign  of  the 
cross;  let  all  evil  spirits  depart."  The  penitential  psalms  are  to 
remind  us,  that  the  road  to  the  kingdom  of  God  passes  only  by 
the  way  of  conversion  of  life;  the  blessing  of  water  and  salt  and  the 
sprinkling  with  them,  that  only  the  pure  can  enter  heaven  which 
is  closed  to  the  impure ;  the  triple  knocking,  that  we  must  pray 
with  perseverance  and  contend  for  heaven,  as  Christ  says  {Matt. 
vii.  7.) ;  and  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  the  threshold  reminds  us,  that 
the  devil,  the  strong  man  armed,  as  Christ  calls  him,  is  not  driven 
from  this  world  without  violence  and  much  battling.  5.  The  bishop 
with  his  assistants  enters  the  Church,  which  is  still  closed  to  the 
other  clergy  and  the  people,  by  which  we  are  reminded  of  Christ's 
entrance  with  a  number  of  the  saints  into  heaven,  and  the  esta- 
blishment of  the  Church  triumphant  there.  6.  The  bishop  then 
intones  the  hymn  "Come  Creator  Spirit",  for  from  Him,  the  Holy 
Ghost,  comes  every  blessing  and  sanctification ;  the  floor  of  the 
Church  is  strown  with  ashes  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  the  bishop 
with  his  crozier  writes  the  Greek  and  Latin  alphabets  in  them, 
while  the  choir  sing  the  "Benedictus",  thus  representing  the  union 
of  both  peoples,  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles,  in  one  faith  and  one 
Church,  and  also  that  the  congregation  belongs  to  that  Church 
which  especially  celebrates  its  service  in  the  Greek  and  Latin  ton- 
gues. 7.  The  bishop  now  blesses  a  certain  mixture  of  water,  salt, 
ashes,  and  wine,  which  is  called  the  Gregorian  Water,  because 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  A  CHURCH'S  DEDICATION.     5H 

Pope  Gregory  introduced  it  {Lib.  11.  ep.  86.),  and  sprinkles  the 
walls  and  altar  with  it;  the  water  represents  Christ  s  humanity, 
the  wine  His  divinity,  the  ashes  are  a  figure  of  death,  and  the  salt 
of  incorruption;  the  mixture  of  these  symbolizes  Christ  who,  true 
God  and  true  man,  died  and  by  His  resurrection  lives  eternally. 
Through  Him  alone  are  the  faithful  purified  and  fitted  to  be  the 
temples  and  dwelling  places  of  God.  8.  The  bishop,  with  his  cro- 
zier,  signs  a  cross  upon  the  inside  upper  and  lower  parts  of  the 
doors,  as  a  sign  to  all  the  enemies  of  peace  and  blessing  to  fly 
from  its  threshold,  and  to  invoke  the  plenitude  of  all  graces  for 
those  that  pass  over  it.  9.  The  bishop  anoints  the  five  crosses 
which  are  engraven  in  the  altar-stone,  with  holy  oil  and  chrism. 
The  altar  represents  Christ,  the  crosses  His  five  sacred  wounds, 
from  which  flowed  upon  us  blessings  and  salvation  for  time  and 
eternity,  the  anointing  is  in  commemoration  of  the  mysterious 
anointing  of  Christ,  by  which  He  was  made  king,  prophet,  and 
priest  of  the  New  Testament,  and  reminds  us  of  the  blessings 
which  stream  to  us  from  the  altar,  on  which  Christ  offers  Himself 
in  the  holy  Sacrifice.  10.  After  this,  the  relics  are  taken  from  the 
place  in  which  they  have  been  preserved,  and  carried  in  procession 
around  the  Church,  -while  the  people  repeat  the  "Kyrie  eleison, 
Lord,  have  mercy  on  us" ;  from  which  we  learn,  that  we  must  fol- 
low the  saints  under  the  leadership  of  Christ,  if  we  would  enter 
the  Church  triumphant  in  heaven,  and  that  we  must  always  im- 
plore God  for  mercy  and  grace  for  this  end.  11.  The  relics  are 
then  brought  into  the  Church,  a  hymn  of  joy  and  praise  being 
chanted  at  their  entrance;  this  to  remind  us  of  the  joy  of  the 
saints  when  Christ  shall  conduct  all  His  elect  into  heaven.  12.  The 
relics  are  finally  enclosed  in  the  altar,  and  the  stone  which  en- 
closes them,  cemented  by  the  bishop  with  mortar  made  with  the 
Gregorian  water;  this  enclosing  signifies,  that  the  saints  are  per- 
fectly united  with  Christ,  and  that  whatever  we  ask  through  their 
intercession,  we  obtain  only  through  Christ  and  His  infinite  mer- 
its. 13.  One  of  the  priests  now  goes  around  the  altar  several 
times,  incensing  it;  the  priest  represents  the  angel  in  the  Apoca- 
lypse (viii.  3,  4.)  who  stood  before  the  altar  with  a  golden  thur- 
ible, and  placed  much  incense,  that  is,  the  prayers  of  the  saints, 
upon  the  golden  altar  before  the  throne  of  God.  14.  This  done, 
the  bishop  anoints  the  twelve  crosses  on  the  walls  with  chrism, 
incensing  them  three  times,  showing  us,  by  so  doing,  the  graces 
granted  to  those  who  faithfully  observe  the  apostolic  instructions. 
15.  After  this  anointing,  the  bishop  forms  five  crosses  out  of  five 
grains  of  blessed  incense,  which  he  places  on  the  five  crosses, 
carved  in  the  stone,  and  over  each  cross  of  incense  puts  one  of 
wax,  lighting  the  upper  part  of  them,  so  that  the  incense  may  be 
kindled  and  consumed.  The  burning  wax  and  incense  represent 
the  fire  of  grace  coming  from  the  Holy  Ghost  and  always  burn- 
ing on  the  altar,  and  prayer  lighted  and  burning  in  the  fire  of 


512      INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  FEAST  OF  A  CHURCH'S  DEDICATION. 

divine  love,  as  also  the  gifts  and  offerings  which  the  faithful  may 
in  future  offer  to  the  Lord  on  this  newly  consecrated  altar,  which 
will  be  acceptable  to  Him  only  through  the  cross  and  wounds  of 
His  divine  Son.  16.  This  done,  some  further  anointings  are  made 
at  the  altar,  the  new,  fresh  altar-cloths,  vestments,  chalices,  &c, 
are  blessed,  the  altar  is  covered  with  the  blessed  cloths,  the  cross 
and  candlesticks  placed  upon  it,  and  the  unbloody  Sacrifice  of 
the  New  Law  is  for  the  first  time  offered  upon  it  by  the  bishop. 
(Himiob.  and  Liturgy  by  Marzohl,  §c.) 

Why  are  Churches  thus  consecrated? 

That,  as  far  as  human  ability  permits,  a  worthy  dwelling  may 
be  prepared  for  the  Almighty,  where  we  may  adore  Him  and 
offer  our  sacrifices ;  that  we  may  know  how  holy  is  the  place  upon 
the  consecration  of  which  so  much  trouble  and  care  are  bestowed 
and  hi  which  God  dwells ;  that  we  may  have  a  place  in  which  we 
can  meet  together  for  divine  worship,  hear  the  word  of  God, 
assist  at  the  holy  Sacrifice,  and  receive  the  Sacraments ;  that  our 
piety  may  be  increased  by  the  holiness  of  the  place,  our  reve- 
rence excited,  and  our  zeal  for  the  service  of  the  Most  High  more 
and  more  inflamed. 

At  the  Intro  it  the  Church  prays  in  the  words  Jacob  used 
concerning  the  place  in  which  God  appeared  to  him,  that  all  may 
be  inspired  with  reverence  for  places  consecrated  to  God:  Ter- 
rible is  this  place;  it  is  the  house  of  God  and  the  gate 
of  heaven,  and  shall  be  called  the  court  of  God.  {Gen. 
xxviii.  17.)  How  lovely  are  thy  tabernacles,  0  Lord  of 
Hosts!  My  soul  longeth  and  fainteth  for  the  courts  of 
the  Lord.  (/>*,  lxxxii.  2.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God  wo  dost  renew  to 
us  every  year  the  day  of  the  consecration  of  this  Thy  holy 
temple,  and  dost  ever  bring  us  again  in  safety  to  the  holy 
mysteries,  graciously  hear  the  prayers  of  Thy  people,  and 
grant  that  whoever  enters  this  temple  to  implore  blessings, 
may  rejoice  in  having  obtained  all  his  requests.  Through 
our  Lord,  &c. 

LESSON.  (Apoc.  xxi.  2 — 4.)  In  those  days:  I  John  saw 
the  holy  city,  the  new  Jerusalem  coming  down  out  of  hea- 
ven, from  God,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband. 
And  I  heard  a  great  voice  from  the  throne,  saying :  .Behold 
the  tabernacle  of  God  with  men,  and  he  will  dwell  with 
them.  And  they  shall  be  his  people :  and  God  himself  with 
them  shall  be  their  God.  And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  their  eyes :  and  death  shall  be  no  more,  nor  mourning, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  A  CHURCH'S  DEDICATION.      513 

nor  crying,  nor  sorrow  shall  be  any  more,  for  the  former 
things  are  passed  away.  And  he  that  sat  on  the  throne  said : 
Behold,  I  make  all  things  new. 

EXPLANATION.  This  lesson,  it  is  true,  contains  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  or  the  Church  triumphant  in 
heaven,  represented  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband,  that  we 
may  arrive  at  some  idea  of  the  eternal  happiness  of  the  just,  and 
that  we  may  be  encouraged  to  present  our  soul,  adorned  with  virtue 
and  piety ,  to  her  bridegroom  Christ  Jesus ;  but  the  Church  on 
this  day  applies  this  figure  to  the  house  of  God  which  by  the  con- 
secration becomes,  so  to  speak,"a  bride  adorned  for  God  a  heaven- 
ly Jerusalem  and  in  which  He  establishes  His  dwelling,  that  He 
may  live  always  with  men  and  may  enrich  them  with  the  trea- 
sures of  His  grace. 

What  awe  and  reverence  are,  therefore,  due  to  the  temples  of 
God,  since  He  has  taken  up  His  dwelling  within  them,  remaining 
in  them  as  in  His  palace  to  hear  and  grant  the  requests  of  all  who 
pray  to  Him ! 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  xix.  1  — - 10.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  enter- 
ing in,  he  walked  through  Jericho.  And  behold,  there  was  a 
man  named  Zacheus,  who  was  the  chief  of  the  publicans, 
and  he  was  rich.  And  he  sought  to  see  Jesus,  who  he  was, 
and  he  could  not  for  the  crowd,  because  he  was  low  of  sta- 
ture. And  running  before  he  climbed  up  into  a  sycamore 
tree  that  he  might  see  him :  for  he  was  to  pass  that  way. 
And  when  Jesus  was  come  to  the  place,  looking  up  he  saw 
him,  and  said  to  him:  Zacheus,  make  haste  and  come  down: 
for  this  day  I  must  abide  in  thy  house.  And  he  made  haste 
and  came  down,  and  received  him  with  joy.  And  when  all 
saw  it,  they  murmured,  saying,  that  he  was  gone  to  be  a 
guest  with  a  man  that  was  a  sinner.  But  Zacheus  standing 
said  to  the  Lord:  Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give 
to  the  poor:  and  if  I  have  wronged  any  man  of  any  thing,  I 
restore  him  four-fold.  Jesus  said  to  him:  This  day  is  salva- 
tion come  to  this  house ;  because  he  also  is  a  son  of  Abra- 
ham. For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost. 

INSTRUCTIONS.  I.  Zacheus  was  a  toll-gatherer,  that  is,  one 
of  those  who  in  collecting  the  revenues  committed  many  injusti- 
ces, were  slaves  to  avarice  and  usury,  and  were,  therefore,  called 


33 


51 4     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  tJF  A  CHURCH'S  DEDICATION. 


publicans  or  public  sinners.  But  as  Zacheus  wished  to  see  our 
Saviour,  Christ  anticipated  his  desire.  He  invited  Zacheus  to  re- 
ceive Him,  and  when  He  found  how  cordially  he  received  Him,  how 
ready  he  was  to  repair  all  his  injustice,  and  to  sin  no  more,  Christ 
let  salvation  come  upon  his  house,  that  is,  forgiveness  of  his  sins, 
receiving  him  among  the  children  of  God.  How  willingly  does 
our  Lord  visit  us  also !  His  happiness  is  to  be  with  the  children 
of  men.  (Prov.  viii.  3.)  Why  do  we  not  respond  to  His  desire? 
Why  do  we  not  oifer  our  hearts  as  a  perpetual  dwelling  to  Him? 
In  the  holy  Communion  He  comes  really,  truly,  and  substantially 
to  every  one  who  receives  Him.  Why  do  we  not  receive  holy  Com- 
munion oftener?  And  when  we  do,  let  us  imitate  the  toll-gatherer 
Zacheus,  restore  illgotten  goods,  detest  all  our  sins,  seriously 
purpose  to  become  better,  excite  a  longing  desire  for  Jesus,  and 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  SPIRITUAL  TEMPLE,  &c.  515 

He  will  come,  make  us  children  of  God  and  give  us  salvation  and 
blessing. 

II.  The  visit  which  Christ  paid  Zacheus,  is  somewhat  similar 
to  the  custom  of  inviting  and  visiting  one  another  on  the  feast  of 
the  Church's  dedication,  which,  however,  should  be  done  with  the 
principal  intention  of  enjoying  ourselves  spiritually,  because  God 
has  chosen  a  dwelling  for  Himself  in  this  place,  and  to  congratu- 
late one  another,  that  we  have  the  one  only  saving  faith.  But 
what  is  done  instead  of  this?  Alas!  who  can  describe  all  the  dis- 
sipations, inordinate  feastings,  strifes,  and  scandals,  by  winch 
this  feast  is  desecrated  and  abused  in  our  days !  Even  the  hea- 
thens were  not  as  intemperate  and  dissipated  at  their  pleasure 
feasts,  as  some  Christians  of  our  days  are  at  this  ecclesiastical 
feast.  Is  this  becoming  to  Christians,  to  adherents  of  Christ,  to 
temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost?  Do  we  thus  thank  God  for  His  graces 
and  benefits  which  He  grants  during  the  year  in  His  temples?.... 
Is  it  then  wonderful,  that  God  does  not  hear  our  prayers  in  the 

Church  and  sends  curses  instead  of  blessings? Sensible  and 

believing  Christians  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  assist  at  this  feast  in 
such  a  manner,  and  Christian  governments  ought  to  take  pains  to 
abolish  such  dissipations  and  scandals,  by  which  God,  the  great- 
est good,  is  so  greatly  offended. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  SPIRITUAL  TEMPLE  WHICH  IS 

MAN  HIMSELF. 

Foil  are  a  temple  of  the  living  God,  as  God  says:  1  will 

S        dwell  in  them.  (ii.  Cor.  vi.  16.) 

T.  Bernard  justly  remarks,  that  the  festival  of  the  Church's 
dedication  is  also  our  festival ;  for  we  also  are  temples  and, 
indeed,  living  temples  of  God,  for  which  we  were  no  less  solemnly 
consecrated  in  holy  Baptism,  than  are  Churches  of  wood  and 
stone.  And  in  reality  the  ceremonies,  made  use  of  in  Baptism, 
have  so  great  a  resemblance  to  those,  used  at  the  consecration 
of  a  Church ,  that  a  baptized  man  is  no  less  than  a  consecrated 
Church,  a  pure  and  holy  temple  or  dwelling  of  God;  and 
indeed : 

1)  a  pure  temple;  for  just  as  a  Church  is  first  purified  by 
repeated  prayer,  by  exorcising  the  devil,  by  sprinkling  and  wash- 
ing with  blessed  salt,  by  signing  with  the  holy  cross,  and  the  in- 
censing with  incense,  from  all  diabolical  malice  and  impurities: 
so  also  are  we  purified  in  Baptism  from  all  diabolical  malice, 
from  all  sin  and  stain  by  repeated  prayers,  by  exorcisms  of  Sa- 
tan, by  frequent  signing  with  the  cross,  by  breathing  of  the  priest, 
and,  finally,  by  the  triple  sprinkling  of  holy  water  with  the  invo- 
cation of  the  most  Holy  Trinity,  and  are  consecrated  pure  temples 
of  God.  From  this,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  follows  the  duty  to 
keep  ourselves  in  the  purity,  obtained  by  baptism,  and  to  suffer 


33* 


516  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  SPIRITUAL  TEMPLE,  &c. 

nothing  in  our  hearts  which  might  offend  the  eyes  of  so  pure  a 
God.  Woe  to  those  who  desecrate  and  pollute  the  temple  of  God! 
God  Himself,  says  St.  Paul  (i.  Cor.  hi.  17.),  will  destroy  them. 
Now  the  temple  of  the  heart  is  desecrated  and  polluted  by  every 
mortal  sin,  especially  by  impurity:  and  when  we  sin,  it  is  the 
same  as  if  we  drive  God  from  His  temple  and  give  it  over  to  the 
devil  or  set  up  an  idol  in  it.  How  disgraceful  is  this  to  the  ma- 
jesty of  God!  But  what  must  be  done,  when  it  has  really  happen- 
ed? We  must  drive  the  devil  from  our  hearts  by  sincere  penance, 
destroy  the  idol,  and  cleanse  the  temple  of  the  heart  with  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb  by  receiving  the  holy  Sacraments,  consecrate 
it  anew,  as  a  desecrated  temple  is  consecrated  again. 

2)  We  should  be  holy  temples  in  which  God  is  adored  in 
spirit  and  in  truth,  as  He  demands  (John  iv.  23.),  and  in  which 
He  is  served  in  sanctity  and  justice.  [Luke  i.  74,  75.)  "The  sanctity 
of  God  as  well  as  the  other  ceremonies  of  Baptism,  in  which  the 
Christian,  like  a  Church,  is  repeatedly  anointed  and  sanctified 
with  holy  oil  and  chrism,  demands  this.  Sanctity,  therefore,  is 
something  essential  to  a  baptized  person,  and  he  is  no  true  Chris- 
tian, who  is  not  holy  or  at  least  does  not  seek  holiness.  Nor  is  it 
so  difficult  or  impossible  to  obtain  this  sanctity  as  some  think; 
for  it  only  consists  in  the  love  of  God  and  in  the  exact  perform- 
ance of  the  divine  will.  Difficult  or  impossible  it  is  by  no  means 
to  love  God  and  accomplish  His  will,  because  God  who  assists 
the  weak  (ii.  Cor.  xii.  9.),  immediately  and  always  gives  His  grace 
to  those  who  really  wish  this,  and  nothing  can  be  against  us,  when 
God  is  for  us.  (Rom.  viii.  31.) 

PRAYER  OF  ST.  AUGUSTINE.  0  God!  who  didst  not 
make  me  Thy  temple  on  account  of  my  own  preceding  me- 
rits, but  only  by  Thy  grace  in  holy  Baptism,  grant,  that  I 
may  always  be  a  pure  and  holy  temple  for  Thee.  Cleanse  it 
from  all  vices,  decorate  it  with  all  virtues  pleasing  to  Thee, 
and  do  not  permit,  that  there  should  ever  be  anything  in 
this  Thy  dwelling  that  might  be  displeasing  to  the  eyes  of 
Thy  majesty.  Finally,  grant  also ,  that  I  may  one  day  be 
used  in  the  building  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  as  a  living 
stone,  which  has  been  sufficiently  carved  and  shapen  by  the 
tribulations  of  this  world.  Amen. 


517 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  MONDAY 
FOLLOWING  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  CHUKCH'S  DEDICATION. 


N  very  many  parishes  in  the  country  as  well 
as  in  cities,  the  beautiful  and  consoling  prac- 
tice prevails  of  having^  on  the  day  following 
the  feast  of  the  dedication  of  the  Church  spe- 
cial service  for  the  deceased  parishioners,  and 
to  pray  for  departed  souls. 


The  thought,  that  the  deceased  faithful,  though  they  have  de- 
parted for  another  world  and  no  longer  walk  among  us,  still 
belong  to  the  communion  of  the  holy  Church,  and  are  united  to 
us  by  the  tie  of  love  which  reaches  beyond  the  grave,  is  at  the 
foundation  of  this  beautiful  custom.  They,  too,  shall  yet  partake 
of  the  graces  which  are  implored  by  prayer  in  the  consecrated 
house  of  God,  dispensed  to  the  living  and  the  dead  by  the  most 
holy  Sacrifice,  since  prayers  and  the  holy  Sacrifice  are  offered 
up  for  the-  repose  of  their  souls  in  the  Church,  where  they  once 
lingered. 

On  this  day  we  should,  therefore,  assist  at  the  service  for  the 
dead  with  the  intention  of  praying  for  all  departed  parishi- 
oners, but  particularly  for  those  who  are  entirely  forgotten,  for 
whom  prayers  are  no  longer  said  and  the  holy  Sacrifice  offered. 

Whilst  the  priest  is  keeping-the  Vigil,  those  present  may 
say  the  rosary  in  silence  for  the  dead;  during  the  Mass  they 
should  unite  their  prayer  with  that  of  the  priest,  and  at  the  Li- 
bera all  should  pray  with  their  whole  heart,  that  God  may 
grant  His  happiness  very  soon  to  the  souls  of  the  departed.  After 
the  Libera  the  priest  usually  says  five  Paters  and  Aves  with 
the  Creed.  At  the  conclusion  the  following  (or  another  similar) 
prayer  is  said: 

PRAYER.  0  God!  who  alone  canst  give  means  of  salva- 
tion after  death,  grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  to  all  those  who 
have  departed  from  our  midst  and  rest  in  this  cemetery,  the 
remission  of  their  sins  and  the  punishment  for  them.  Show 
them  Thy  mercy,  and  forgive  them  whatever  they  have  com- 
mitted against  Thy  holy  law  in  their  dealings  with  men  and 
through  human  weakness,  and  did  not  expiate  with  tears  of 
penance.  Do  not  judge  according  to  the  rigor  of  Thy  justice, 
but  according  to  the  multitude  of  Thy  mercies,  and  do  not 
remember  the  sins  of  their  youth,  but  show  them  Thy  un- 


518  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  MONDAY,  &c. 

speakable  goodness,  that  it  may  be  for  their  salvation  to 
have  believed  and  hoped  in  Thee.  Through  Jesus  Christ,  Thy 
Son,  our  Lord,  who  liveth  and  reigneth  with  Thee  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  for  all  eternity.  Amen. 

^.  Lord,  grant  eternal  rest  to  the  souls  of  the  faithful  departed, 
H.  and  let  perpetual  light  shine  upon  them ! 
f .  May  they  rest  in  peace, 
fy   Amen/ 


GOFFINE'S 

ECCLESIASTICAL  YEAR. 


part  ir< 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  VENERATION  AND 
INVOCATION  OF  THE  SAINTS 

WITH 

EXPLANATIONS  OF  THE  EPISTLES  AND  GOSPELS 

OCCURRING  ON  THEIR  FEASTS, 

AND  OF 

DOCTRINAL  POINTS  SUGGESTED  BY  THEM, 

&c.  &c. 


After  this  I  saw  a  great  multitude  which  no  man  could  number,  of  all 
naiions  and  tribes,  and  peoples  and  tongues:  standing  bcfure  the 
throne  and  in  the  sight  of  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and 
palms  in  their  hands.  And  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying: 
Salvation  to  out  God,  who  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb! 

(Apoc.  vii.  9,  10.) 


PRELIMINARY  INSTRUCTIONS 

ON  THE  VENERATION  AND  INVOCATION 

OF  SAINTS. 

What  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  Church  concerning  the  venera- 
tion and  invocation  of  saints? 

Rrom  the  earliest  times  of  the  Christian  religion 
it  has  been  the  accepted,  and  according  to  the 
consent  of  the  fathers  and  of  the  Councils  of  the 
Church  the  praiseworthy  custom  to  make  com- 
memoration of  the  saints  in  heaven  on  festival 
days,  dedicated  to  them,  and  to  honor  their 
pictures  and  relics;  that  the  saints  who  are 
reigning  with  Christ  (Apoc.  xx.  4.  6.),  may  make  intercession  for 
man,  and  therefore  it  is  useful  and  well,  that  we  humbly  imoke 
them  and  have  recourse  to  their  assistance  and  intercession. 
{Cone.  Trid.  Sess.  25.) 

Why  are  the  saints  to  be  venerated? 
Because  they  are  the  friends  of  Christ,  reign  with  Him  and 
possess  eternal  salvation  (ii.  Tim.'\\.  12.),  having  faithfully  followed 
Him  on  earth,  and  with  St.  Paul  fought  the  good  fight  (\i.Tim. 
iv.  7.);  because  they  are  living  members  of  the  Church,  through 
the  bond  of  affection  {Col.  iii.  14.)  are  united  with  us  as  friends 
and  brothers,  heartily  love  us  and  take  great  interest  in  our  wel- 
fare {Luke  xv.  7.),  and  therefore  pray  for  us  to  God.  (ii.  Machab. 
xv.  14.) 

But  does  not  the  veneration  of  saints  diminish  the  honor  due  to  God? 

Not  in  the  least,  since  all  the  honor  shown  to  the  saints  is  re- 
ferred to  God  alone,  whose  friends  and  servants  they  are,  and 
who  has  wonderfully  revealed  Himself  in  them.  [Ps.  lxvii.  36.) 
This  veneration,  therefore,  cannot  diminish  the  honor  due  to  God, 
but  on  the  contrary  increases  it. 

How  should  the  saints  be  honored? 
As  servants  a;id  friends  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ,  and 
glorified  members  of  His  body,  who  heartily  love  and  by  their 
intercession  aid  us,  but  not  as  God,  nor  as  if  they  could  aid  us  by 
their  own  power;  we  are,  therefore,  not  permitted  to  adore  them, 
or  show  them  divine  honors. 

What  difference  is  there  between  veneration  and  worship? 
"Worship  is  the  greatest  of  all  honor,  due  to  God  only,  which 
is  exercised  when  we  acknowledge  God  as  the  highest  good  and 


522  PRELIMINARY  INSTRUCTIONS 

as  creatures  submit  ourselves  to  Him  with  deepest  reverence. 
Besides  this  the  word  worship,  in  Scripture  as  well  as  in  ancient 
profane  writers,  signifies  an  external  reverence,  a  low  bow,  &c. 
{Exod.  xxiii.  7,  xxxvii.  29,  xxvii.  7.;  ii.  Kings  xviii.  21,  iii.  Kings  i.  16.) 
Thus,  when  we  read,  that  David  bowing  himself  down  to 
the  ground  (before  Saul),  worshipped,  it  is  decidedly  not  to 
be  understood  to  mean  such  a  worship  as  we  owe  to  God  alone, 
but  merely  a  rendering  of  external  honor.  In  this  sense  the  Church 
uses  the  word  worship  in  regard  to  the  cross  of  Christ.  Venera- 
tion is  nothing  more  than  an  outward  sign  of  the  esteem  which 
we  have  for  the  dignity  and  merits  of  others.  If  we  bow  before 
the  pictures  of  Christ  and  the  saints,  before  their  relics,  or  bend 
the  knee  to  them,  these  external  honors  refer  to  those  who  are 
represented  by  the  pictures,  or  whose  relics  are  there.  Princes 
and  their  portraits  are  venerated  in  the  same  manner  in  our  days, 
without  being  worshipped. 

How  do  we  best  show  our  veneration  for  the  saints? 
By  rejoicing,  and  wishing  them  happiness,  because  of  the  great 
honor  and  glory  they  have  acquired  by  faithful  cooperation  with 
God's  grace,  by  continual  practice  of  virtue,  and  performance  of 
good  works,  thanking  and  praising  God  for  them.  When  we  do  not 
seek  to  imitate  them,  "then,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "the  saints  are 
not  gladdened  by  our  veneration,  but  are  pleased  only,  when  we 
imitate  their  virtuous  examples.  To  venerate  without  imitating 
them,  is  simply  to  falsely  flatter  them."  We  also  venerate  them 
by  devoutly  and  sacredly  observing  their  festivals,  by  which  it 
must  not  be  understood,  that  merely  resting  from  work  means  to 
keep  the  festival  devoutly  and  sacredly.  If  asked  their  Opinion 
of  the  manner  in  which  many  Christians  observe  their  festivals, 
the  saints  would  perhaps  answer  as  God  did  the  Jews:  "My  soul 
hateth  your  new  moons,  and  your  solemnities:  they  are 
become  trouble  some  to  me,  I  am  weary  of  bearing  them 
(Isaii.  14.);  for  with  all  your  seeming  devotion,  your  hands  are 
empty  of  good  works,  and  filled  with  iniquity;  dissolve  the  bonds 
of  sin  and  learn  to  do  good — then  your  devotion  will  be  pleasing 
to  us."  Finally,  we  venerate  them  when  with  proper  confidence 
we  turn  to  them  in  our  cares,  and  seek  their  intercession. 

Are  we  to  invoke  the  saints? 
Assuredly,  for  the  intercession  of  saints  is  taught  by  the  holy 
Scriptures.  When  thou  didst  pray  with  tears,  and  didst 
bury  the  dead,  I  offered  thy  prayers  to  the  Lord,  said 
the  Angel  Raphael  to  Tobias  (Tod.  xii.  12.);  St.  Paul  asked  for 
the  intercession  of  his  living  brethren  (i.  Thess.  25.) ,  and  God 
Himself  advised  it  to  the  friends  of  the  pious  Job.  {Job.  xii.' 8.) 
If  the  doctrine  of  the  holy  Scriptures  permits  us  to  ask  the  living 
for  their  intercession,  why  should  we  not  be  allowed  to  ask  the 
intercession  of  the  saints  who  kneel  before  the  throne  of  God  and 


ON  THE  VENERATION  AND  INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS.  523 

gaze  upon  His  countenance?  The  Church  has  always  taught,  that 
it  is  useful  and  good  to  invoke  the  intercession  of  the  saints,  and 
has  at  all  times  practised  it.  The  unbelievers  who  abuse  the  venera- 
tion of  saints,  seek  the  intercession  of  the.  living  without  regard- 
ing it  as  a  circuitous  path  to  God;  why  should  not  as  much  be 
granted  to  the  saints,  who  are  the  glorified  members  of  the  body 
of  Christ? 

But  since  the  saints  are  not  omniscient,  can  they  hear  our  prayers? 

They  do  not  need  to  be  omniscient  to  know  for  what  we  pray. 
Cannot  God  let  them  be  aware  of<our  cares?  The  angels  know 
the  conversion  of  a  sinner  and  rejoice  over  it  {Luke  xv.  10.),  they 
hear  the  prayers  and  know  the  good  works  of  the  pious  {Job. 
xii.  12.);  they  bring  them  as  a  pleasant  gift  to  the  sight  of  God 
{Apoc.  viii.  3.).  Cannot  the  same  be  said  of  the  saints,  since  they 
are  like  the  angels  and-possess  the  same  glory?  {Matt.  xxii.  30.) 
Did  not  Onias  and  Jeremias  receive,  after  their  death,  knowledge 
of  the  afflictions  of  the  Jewish  people,  and  pray  to  God  for  them? 
(ii.  Mach.  xv.  12.)  We  need  not  be  anxious  in  regard  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  saints  become  cognizant  of  our  prayers,  since 
God  has  a  thousand  ways  in  which  to  let  our  needs  be  known  to 
them. 

On  what  do  we  base  our  faith,  that  the  saints  pray  for  us? 

On  the  doctrine  of  the  communion  of  saints,  according  to  which 
the  most  intimate  spiritual  communion  exists  between  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  as  members  of  the  body  of  Christ,  so  that  in 
the  spiritual  possessions  of  one  the  others  have  part,  and  it  is  the 
heart's  wish  of  each,  that  others  should  share  in  that  wiiich  he 
possesses,  for  which  reason  they  pray  for  each  other  constantly 
{James  v.  16.;  Apoc.  v.  8.);  and  also  on  the  great  charity  of  the 
saints  which  wras  theirs  while  here,  and  by  which  they  were  en- 
abled to  sacrifice  everything,  often  even  their  lives,  for  the  welfare 
of  their  fellow  creatures.  This  love  does  not  cease  after  death, 
for  love  never  dies  (i.  Cor.  xiii.  8. ) ,  and  they  have  carried  it  with 
them  to  heaven,  where  they  now  love  us  more  than  ever,  and  cer- 
tainly show  their  love  by  praying  for  us ;  for  they  know  from  their 
own  experience  to  what  dangers  our  welfare  is  exposed,  and  how 
much  we  are  in  need  of  God's  assistance. 

In  what  sense  do  we  seek  the  intercession  of  the  saints? 

Not  in  the  sense  that  implies,  that  we  cannot  and  dare  not 
turn  directly  to  God  and  Christ,  but  because  we  consider  ourselves, 
as  sinners,  unworthy  to  appear  in  the  sight  of  God  whom  we  have 
offended  by  sin,  and  so  hope  to  obtain  mercy  and  compassion 
through  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  which  avail  much  with  God 
{John  ix.  31. ;  James  v.  16.)  We,  therefore,  think  it  useful  and  good 
to  seek  help  from  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  so  that  we  may  receive 
grace  from  God  through  His  Son,  our  Lord,  who  alone  is  our 


524  PRELIMINARY  INSTRUCTIONS 

Redeemer  and  Saviour.  {Cone.  Trid.Sess.25.)  Thus  the  invocation 
is  not  opposed  to  the  invocation  of  God,  for  we  invoke  God  as 
the  Giver  of  grace  and  the  Author  of  all  good  {James  i.  17.),  and 
this  invocation  of  Him  is  an  act  of  adoration;  but  when  we  invoke 
the  saints,  we  invoke  them  as  mediators  who  will  request  with  us 
and  for  us  from  God  through  Jesus  Christ  that  which  we  require. 
For  this  reason  all  the  prayers  of  the  Church  end  with  the  words: 
Through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord.    Amen. 

But  does  not  the  intercession  of  saints  diminish  the  mediatorship 
of  Christ,  as  the  heretics  maintain? 

Not  in  the  least.  According  to  the  faith  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
Christ  through  His  work  of  redemption  is  the  only  mediator  be- 
tween God  and  man,  asking  for  the  sake  of  His  own  merits,  mercy 
and  compassion  for  us  from  God.  But  the  saints  are  our  inter- 
cessors and  mediators  in  this  sense,  that  they  may  pray  for  us, 
that  God  will  be  merciful  to  us  because  of  the  merits  of  Christ, 
and  their  intercession  is  only  heard  on  account  of  Christ. 

V*  not  Christ's  intercession  sufficient  ? 
It  is  superfluous,  and  yet  St.  Paul  asks  the  intercession  of  the 
faithful:  Watching  with  all  instance  and  supplication  for 
all  the  saints:  and  for  me.    {Eph.  vi.  18,  19.;  Hebr.  xiii.  16.) 
Are  we  wiser  than  this  holy  apostle? 

Can  the  saints  through  their  own  power  give  us  that  for  which 

s  we  pray? 

The  Roman  Catechism  says:  "We  do  not  invoke  the  saints  in 
the  same  manner  that  we  do  God;  we  pray  to  God,  that  He  Him- 
self may  give  us  the  good;  but  we  pray  to  the  saints,  that  they, 
since  they  are  pleasing  to  God,  may  be  our  intercessors,  and  ob- 
tain from  Him  that  which  we  need."  For  this  reason  we  say  in 
the  litanies  of  God:  Have  mercy  on  us,  hear  us!  in  the  lita- 
nies of  the  saints:  Pray  for  us! 

What  qualities  must  the  veneration  have  to  correspond  with  the 
sense  of  the  Church  and  be  agreeable  to  God  and  the  saints? 

It  must  be  directed  above  all  to  the  honor  of  God  and  for  the 
salvation  of  our  soul,  as  St.  Jerome  says :  "We  honor  the  servants, 
so  that  the  honor  of  the  servants  may  redound  to  the  honor  of 
God."  It  could  not  possibly  please  the  saints,  who  regard  the  honor 
of  God  far  more  than  their  own,  if  the  honor  of  God  should  suffer 
in  the  least  by  the  veneration  given  them.  Consequently,  the  first 
and  most  important  quality  of  the  veneration  of  the  saints  is,  that 
we  are  encouraged  thereby  to  adore  and  glorify  God,  through 
whose  grace  the  saints  attained  such  a  high  degree  of  sanctity 
and  happiness.  The  devotion  to  the  saints  must  also  make  us 
pious,  virtuous,  and  saintly,  that  is,  if  we  seek  to  venerate  the 
saints,  we  must  emulate  their  example;  we  must  always  conform 


ON  THE  VENERATION  AND  INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS.      525 

to  the  will  of  God  in  that  which  we  desire  from  the  saints,  be  they 
spiritual  or  corporal  favors,  and  not  ask  anything  unjust,  unrea- 
sonable, or  injurious  to  our  salvation;  and,  lastly,  we  must  seek 
to  make  ourselves,  by  a  pious  life,  worthy  of  it. 

What  difference  in  the  veneration  of  different  saints  is  made  by  the 

Catholic  Church  ? 

The  feasts  of  some  saints  are  celebrated  with  much  more  so- 
lemnity than  others,  and  the  faithful  are  permitted  to  venerate 
some  saints  more  than  others.  The  reason  of  this  is,  that  accord- 
ing to  the  faith  of  the  Catholic  Church,  there  is  a  certain  regularity 
among  the  saints  in  accordance  with  their  dignity  and  sanctity. 
Christ  did  not  say  without  meaning:  In  my  Father's  house 
are  many  mansions  (Johnxivr  2.),  nor  without  reason  St.  Paul: 
One  is  the  glory  of  the  sun,  another  the  glory  of  the 
moon,  and  another  the  glory  of  the  stars.  For  star 
differeth  from  star  in  glory.  So  also  is  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead.  (i.  Cor.  xv.  41,  42.)  In  this  manner  the  Church  per- 
mits certain  saints  to  be  especially  venerated  and  invoked  as 
patrons  or  protectors  of  different  countries,  Churches,  as  patron- 
saints,  and  over  each  and  all  stations  of  life,  so  that  in  dangers  of 
body  and  soul  we  may  acquire  aid  and  comfort  through  their  inter- 
cession, and  that  we  may  fervently  imitate  their  practice  of  virtue. 

Why  is  more  honor  shown  to  Mary,  the  beloved  Mother  of  the  Son 
of  God,  than  to  other  saints? 
Because  she  is  the  Mother  of  the  Son  of  God  our  Redeemer, 
and  is  therefore  the  Queen  of  Saints.  Why  should  not  she  be  honor- 
ed and  praised  above  all  saints  who  is  full  of  grace,  with  whom 
is  the  Lord,  and  who  is  blessed  among  women  {Luke  i.  28.) ; 
who  in  the  spirit  of  a  prophet  said  of  herself:  From  henceforth 
all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed,  and  concerning  whom 
a  woman  among  the  people  cried  out:  Blessed  is  the  womb 
that  bore  thee,  and  the  pap?  that  gave  thee  suck!  {Luke 
xi.  27.)  For  similar  reasons  St.  Joseph  deserves  next  after  Mary 
a  special  veneration,  because  he  on  account  of  his  sanctity  was 
chosen  from  among  all  men  to  be  the  fosterfather  of  Christ. 

What  are  the  choirs  and  rank  of  saints,  venerated  in  the  Church? 

First,  the  angels,  who  are  sent,  not  regarding  their  greatness, 
to  serve  those  who  wish  to  be  saved  {Hebr.  i.  14.),  who  guard  our 
souls  and  bodies,  and  are,  therefore,  called  guardian  angels; 
secondly,  the  patriarchs,  who  according  to  nature  were  the 
forefathers  of  Christ,  and  because  of  their  virtues  types  of  Him ; 
thirdly,  the  prophets,  who  as  instruments  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
taught  the  people  the  will  of  God,  strengthened  them  in  the  true 
religion,  and  prepared  them  for  the  coming  of  the  Saviour  of  the 
world,  whom  they  foretold;  fourthly,  the  apostles,  who  as  wit- 
nesses of  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  messengers  of  peace 


526  PRELIMINARY  INSTRUCTIONS 

(hence  their  name  apostle,  that  is,  messenger),  are  regarded  as  the 
fathers  and  pastors  of  all  the  faithful,  as  the  pillars  and  corner- 
stones of  the  Church;  fifthly,  the  evangelists,  who  Drought  us 
the  joyous  message  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  that  is,  the  doctrines 
and  deeds  of  Jesus  which  they  saw  and  heard,  and  have  partially 
written  down  and  preserved  for  us;  sixthly,  the  martyrs,  who 
sacrificed  their  lives  for  virtue  and  the  Christian  religion,  and  fer- 
tilized God's  Church  with  martyr's  blood,  so  that  it  brought  forth 
an  immense  number  of  Christians;  seventhly,  the  bishops  and 
priests,  who  as  good  shepherds  fed  their  flock  with  the  blessed 
Sacraments,  with  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  with  good  example, 
and  guarded  them  from  wolves,  and  by  offering  the  holy  Sacrifice 
of  the  Mass  placed  themselves  somewhat  as  mediators  between 
God  and  man.  Eightly,  the  monks  and  Hermits,  who  laid  aside 
all  earthly  honors,  joys  and  wealth,  retired  into  solitude  or  into 
monasteries  and,  so  to  speak,  buried  themselves  there ;  ninthly, 
the  confessors,  who  through  all  the  mockery  and  persecution  of 
the  world,  would  not  permit  themselves  to  be  led  from  the  con- 
fession and  adherence  to  the  evangelical  laws ;  tenthly,  the  virgins, 
that  is,  those  who  preferred  virginal  purity  above  all  the  pleasures, 
riches  and  honors  of  the  world,  and  never  stained  it,  so  that  they 
now  follow  the  Lamb  in  heaven  singing  a  new  canticle,  which 
none  other  can  sing;  eleventhly,  the  widows,  who  have  sancti- 
fied their  difficult  position  in  life,  by  humility,  patience,  industry, 
proper  training  of  their  children,  and  by  resignation  to  the  will 
of  God;  twelfthly,  the  penitents,  who  having  been  wrrecked  in 
faith,  or  having  lost  their  innocence,  have  grasped  the  plank  of 
penance,  rendered  satisfaction  for  their  sins,  and  passed  on  through 
the  narrow  way,  through  the  narrow  gate  to  the  heaven. 

How  should  we  venerate  the  patrons  of  persons ,  countries, 
and  Churches? 

If  the  Church  designates  certain  patrons  for  the  faithful,  she 
does  not  wish,  that  they  should  be  our  protectors  and  interces- 
sors simply,  but  she  demands  much  more,  that  they  should  serve 
the  faithful  as  models  and  exemplars.  We  must,  therefore,  solicit 
not  only  the  intercession  and  protection  of  our  patron-saints,  but 
especially  try  to  make  ourselves  worthy  of  them  by  emulating 
their  virtues. 

Is  it  allowable  to  venerate  the  relics  of  the  saints,  that  is,  their 
bones  or  other  part  of  them  ? 
Undoubtedly,  for  this  was  done  even  in  the  Old  Law,  and  how 
much  more  in  the  New ;  it  was  the  pious  custom  even  in  the  very 
earliest  times  of  the  Church,  and  God  Himself  has,  at  all  times, 
confirmed  this  veneration  by  the  greatest  miracles.  Moses,  filled 
with  reverence,  took  the  bones  ol  the  Patriarch  Joseph  and  car- 
ried them  along  in  the  journey  to  the  Promised  Land,  where  they 
were  finally  preserved.  {Exod.  viii.  19;  Eccl.  xlix.  18.)  Eliseus  di- 


ON  THE  VENERATION  AND  INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS.     527 

vided  the  waters  of  the  Jordan  with  the  mantle  of  Elias  (iv.  Kings 
ii.  14.),  by  touching  Eliseus'  bones  a  man  came  to  life.  (iv.  Kings 
xiii.  21.)  Jesus  did  not  rebuke  the  woman  troubled  with  the  issue 
of  blood,  who  in  faith  touched  the  hem  of  His  garment  and  was 
healed  {Matt.  ix.  20.),  and  all  kinds  of  diseases  were  cured  by  St. 
Peter's  shadow  and  by  St.  Paul'  handkerchief.  (Actsx.  15;  xix.  12.) 
Tfce  veneration  of  the  relics  of  Saints,  thus  approved  by  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  is  also  sanctioned  by  the  continual  practice  of  the 
Church.  Even  the  first  Christians  regularly  visited  the  graves  of 
the  martyrs,  there  to  make  prayers  and  offerings.  The  bones  of 
St.  Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Antioch  and  pupil  of  St.  John,  were  ga- 
thered up  with  the  greatest  care  by  the  faithful,  and  as  the  most 
precious  of  treasures  were  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  Chris- 
tians of  all  the  towns  on  the  road,  in  a  triumphal  procession  to 
Antioch.  This  took  place  in  the  year  107  after  Christ.  In  like 
manner  the  faithful  of  Smyrna  preserved  the  bones  of  St.  Polycarp, 
a  bishop,  who  was  martyred  by  fire  in  the  year  166,  preserved 
them  as  something  more  priceless  than  gold  or  precious  stones  in 
a  sacred  place,  where  every  year  his  martyrdom  was  commemo- 
rated. In  a  sermon  on  the  Saints  Juventius  and  Maximus,  St. 
Chrysostom  says:  "Let  us  visit  them  often,  let  us  touch  the  little 
case  (in  which  these  bones  are  kept),  and  approach  their  relics 
with  greatest  confidence,  so  that  we  may  receive  blessings  through 
them."  An  immense  number  of  testimonies  could  still  be  quoted 
concerning  the  veneration  of  saints'  relics,  and  of  the  miracles 
that  have  occurred  through  them,  by  which  is  clearly  shown,  that 
this  pious  custom  has  always  been  practiced  in  the  Church. 

Why  should  we  honor  the  relics  of  the  saints? 
The  answer  to  this  is  finely  given  by  the  Council  of  Trent: 
"Because  they  are  the  precious  remains  of  bodies  that  were  in 
life  members  of  Christ  and  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  will 
one  day  rise  and  be  glorified ;  they  were  the  instruments  of  virtue 
and  sanctity;  God  gives  us  a  great  many  favors  through  them, 
and  they,  therefore,  deserve  to  be  held  in  honor  by  us."  (Sess. 25. 
de  invoc.  et  venerat.  Reliqu.  Sanct.) 

Are  we  permitted  to  venerate  in  the  same  manner  the  pictures  of 
the  saints,  the  holy  Cross,  $c.  ? 
Yes,  for  the  honor  we  show  to  the  picture,  is  given  to  the  one 
whom  the  picture  represents.  It  would  be  considered  by  every- 
body an  insult  to  a  king,  if  his  picture  were  abused  and  dishonored. 
The  Council  of  Trent  distinctly  declares:  "that  we  must  have  the 
pictures  of  Christ,  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  other  saints,  in  the 
temples  especially,  retain  them  there  and  show  them  due  honor, 
not  as  if  we  believed,  there  is  a  God  or  a  power  in  them  to  which 
we  must  pay  honor,  if  we  demand  aught  from  them,  or  as  if  we 
put  our  trust  in  the  pictures ;  but  because  the  honor  shown  them, 
refers  to  the  original  which  they  represent,  so  that  through  the 


528  PRELIMINARY  INSTRUCTIONS 

picture  which  we  kiss  and  before  which  we  uncover  our  head  and 
prostrate  ourselves,  we  adore  Christ  and  venerate  the  saints. 

But  is  not  the  veneration  of  pictures  forbidden  by  the  prohibition  to 
make  a  graven  image? 

No;  for  God  only  forbade  the  adoration  of  graven  images,  not 
their  veneration.  When  God  forbade  the  Jews  to  make  graven 
images,  He  wished  to  prevent  them  from  falling  into  the  super- 
stitions of  the  neighboring  heathens,  who  really  worshipped  the 
images  of  the  sun,  stars,  men,  and  animals;  but  where  there  was 
no  danger  of  idolatry,  God  did  not  forbid  the  making  of  images. 
Moses  himself,  by  God's  order,  made  the  image  of  two  Cherubim, 
who  looked  at  each  other  on  the  ark  of  the  Covenant  (Exod. 
xxv.  18.),  and  he  also,  as  ordered  by  God,  erected  a  brazen  ser- 
pent which  was  for  many  centuries  reverentially  preserved  (Num. 
xxi.  8.),  until  the  time  of  Ezechias  who  destroyed  it  because  of 
an  intimated  abuse,  (iv.  Kings  xviii.  4.)  The  walls  and  doors  of 
Solomon's  temple  were  decorated  with  many  figures  and  carvings, 
and  God  Himself  solemnly  consecrated  this  temple,  (iii.  Kings 
vi.  29.)  Consequently,  God  did  not  absolutely  forbid  the  use  of 
images  or  pictures,  and  we  find  them  in  the  earliest  times  of  the 
Church.  The  old  Church  Writer  Tertullian  (about  the  year  160 
A.  D.),  mentions  the  picture  of  the  good  shepherd  on  the  chalice 
(de  pudicit.  c.  10.) ;  and  pictures  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  Peter 
and  Paul,  the  Apostles,  dating  from  the  second  century,  are  still 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation  in  the  great  cemetery  of  the  first 
Christians  at  Rome. 

But  tchat  is  the  use  of  pictures? 

As  St.  Gregory  says:  "They  are  for  the  unlearned  as  a  book- 
in  which  they  can  study  the  mysteries  and  graces  of  God;  that 
they  may  take  to  heart  the  things  which  Christ  has  done  for  us, 
and  the  Saints  have  done  for  heaven,  and  may  thus  be  encouraged 
to  gratitude,  to  love  of  God,  and  to  the  imitation  of  the  saints.  It 
is  most  important,  that  all  improper  and  scandalous  pictures,  by 
which  innocence  is  often  led  astray,  be  removed  out  of  every 
Christian  dwelling,  and  sacred  and  edifying-ones  put  in  their  place. 

What  is  to  be  said  of  the  so  called  miraculous  pictures,  and  pilgrim 
shrines  of  the  Mother  of  God,  and  other  saints? 

Miraculous  pictures  and  places  of  pilgrimages  of  the  Mother 
of  God  or  the  saints.,  are  those  through  which  and  where  God 
has  deigned  in  a  wonderful  manner  to  assist,  on  account  of  the 
intercession  of  the  saints,  the  faithful  who  have  venerated  these 
pictures,  and  visited  these  places  in  their  different  needs  and 
troubles.  But  there  is  to  be  remarked  concerning  these:  that  the 
Church  permits  the  faithful  to  venerate  as  miraculous  only  those 
pictures  the  truth  of  whose  miracles  has  been  proved  beyond  all 
doubt  by  strict  examination ;  that  the  Catholic  Church  does  not 


ON  THE  VENERATION  AND  INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS.  529 

believe,  these  pictures  have  any  force  of  themselves  which  pro- 
duces these  miracles,  but  that  God  of  His  own  pleasure  works 
His  miracles  through  them ;  that  the  Church  does  teach,  that  we 
should  not  pray  for  anything  to  these  pictures,  or  put  our  trust 
in  them.  We  invoke  Christ  Himself  or  the  saints,  Christ  as  God, 
the  saints  as  friends  of  God ;  not  their  pictures,  for  in  God  alone 
we  place  all  our  hopes. 

Are  we  allowed  to  build  Churches,  to  say  Mass,  to  bring  offerings, 
to  make  rows,  $c,  to  the  pictures  and  relics  of  saints  ? 

No;  acts  of  this  kind  are  acts  of  a  veneration  which  belongs 
exclusively  to  God  who  is  Lord  over  life  and  death.  If  such  things 
are  performed,  it  can  only  be  on  account  of  God  and  His  honor, 
as  a  thanksgiving  for  the  graces  which  He  has  shown  to  the 
saints,  by  which  we  can  keep  in  view  the  remembrance  and  the 
honor  of  the  saints  in  whom  God  has  so  marvellously  manifested 
Himself,  and  whom  He  has  so  highly  honored  and  does  honor. 
Thus  St.  Augustine  says:  "To  no  martyr,  but  to  God  Himself, 
the  Lord  of  all  martyrs,  do  we  build  altars  and  temples,  though 
built  on  the  graves  of  martyrs.  No  one  of  our  ministers  had  ever 
said  on  the  altar :  We  offer  unto  thee,  0  Peter,  or  Paul !  What- 
ever is  offered,  is  offered  to  God  who  crowns  the  martyrs."  {Lib. 
xx.  cont.  Faust,  c  21.)  Thus  on  certain  festivals  of  saints  the 
Church  sings  in  the  Introit:  Let  us  rejoice  in  the  Lord, 
and  celebrate  this  festival  in  honor  of  N.  N.,  over 
whom  the  angels  rejoice  and  praise  and  honor  the  Son 
of  God.    Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

Can  we,  in  devotion  to  the  saints,  do  their  pictures  and  relics  too 
much  honor,  and  be  led  away  ourselves  ? 

Undoubtedly;  this  occurs  if  we  honor  them  more  than  God; 
if,  so  to  speak,  we  put  God  aside  and  address  our  prayers  and 
devotions  to  the  saints  only,  placing  in  them  a  presumptuous 
confidence ,  as  if  they  could  and  must  of  themselves  assist  us ; 
if  we  promise  ourselves  from  the  saints,  on  account  of  certain 
prayers,  devotions,  and  pious  exercises,  a  certainly  happy  death 
and  heaven,  without  taking  care  to  lead  a  pious  life ;  if  we  ask 
nothing  but  temporal  goods,  money,  and  riches,  &c,  from  them, 
and  perhaps  use  to  obtain  our  requests  some  suspicious  and  super- 
stitious prayer  and  devotion,  not  introduced  by  the  Church,  but  by 
the  devil  and  impious  men,  *)  even  calling  upon  the  saints  to  aid 
in  some  vicious  deed mr  and  when  we  represent  the  saints  impro- 
perly, or  in  scandalous  pictures ;  if  we  expose  for  veneration  relics 


*)  Be  careful  not  to  buy  or  to  take  printed  notes,  short  prayers  or  tracts 
from  strangers  about  whom  you  know  nothing  or  from  those  who  have  no 
settled  faith;  these  usually  contain  false  doctrines.  Therefore  you  should 
carry  all  such  papers  and  tracts  to  your  pastor,  asking  his  advice  whether 
you  should  use  them  or  not. 


34 


530  PRELIMINARY  INSTRUCTIONS 

that  are  doubtful  and  have  not  been  declared  authentic  by  the 
bishops,  or  when  we  do  business  with  them. 

Do  the  unbelievers  do  right,  when  they  abuse  and  condemn  the 

veneration  of  the  saints,  of  their  pictures,  §c? 
If  they  knew  the  doctrine  of  the  Church,  or  would  investigate 
it  for  themselves,  they  would  not  do  this,  but  they  usually  abuse 
that  which  they  do  not  know  and  do  not  wish  to  know.  The  Ca- 
tholic Church  does  not  command  any  of  her  faithful  to  venerate 
the  saints,  their  pictures  or  relics,  but  she  teaches,  that  this  ve- 
neration is  good  and  profitable.  The  Catholic  does  not  honor  the 
saints  as  he  does  God;  he  does  not  believe  and  is  not  allowed  to 
believe,  that  there  is  any  power  or  divinity  in  the  pictures  or 
relics;  he  does  not  ask  an}rthing  from  them,  but  only  from  Christ 
and  the  saints,  whom  these  pictures  represent,  and  puts  no  con- 
fidence, as  do  the  heathens,  in  pictures,  but  in  God  only,  by  whom 
the  saints,  on  account  of  the  merits  of  Christ,  will  be  heard  in 
our  behalf. 

Is  it  not  false  to  say,  the  pope  makes  men  saints? 
It  is ;  for  it  is  an  insulting  calumny,  invented  to  slander  the 
Catholic  Church.  Gad  only  makes  men  saints;  a  Catholic  can  be- 
come a  saint  only  through  His  grace,  and  through  faithful,  per- 
severing cooperation  with  His  grace.  The  pope,  as  head  of  the 
Church,  simply  declares,  that  this  or  that  Catholic  whom  God 
Himself  has  pronounced  righteous  by  the  miracles  He  has  wrought 
through  him,  can  be  invoked  and  venerated  as  a  saint.  But  be- 
fore the  pope  publisRes  any  such  declaration,  a  long  and  strict 
examination  is  made  into  the  life  of  the  one  who  is  proposed  for 
canonization. 

What  is  the  manner  of  proceeding  in  the  canonization  of  a  saint? 
When  a  person  has  died  with  the  reputation  of  sanctity,  and 
the  report  has  spread  about,  that  God  works  miracles  through 
him,  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  prepares  a  statement  from  the 
oaths  of  trustworthy  witnesses,  which  confirms  the  fame  of  the 
person's  sanctity  and  the  authenticity  of  the  miracles.  This  state- 
ment is  sent  to  the  Congregation  of  Rites  at  Rome.  *) 

The  congregation  carefully  examines  it;  if  it  is  found  to  be 
correct,  it  is  communicated  to  the  pope,  who  then  appoints  one 
of  the  cardinals  of  the  Congregation  commissioner,  to  procure 
all  the  necessary  witnesses  and  explanations  for  the  examina- 
tion which  is  now  to  be  instituted  into  the  life  of  the  proposed 
saint;  at  the  same  time  some  are  appointed  to  oppose  the  cano- 
nization. When  this  is  done,  a  real  jury  is  composed,  that  is, 
cardinals  are  chosen  who  solemnly  swear,  that  they  will  carefully 

*)  The  Congregation  of  Rites  is  a  meeting  of  learned  cardinals  who  keep 
watch  and  decide  on  matters  concerning  the  observance  of  ceremonies  and 
rites  in  the  performance  ol  divine  service. 


ON  THE  VENERATION  AND  INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS.      531 

try  and  judge  the  person's  life,  and  all  witnesses  for  and  against 
him.  Advocates  are  summoned  to  this  trial,  of  whom  one  or  more 
undertake,  under  oath,  the  saint's  defence,  others  the  accusation, 
and  must  bring  up  every  circumstance,  even  the  most  trivial, 
which  could  cast  an  unfavorable  light  On  the  life  of  the  saint,  so 
that  the  truth  may  be  more  clearly  brought  out.  Physicians, 
surgeons,  and  naturalists  are  called,  who  must  examine  the  alleged 
miracles  to  discover  if  they  are  really  miracles  or  only  natural 
occurrences.  As  soon  as  this  court  is  impanelled  and  the  trial 
commenced,  the  saint  receives  the  title  of  "Venerable",  which  is 
equivalent  to  saying,  he  is  worthy  of  beatification.  The  beatifica- 
tion takes  place  fifty  years  after*his  death.  During  all  this  time 
the  trial  continues;  all  his  works,  conduct  and  actions  are  inves- 
tigated, and  the  least  thing  found  therein  that  is  contrary  to  good 
morals,  causes  the  canonization  to  fall  to  the  ground.  When  the 
examination  of  the  miracles  has  been  completed,  the  trial  is  discon- 
tinued for  ten  years  in  order  to  bring  more  witnesses  in  regard  to 
his  character.  After  ten  years  the  virtues  of  the  saint,  his  faith, 
hope,  charity,  his  observance  of  the  four  cardinal  virtues:  fortitude, 
prudence,  temperance,  justice,  which  he  must  have  exercised  in  the 
highest  degree,  are  subjected  to  a  strict  and  searching  investigation. 
For  this  purpose  the  pope  appoints  by  a  special  bull,  which  is  call- 
ed Letter  of  Grace,  commissioners  who  must  inquire  in  the  places 
where  the  person  lived,  how  he  practised  these  virtues.  After  the 
examination  is  concluded,  the  holy  Congregation  studies  the  com- 
missioners' reports,  the  testimony  of  the  witnesses,  &c,  and  then 
the  trial  with  all  the  documents  concerning  it,  has  to  be  submitted 
to  the  conscientious  inspection  and  examination  of  the  Consistory, 
which  is  composed  of  all  the  cardinals,  archbishops  and  bishops 
of  the  Roman  court.  A  number  of  meetings  are  held,  at  many  of 
which  the  pope  is  present,  partly  to  make  personal  examination, 
partly  to  receive  counsel  from  the  bishops.  After  the  pope  has 
done  this,  often  implored  God  to  enlighten  him,  and  even  order- 
ed public  prayers  for  the  necessary  light  from  heaven,  he  pu- 
blishes the  bull  by  which  he  permits  the  ceremonies  of  beatifi- 
cation to  take  place.  As  the  day  approaches  on  which  the  solemn 
beatification  is  to  be  made,  St.  Peter's  Church  at  Rome,  the  larg- 
est and  most  beautiful  in  the  world,  is  decorated  with  all  possible 
splendor ;  thousands  of  candles  glimmer  on  all  sides  of  the  Church 
the  walls  and  pillars  are  draped  from  top  to  bottom  with  the 
costliest  crimson  velvet,  the  high-altar  is  brilliant  with  gold  and 
precious  stones,  and  over  the  altar  hangs  the  veiled  picture  of  the 
saint  whose  beatification  is  about  to  be  commenced.  The  pope, 
surrounded  by  all  the  cardinals  and  bishops,  appears,  attended  by 
all  his  court,  kneels  down  and  once  more  prays  for  light.  Then 
the  cardinal  who  is  to  celebrate  High-Mass,  comes  forward  in  a 
golden  cope  and  wearing  a  mitre,  reads  in  a  loud  voice  the  pope's 
brief,  in  which  it  is  declared,  that  the  venerable  servant  of  God 


34* 


532  SHORT  INSTRUCTION  ON  PILGRIMAGES. 

whose  trial  is  now  at  an  end,  can  be  venerated  and  invoked  in 
certain  countries  and  by  certain  religious  orders  as  one  of  the 
saints  of  God.  The  Te  Deum  is  then  intoned,  the  veil  falls  from 
the  picture,  and  amid  the  roar  of  cannon  the  pope  and  all  the 
people  fall  upon  their  knees,  venerating  the  saint  and  praising  God 
who  has  so  glorified  Himself  in  him. 

This  is  the  solemn  act  of  beatification;  the  canonization 
is  not  yet  finished,  that  is,  the  declaration  that  the  saint  can  be 
venerated  by  the  whole  Catholic  world.  Before  this  is  done,  it 
must  be  shown,  that  since  the  beatification  God  has  worked  new 
miracles  through  the  saint;  so  there  is  a  new  trial  and  a  new  exa- 
mination, and  after  the  performance  of  new  miracles  has  been 
clearly  proved,  the  canonization  occurs  with  the  same  solemnities 
that  were  held  at  the  beatification. 

From  all  this  it  is  seen,  that  no  trial  could  be  held  with  more 
conscientiousness,  more  care  and  severity  than  the  process  of 
beatification  and  canonization,  and  that  the  final  judgment  is  only 
given  when  God  Himself  by  the  miracles  He  works  through  the 
saint,  decides  the  question,  so  that  not  the  pope,  therefore,  but 
God  only  can  make  saints;  He  simply  glorifies  His  servants  who 
during  their  whole  life  sought  only  His  honor  and  pleasure. 

SHORT  INSTRUCTION  ON  PILGRIMAGES. 

What  is  a  pilgrimage  ? 

Pilgrimage  is  a  journey  voluntarily  under- 
taken to  some  distant  holy  place,  relics  or 
pictures  of  some  saints,  or  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  there  to  pray  fervently  to  receive, 
through  the  intercession  of  the  saint,  help 
from  God  in  some  corporal  or  spiritual 
need. 

Are  pilgrimages  of  recent  origin? 
There  were  pilgrimages  made  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  we 
find  them  in  the  history  of  all  nations.  Abraham  made  a  three 
days'  journey  in  order  to  perform  his  sacrifice  according  to  the  com- 
mand ot  God  {Gen.  xxii.  3.),  and  the  Jews  at  certain  times  made 
pilgrimages  to  Bethel  which  place  Jacob  had  sanctified  {Gen. 
xxviii.  1>. ;  i.  Kings  x.  3.);  in  like  manner  they  made  in  accordance 
with  a  command  of  Moses  a  pilgrimage,  three  times  a  year,  to  the 
ark  of  the  Covenant  and  afterwards  to  the  temple  at  Jerusalem. 
{Deut.  xvi.  16.)  And  what  were  these  but  religious  pilgrimages? 
In  the  New  Testament  we  read,  that  the  parents  of  Jesus  with 
their  Divine  Child,  with  many  other  persons,  made  yearly  pilgrim- 
ages to  Jerusalem  {Luke  ii.  41,  42.),  that  the  apostles  and  pious 
women  visited  the  sepulchre  of  Christ  {Matt,  xxviii. ;  Luke  xxiv.), 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ANDREW.  533 

and  that  St.  Paul,  though  already  a  Christian,  hastened  to  Jeru- 
salem to  celebrate  the  feast  of  Pentecost  there.  (Acts  xx.  16.)  In 
the  history  of  the  Church  we  find,  that  it  was  the  custom  in  the 
very  earliest  times  of  the  Church,  as  it  has  continued  to  be  to 
this  day,  to  make  pilgrimages  to  holy  places,  as  to  the  holy  Sep- 
ulchre at  Jerusalem,  and  to  the  graves  of  martyrs. 

How  should  a  pilgrimage  be  made? 
In  a  spirit  of  true  devotion  and  penance,  with  sincere  and  holy 
intention  of  paying  homage  to  God  through  His  saints.  There- 
fore, not  for  pleasure  or  recreation  should  we  visit  holy  places. 
On  the  way  and  when  at  the  place,  we  should  avoid  all  idle  talk 
and  sensual  excesses;  we  should  gladly  endure  all  the  hardships 
of  the  journey,  the  unfavorable  weather,  the  temporary  incon- 
venience of  the  lodgings,  be  moderate  in  eating  and  drinking,  pray 
fervently  and  with  recollection,  confess  all  our  sins  contritely  and 
sincerely,  reverently  receive  the  blessed  Sacrament,  fervently 
thank  God  for  all  the  graces  which  He  has  shown  to  us,  make 
good  resolutions,  and  preserve  and  manifest  afterwards  by  a  pious 
life  the  good  impressions  which  we  have  received  in  the  pilgrim- 
age. Whoever  thus  makes  it,  is  sure  to  derive  a  real  advantage 
from  it. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF 
ST.  ANDREW. 

[November  30  J 

Ndrew,  the  brother  of  Simon  Peter,  a  fisher- 
man, born  in  Bethsaida  by  the  sea  Genesa- 
reth  and  living  at  Capharnaum,  was  at  first 
a  disciple  of  John  the  Baptist  who,  one  day, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan  when  our  Sa- 
viour was  passing  by,  pointed  Him  out  to 
Andrew,  saying:  uBehold  the  Lamb  of  God!" 
Hearing  these  words,  Andrew  went  at  once  to  Christ,  bringing 
with  him  his  brother  Peter.  For  some  time  both  brothers  went 
regularly  to  hear  Christ  without  leaving  their  business  as  fisher- 
men, until  Jesus  said  to  them:  Follow  me  henceforth,  and  I 
will  make  you  fishers  of  men,  when  they  left  their  trade 
and  remained  constantly  with  Him.  After  St.  Andrew  with  the 
other  apostles,  had  been  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  at  Pentecost, 
he  travelled  through  Syria,  Epirus,  and  Greece,  everywhere  an- 
nouncing the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  and  at  last  suffered  a  mar- 
tyr's death  at  Patras,  in  Achaia,  where  he  had  established  his 
episcopal  seat.  While  he  was  preaching  Christ  at  Patras,  he  was 
urged  by  the  governor  Aegeas  with  violent  threatings  to  offer  sa- 
crifice to  the  idols;  but  he  bravely  replied:  "I  daily  offer  sacrifice 


534  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ANDREW. 

to  the  Almighty  God,  not  the  flesh  of  oxen,  nor  the  blood  of  rams, 
but  an  unspotted  Lamb;  and  although  all  the  faithful  may  have 
partaken  of  his  flesh,  yet  the  Lamb  remains  as  before  he  was  of- 
fered, alive  and  undivided."  The  unchangeable  hero  of  the  faith 
was  then  thrown  into  prison  by  command  of  the  enraged  gover- 
nor, who,  since  he  could  not  force  him  to  deny  Christ,  condemned 
him  to  be  cruelly  scourged  and  then  crucified.  When  he  was 
brought  out  to  be  crucified,  and  saw  his  cross,  he  cried  out:  uHail, 
precious  cross,  consecrated  by  the  body  of  Christ,  adorned  as 
with  priceless  jewels  by  the  limbs  of  Christ!  Well  do  the  faithful 
know  what  joyousness  lies  in  thee,  and  to  what  glorious  reward 
thou  dost? lead!  0  good  cross,  I  have  ardently  loved  thee,  long 
desired  and  sought  thee,  and  now  thou  art  found  by  me !  thou 
art  made  ready  for  my  yearning  soul,  receive  me  into  thy  arms, 
take  me  away  from  men,  carry  me  to  thy  divine  Master,  that  He 
who  on  thee  did  redeem  me,  on  thee  may  receive  me."  Having 
arrived  at  the  cross,  the  enraptured  apostle  disrobed  himself, 
permitted  himself  to  be  bound  to  the  cross,  where  he  remained 
hanging  two  days,  continually  preaching  faith  in  Christ,  until  his 
soul  was  raised  to  Him  whom  he  so  ardently  desired  in  the  man- 
ner of  his  death  to  resemble.  —  If  thou  wouldst  have  part  in  St. 
Andrew's  glory,  thou  must  follow  him  in  his  love  of  the  cross. 

According  to  the  general  opinion,  this  holy  apostle's  instru- 
ment of  torture  consisted  in  two  logs  slanting  across  each  other, 
therefore  making  a  slanting  cross  for  the  arms.       v 

In  the  Intro  it  of  this  day's  Mass,  the  Church  says  of  the 
apostles:  To  me  thy  friends,  0  God,  are  made  exceed- 
ingly honorable;  their  principality  is  exceedingly 
strengthened.  Lord,  thou  hast  proved  me  and  known 
me;  thou  hast  known  my  sitting  down  and  my  rising 
up.  (Ps.  cxxxviii.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  We  humbly  beseech  Thy 
divine  Majesty,  0  Lord,  that  as  the  blessed  Apostle  Andrew 
was  a  teacher  and  pastor  of  Thy  Church,  so  he  may  be  with 
Thee  our  perpetual  intercessor.  Through  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Lord,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Bom.x.  10—18.)  Brethren:  With  the  heart 
we  believe  unto  justice:  but,  with  the  mouth,  confession  is 
made  unto  salvation.  For  the  scripture  saith:  Whosoever 
believeth  in  him,  shall  not  be  confounded.  For  there  is  no 
distinction  of  the  Jew  and  the  Greek :  for  the  same  is  Lord 
over  all,  rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  him.  For  whosoever 
shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  shall  be  saved.  How 
then  shall  they  call  on  him,  in  whom  they  have  not  believed1? 
Or  how  shall  they  believe  him,  of  whom  they  have  not  heard"? 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  TIIE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ANDREW.  535 

And  how  shall  they  hear,  without  a  preacher?  And  how 
shall  they  preach,  unless  they  be  sent?  as  it  is  written:  How 
beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them  that  preach  the  gospel  of  peace, 
of  them  that  bring  glad  tidings  of  good  things?  But  all  do 
not  obey  the  gospel.  For  Isaias  saith:  Lord,  who  hath  be- 
lieved our  report?  Faith  then  cometh  by  hearing:  and  hear- 
ing by  the  word  of  Christ.  But  I  say:  have  they  not  heard? 
Yes  verily,  their  sound  hath  gone  forth  into  all  the  earth, 
and  their  words  unto  the  ends  of  the  whole  world. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  here  tells  us,  that  it  is  not  suf- 
ficient unto  salvation  that  we  should  believe  with  the  heart,  but 
that  we  must  also  openly  confess  Christ,  that  is,  in  words  and  in 
deeds,  and  then  only  have  we  the  true  and  living  faith  in  Jesus 
when  we  are  never  ashamed  thus  to  own  it.  He  teaches  besides,  that 
God  makes  no  difference  between  Jew  and  Greek  (that  is,  gentile), 
but  that  every  one  can  be  saved  who  believes  in  Christ  and  openly 
confesses  his  faith  in  words  and  works.  But  all  can  believe,  since 
faith  comes  from  hearing,  and  the  word  of  God  through  its  preachers 
is  everywhere  announced.  For  this  reason  the  Jews  are  not  ex- 
cusable for  their  unbelief,  nor  the  infidels  among  us,  for  the  Church 
sends  forth,  at  all  times  into  all  countries  her  apostles  and  preachers 
of  whom  it  is  written:  How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them 
that  preach  the  gospel  of  peace,  of  them  that  bring 
glad  tidings  of  good  things. —  In  our  days,  how  much  is 
preached  and  how  little  faith  is  seen !  Can  such  Christians  excuse 
their  ignorance,  if  one  day  the  Lord  shall  demand  an  account  of 
their  faith? 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.iv.  18—22.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  walk- 
ing by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  saw  two  brethren,  Simon  who  is 
called  Peter,  and  Andrew  his  brother,  casting  a  net  into  the 
sea  (for  they  were  fishers).  And  he  saith  to  them:  Come  ye 
after  me,  and  I  will  make  you  to  be  fishers  of  men.  And 
they  immediately  leaving  their  nets,  followed  him.  And 
going  on  from  thence,  he  saw  two  other  brethren,  James  the 
son  of  Zebedee,  and  John  his  brother,  in  a  ship  with  Zebedee 
their  father,  mending  their  nets :  and  he  called  them.  And 
they  forthwith  left  their  nets  and  father,  and  followed  him. 

EXPLANATION.  Christ  chose  His  apostles  to  show  us 
that  not  any  one,  not  called,  can  assume  the  place  of  teacher,  but 
that,  as  He  Himself  says,  he  must  be  chosen  and  sent.  {John  xx.  16.) 
He  called  His  apostles  at  the  very  commencement  of  His  teaching, 
that  by  continual  intercourse  with  Him,  by  daily  hearing  His  doc- 


536         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  FRANCIS  XAVIER. 

trines,  and  by  the  sight  of  His  most  holy  way  of  life,  they  might 
prepare  themselves  for  their  great  calling. 

Christ  chose  simple  fishermen  for  His  apostles,  so 
that,  as  St.  Ambrose  says,  the  world  might  know,  that  the  intro- 
duction of  Christianity  was  the  work  of  God,  and  no  one  can  say, 
that  Christ  won  the  world  to  receive  the  faith  by  deceit,  force, 
riches,  or  science. 

I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men,  that  is,  I  will  give  you 
grace  to  convert  souls  and  bring  them  to  God.  —  People  in  the 
world  can  and  should  in  their  own  way  be  fishers  of  men.  Such 
they  are  when  they  incite  their  associates,  or  those  under  them,  to 
listen  attentively  to  the  word  of  God,  give  them  pious  books  to 
read,  keep  them  from  bad  company,  gently  reprove  their  faults,  &c. 
St.  Augustine  says,  that  in  this  way  fathers  of  families  exercise 
the  office  of  bishops. 

They  immediately  followed  Christ.  We  learn  from 
this,  that  we  should  at  once  obey  the  word  of  God,  when  it  urges 
us  to  do  good,  or  to  be  converted,  and  that  knowing  the  truth  of 
the  divine  call,  should  put  aside  all  human  gains  and  considera- 
tions in  order  to  follow  this  voice,  like  the  apostles  who  laid  by 
all  temporal  profits  and  followed  Jesus,  when  He  called  them;  for 
He  says:  He  that  loveth  father  and  mother  more  than  me, 
is  not  worthy  of  me.  {Matt.  x.  57.) 

PRAYER.  Most  benign  Jesus!  who  hast  elevated  simple 
fishermen  to  the  exalted  dignity  of  apostles,  thus  putting 
the  wisdom  and  power  of  this  world  to  shame,  grant,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  that  they  and  their  successors  may  observe  Thy 
teachings,  and  in  faith,  hope,  and  charity  remain  ever  Thine. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
FRANCIS  XAVIER. 

[December  3  J 

Rancis  Xavier,  called  the  Apostle  of  the  Indies, 
was  born  at  the  castle  Xavier,  near  Pampeluna, 
in  Spain,  April  7,  1506.  He  was  brought  up  by 
his  parents  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  showed, 
as  a  child  even,  a  rare  talent  and  inclination  to 
science.  In  his  eighteenth  year  his  parents  sent 
him  to  the  university  at  Paris,  where  he  soon 
became  one  of  its  most  renowned  members.  He  was  then  in  danger 
of  being  made  proud ;  but  God  so  arranged  it,  that  he  became 
acquainted  with  St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  the  founder  of  the  Jesuits, 
who,  by  often  repeating  the  words  of  Christ:  What  will  it  pro- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  FRANCIS  XAVIER.  537 

fit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole  world,  if  he  lose  his  own 
soul,  taught  him  indifference  to  worldly  honors,  and  moved  him 
to  finally  join  the  Jesuits.  Henceforth  he  lived  only  for  God,  and 
no  other  desire  so  stirred  his  heart  as  that  of  promoting  the  honor 
of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  immortal  souls.  God  gave  him  a  spe- 
cial opportunity  to  fulfil  this  desire  by  sending  him  in  the  year 
1541  as  a  missionary  to  India.  Sustained  by  the  purest  love  of  God 
and  of  his  neighbor,  he  journeyed  on  foot,  enduring  unspeakable 
hardships,  through  the  two  large  countries  of  India  and  Japan, 
everywhere  preaching  Christ,  the  Crucified,  converting  many  hun- 
dred thousands  to  the  Christian  religion,  baptizing  them  with  his 
own  hands,  working  the  most  marvellous  miracles,  even  raising 
some  from  death  to  life.  Already  at  the  end  of  his  journey,  he 
wished  to  pass  over  to  the  immense  country  of  China  there  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  heathens,  but  on  the  island  of  Sancian  in 
sight  of  that  land,  he  was  taken  ill;  and  in  the  utmost  poverty, 
almost  entirely  abandoned  by  his  countrymen,  he  died  there  on 
the  December  2,  1552,  pronouncing  the  words :  In  thee,  0  Lord, 
have  I  hoped,  let  me  never  be  confounded,  deliver  me 
in  thy  justice.  (Ps.  xxx.  2.) 

St.  Francis  is  also  the  patron  of  the  society  for  the  propagation 
of  the  faith,  which  works  so  beneficially  in  these  our  days. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  reads:  I  spoke  of  thy  law  in  the 
presence  of  kings,  and  I  was  not  ashamed:  and  medi- 
tated on  thy  commandments,  which  I  loved  exceedingly. 
(Ps.  cxviii.)  Praise  the  Lord  all  ye  nations:  praise  him 
all  ye  people:  for  his  mercy  is  confirmed  upon  us,  and 
the  truth  of  the  Lord  remaineth  for  ever.  (Ps.  cxvi.) 
Glory,  &c. 

[The  Epistle  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Andrew.] 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  by  the  preach- 
ing and  miracles  of  blessed  Francis,  didst  bring  into  Thy 
Church  the  people  of  the  Indies :  mercifully  grant  that  we 
may  imitate  his  virtues,  whose  glorious  merits  we  venerate. 
Thro1. 

[The  Gospel  as  on  Ascension  Day,  verses  15 — 18. 7 

INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  PROPAGATION  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Go  ye  into  the  whole  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature.  (Mark.  xvi.  15.) 

ALL  nations,  if  they  would  be  saved,  must  believe  in  the  Cath- 
olic doctrine.  Christ  Himself  says  this:  He  that  believ- 
eth  not,  shall  be  condemned  (Mark xvi.  16.),  and  the  apostle 
writes:  Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God.  (Hebr. 
xi.  6.)  But  if  all  nations  must  believe  in  Christ,  then  this  faith 


538     INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  PROPAGATION  OF  THE  FAITH. 

must  be  announced  to  them,  for  the  apostle  says:  "How  shall  they 
believe  in  him,  of  whom  they  have  not  heard?  And  how  shall  they 
hear  without  a  preacher?"  (Horn.  x.  14.)  Christ,  therefore,  com- 
manded His  apostles  to  go  into  the  whole  world  and  to  preach 
the  gospel  everywhere.  This  command  they  obeyed  with  untiring 
zeal  and  heroic  love.  They  carried  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  to 
remotest  lands,  ceasing  not,  even  when  in  bands  and  chains  and 
under  the  most  cruel  tortures,  to  preach  the  faith  of  the  Son  of 
God.  The  apostles  died,  but  zeal  to  bring  the  heathens  to  the 
acknowledgment  of  Christ  did  not  die  with  them.  At  all  times  in 
the  Catholic  Church,  men  full  of  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls 
have  made  it  the  work  of  their  life,  to  spread  the  Christian  religion 
among  infidels  as  well  as  among  unbelievers.  Who  remembers  not 
St.  Patrick,  the  apostle  of  the  Irish,  St.  Augustine,  the  apostle  of  the 
Saxons,  St.  Boniface,  the  apostle  of  the  Germans,  St.  Rupert,  Chilian, 
Severin,  Willibald,  Francis  Xavier,  and  hundreds  of  others?  These 
men  were  called  Messengers  of  Faith,  Missionaries;  and  even  now 
such  missionaries,  messengers  of  faith,  go  every  year  into  distant 
and  unknown  lands,  to  light  the  torch  of  the  true  faith  for  all  who 
sit  in  the  darkness  of  infidelity  and  the  shadow  of  death.  Who 
can  tell  the  life  and  work  of  a  missionary?  He  leaves  his  parents 
and  fatherland,  and  placing  his  trust  in  God's  help  alone,  he  tra- 
verses the  wide  ocean,  goes  into  unknown  countries,  over  the  high- 
est mountains,  across  rivers,  inhospitable  steppes,  through  over 
impenetrable  forests,  that  like  the  good  shepherd  he  may  find  the 
lost  sheep  and  lead  them  into  the  fold  of  Christ,  to  the  true  Church; 
in  utter  poverty,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  benumbed  with  cold,  ex- 
hausted by  heat,  exposed  to  the  jaws  of  wild  beasts,  still  he  jour- 
neys from  one  spot  to  another,  for  the  sake  of  the  heathens  often 
more  dangerous  than  the  wild  animals,  to  announce  the  glad  tidings 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  How,  armed  with  the  image  of  the  Cru- 
cified, he  approaches  the  ferocious  savages  without  trembling,  and 
fearlessly  regards  the  spears,  tomahawks,  and  poisoned  arrows, 
with  which  they  threaten  his  life;  how  courageously,  for  love  of 
Jesus  and  immortal  souls,  they  die  the  cruel  death  of  the  martyr ! 
And  whose  heart  beats  not  joyfully  and  with  comfort,  when  he 
hears,  that  this  apostle  of  the  Lord  has  changed  fierce  cannibals 
into  pious  sheep,  and  that  where  shortly  before  robbery,  mur- 
der and  lewdness  disgraced  human  nature,  where  temples  and 
altars  were  raised  to  the  devil,  there  now  are  seen  the  days 
of  the  earliest  Christians:  justice  and  love,  innocence,  humility 
and  Christian  simplicity,  blooming  heavenly  virtues  are  there, 
while  the  sinless  Lamb  Jesus  is  offered  in  the  chapels,  is  adored 
and  loved  with  ardent  devotion!  Yet  still  are  the  words  of  Jesus 
true:  The  harvest  indeefd  is  great,  but  the  laborers  are 
few.  (Matt.  ix.  37.)  Millions  are  yet  living  with  no  knowledge  of 
the  true  God,  in  all  the  abominable  horrors  of  idolatry;  the  num- 
ber of  missionaries  is  too  small  to  preach  the  gospel  everywhere, 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  PROPAGATION  OF  THE  FAITH.     539 

and  the  means  insufficient  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  poor,  uncon- 
verted savages.  The  heretics  also  send  out  their  messengers, 
spending  immense  sums,  with  hut  very  little  effect,  however,  to 
spread  their  errors.  What  true  Catholic  heart,  thinking  of  these 
dangerous  circumstances,  can  look  on  quietly,  while  thousands 
of  immortal  souls  for  whom  Jesus  has  shed  His  blood,  are  sinking 
into  eternal  damnation,  because  there  is  none  to  give  them  the 
bread  of  the  word  of  God,  none  to  enlighten  their  ignorance  with 
the  light  of  faith,  none  to  point  out  to  them  the  road  to  heaven! 
Do  you  say,  my  Christian,  c'But  I  cannot  be  a  missionary  and  an- 
nounce the  gospel  to  far  off  lands?"  Christ  does  not  require  it  of 
you;  but  you  can,  at  least,  aid  the  immense  work  of  propagat- 
ing the  faith,  to  by  joining  one  of  the  societies,  founded  in  1822 
at  Lyon,  France,  called  the  Missionary  Society.  Taking  to  heart 
the.  words  of  Jesus:  The  harvest  indeed  is  great,  but  the 
laborers  are  few;  pray  ye,  therefore,  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest,  that  he  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest, 
twelve  pious  men  met  together  on  the  third  of  May,  and  consulted 
among  themselves,  how  they  could  fulfil  this  wish  of  Jesus,  supply 
the  needs  of  missions  and  forward  the  work  of  propagating  the 
faith.  Taking  St.  Francis  Xavier  for  their  patron,  they  establish- 
ed a  society,  all  the  members  of  which  were  to  pray  for  the  con- 
version of  the  infidels  and  heathens,  and  contribute  as  much  to 
the  support  of  the  mission  as  they  could  afford,  thus  taking  their 
part  in  the  apostolic  work.  The  society,  so  small  at  first,  blessed 
by  God,  spread  in  a  short  time  all  over  France,  and  now  reaches 
over  almost  the  whole  world.  Pope  Pius  VII.  sanctioned  the  so- 
ciety and  granted  its  members  a  great  many  indulgences,  which 
his  successors  Leo  XII.,  Pius  VIII.  and  Gregory  XVI.  confirmed, 
indulgences  which  can  be  bestowed  upon  the  suffering  souls  in 
purgatory.  My  Christian,  whoever  you  may  be,  if  you  truly  love 
Jesus,  your  Saviour,  if  you  really  are  a  living  member  of  His  body 
the  Church,  and  rejoice,  that  you  possess  the  holy,  only  saving 
Catholic  faith  (and  who  would  not  rejoice  in  this?),  then  can  you 
not  possibly  remain  passive  seeing  so  many  thousand  souls  turned 
from  the  tender  heart  of  Jesus  and  cast  into  the  abyss  of  eternal 
perdition  by  the  spirit  of  error  and  of  lie!  You  cannot  possibly 
suffer  to  see  your  mother,  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  mourning,  be- 
cause so  many  whom  she  would  wish  to  adopt  as  her  children  and 
bring  up  as  citizens  of  heaven,  are  yet  living  apart  from  her  em- 
brace. No,  you  will  not  exclude  yourself  from  a  society  which  has 
put  such  zeal  into  the  salvation  of  soul,  and  which  requires  of  you 
only  a  daily  devout  "Our  Father"  and  "Hail  Mary",  and  a  small 
alms  of  a  few  pennies,  once  a  week.  Join  this  society,  then,  even 
if  you  do  not  possess  much,  and  you  will  see  at  the  hour  of  death, 
how  Jesus  who  says,  Whatever  you  did  to  these  my  least 
brethren,  you  did  to  me  {Matt.  xxv.  40.),  will  repay  you. 


540 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
VIRGIN  AND  MARTYR  ST.  RARBARA. 

[December  4.J 

T.  Barbara  was  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy,  dis- 
tinguished and  zealous  pagan,  named  Dioscorus, 
who  had  her  carefully  brought  up  in  the  city  of 
Nicomedia,  where  she  was  born.  He  wished'  her 
to  be  endowed  with  superior  education  and  wis- 
dom, and  so  caused  her  to  be  locked  up  in  a  tower, 
the  better  to  keep  her  mind  fixed  upon  science, 
and  herse;f  preserved  from  intercourse  with  the  world  and  the 
manners  of  vicious  heathens.  She  was  very  beautiful,  possessed 
a  keen  intellect,  a  very  tender,  susceptible  spirit.  The  solitude  of 
the  towrer  caused  her  to  think  over  herself  and  her  creation.  From 
the  windows  of  the  tower  she  contemplated  the  starlit  heavens  in 
all  their  brilliancy,  the  fields,  the  hills,  the  forests  in  their  love- 
liness, and  it  became  evident  to  her,  that  all  this  could  not  be  the 
work  of  man  or  of  imaginary  idols,  but  that  a  most  superior  Being 
must  have  made  heaven  and  earth;  from  this  arose  the  most  fer- 
vent desire  for  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  and  God  who  saw 
her  desire,  wished  to  gratify  it.  But  how  Barbara  came  to  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  and  His  holy  doctrine,  is  unknown;  it  filled 
her  with  sweet  consolation  and  childlike  delight.  From  henceforth 
she  despised  the  veneration  of  idols,  and  felt  herse'f  from  day  to 
day  drawn  more  intimately  to  Jesus,  the  more  she  learned  of  the 
treasures  hidden  in  Him,  and,  for  this  reason,  refused  all  offers 
for  her  hand,  preferring  to  remain  always  a  virgin.  This  appeared 
to  her  father,  indeed,  a  strange  conduct,  but  he  counted  it  as  a 
woman's  caprice,  fancying  his  daughter  wTould  before  long  be  of 
a  different  opinion.  But  he  was  mistaken.  One  day,  returning  from 
a  journey,  he  perceived,  that  his  daughter  had  constructed  three 
windows  and  a  cross  in  her  bath-room;  greatly  surprised,  he  asked 
the  reason  and  received  for  answer:  "I  have  done  this,  that  I 
might  have  ever  present  before  me  the  doctrine  of  the  most  holy 
Trinity  whom  the  Christians  confess,  and  the  grace  of  salvation 
through  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,"  and  then,  with  great  enthu- 
siasm, Barbara  began  to  speak  of  the  glory  of  Christianity  and  the 
abomination  of  idolatry,  so  that  her  father  was  almost  rendered 
mute  by  surprise  and  anger.  At  last,  he  so  far  recovered  his  pow 
ers,  that  in  rage  he  drew  his  sword  to  slay  her  on  the  spot,  but  she 
escaped  him  and  thus  saved  him  from  the  shame  of  being  the  mur- 
derer of  his  own  daughter.  But  he  pursued  her  and  found  her  hid- 
den in  the  shrubbery,  dragged  her  by  her  hair  to  the  house,  and 
abused  her  most  cruelly  as  a  means  of  altering  her  views ;  but 
Barbara  had  received  her  strength  from  her  divine  bridegroom 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  NICHOLAS,  BISHOP.         541 

and  she  remained  constant  to  her  faith  in  Christ.  The  rage  of  the 
maddened  father  knew  no  bounds.  He  hastened  to  the  governor 
Martian,  and  himself  accused  his  daughter  as  a  scorner  of  the 
gods.  The  governor  caused  her  to  be  brought  to  his  tribunal, 
seeking  at  first  by  flattery  to  lure  her  from  the  faith,  but  as  this 
availed  nothing,  he  had  her  scourged  with  cowhides.  Barbara 
suffered  patiently,  persevering  firmly  and  unalterably  in  her  love 
for  Jesus  who  had  appeared  to  her  in  prison,  consoled  her  and 
healed  her  wounds.  She  was  again  brought  before  the  tribunal, 
declared  with  fresh  courage,  that  she  belonged  to  Christ  and  would 
never  permit  herself  to  be  parted  from  Him.  She  was  then  burnt 
with  torches,  was  made  to  disrobe  and  was  thus  led  through  the 
streets  of  the  city ;  but  even  this  agony  and  shame  she  endured 
for  the  sake  of  Christ,  the  Crucified,  even  thanked  God  for  it.  She 
was  then  ordered  to  be  beheaded.  At  the  place  of  execution  her 
father  suddenly  appeared  by  her  side,  and  overpowered  by  fien- 
dish rage,  with  one  stroke  of  his  sword  severed  her  head  from  the 
body.  Because  of  this  fierce  crime,  he  was  soon  after  struck  and 
killed  by  lightning,  but  the  holy  virgin  Barbara  was  soon  after 
her  death  venerated  in  Christendom  as  a  glorious  martyr  of  Jesus, 
and  is  especially  venerated  and  invoked  as  patroness  of  the  dying, 
since  a  great  number  of  persons  have  by  her  intercession  been 
most  wonderfully  provided  with  the  last  Sacraments. 

The  Introit,  Epistle ,  and  Gospel  of  this  day,  are  the  same 
that  are  said  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Catherine. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  amongst  Thy 
other  miracles  hast  bestowed  the  crown  of  martyrdom  even 
upon  the  weaker  sex,  mercifully  grant,  we  beseech  Thee, 
that  we  who  solemnize  the  festival  of  the  blessed  Barbara, 
Thy  virgin  and  martyr,  may  by  following  her  example  come 
to  Thee.  Through  Christ,  our  Lord,  &c. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST 
ST.  NICHOLAS,  BISHOP. 

f December  6  J 


OF 


prayers 
abstain 


T.  Nicholas,  this  great  servant  of  God,  whom  St. 
Peter  Damian  calls  the  one  chosen  of  God  from  his 
mother's  bosom,  the  ward  of  sanctity  in  childhood, 
the  beauty  of  the  young  men,  the  honor  of  the  old, 
the  splendor  of  the  priests,  and  the  light  of  the  bis- 
hops, was  born  at  Patara  in  Lycia  in  280,  or  rather 
was  then  presented  by  God,  in  answer  to  their 
,  to  his  pious  childless  parents.  Even  as  an  infant  he  would 
on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays  (the  fastdays  of  that  time) 


542   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  NICHOLAS,  BISHOP. 

from  his  mother's  milk,  and  during  his  whole  life  continued  to  fast 
on  these  days.    He  passed  through  his  childhood  free  from  all 
levity,  and  in  such  innocence  and  piety,  that  he  could  serve  every 
one  as  a  pattern  of  sanctity.  The  early  death  of  his  parents  left 
him  the  heir  to  great  wealth,  which  he  distributed  to  the  poor, 
that  is,  to  those  who  were  ashamed  to  beg,  and  gave  the  most  to 
those  whose  poverty  most  endangered  their  salvation.    This  is 
illustrated  in  the  following  story :    A  certain  man  of  noble  birth 
had  three  daughters,  but  his  poverty  did  not  permit  him  to  give 
them  in  marriage,  and  to  obtain  money  he  was  willing  to  expose 
them  to  a  life  of  infamy.    St.  Nicholas  had  scarcely  heard  of  this, 
then  he  went  in  the  stillness  of  night,  and  threw  money  enough 
into  the  nobleman's  house  to  suffice  for  a  dowry  for  one  of  his 
daughters.    This  he  twice  repeated,  and  the  three  maidens  were 
married  to  three  virtuous  men.    So  brilliant  a  light  of  virtue  was 
well  worthy  of  being  placed  in  an  elevated  setting.    The  bishop's 
seat  at  Myra  was  vacant,  and  God  revealed  to  the  priests  as- 
sembled for  the  election,  that  that  one  was  to  be  made  bishop 
who  the  next  morning  would  be  the  first  in  Church.   This  proved 
to  be  Nicholas  who,  notwithstanding  his  refusal  to  accept,  was 
consecrated  bishop.  But  the  elevated  position  which  he  accepted 
only  from  obedience  to  God,  but  made  him  the  more  humble, 
charitable,  and  perfect  in  all  virtue.    God  honored  him  with  the 
gift  of  miracles,  so  that  he  was  called  the  man  of  miracles,  and  to 
test  his  patience,  permitted  him  to  be  persecuted  for  his  faith;  he 
wras  exiled,  was  put  in  chains  and  thrown  into  prison,  until  the 
Church  received  peace.    Then  he  attacked  with  all  energy  the 
heresy  of  Arius  who  denied,  that  Christ  is  God,  and,  at  last,  ex- 
hausted by  his  untiring  labors  for  the  salvation  of  souls  and 
adorned  with  the  light  of  the  most  beautiful  virtues,  he  died  in 
327,  after  a  short  and  not  severe  illness,  saying  the  words:  "Lord, 
my  soul  has  hoped  in  Thee;  receive  it  into  Thy  hands!"    In  the 
year  1087  his  relics  were  brought  by  some  merchants  to  Bari,  in 
the  kingdom  of  Naples,  and  were  honored  by  the  Lord  by  the 
most  conspicuous  miracles.  St.  Nicholas  is  generally  represented 
in  the  robes  of  a  bishop,  with  mitre  and  crosier,  a  Bible  and  three 
golden  apples  in  his  left  hand.    The  Bible  is  to  signify  his  zeal  to 
keep  the  doctrines  of  Christ  unstained,  and  the  three  golden  apples 
the  three  maidens  whom  he  rescued  from  infamy,  as  well  as  the 
many  works  of  mercy  he  performed  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  reads:  The  Lord  made  to  him 
a  covenant  of  peace  and  made  him  a  prince,  that  the 
dignity  of  priesthood  should  be  to  him  forever.  OLord, 
remember  David  and  all  his  meekness.  (Ps.  cxxxi.)  Glory 
be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  innumer- 
able miracles  hast  honoured  blessed  Nicholas  the  Bishop: 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  NICHOLAS,  BISHOP.    543 

grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  by  his  merits  and  intercession 
we  may  be  delivered  from  eternal  flames.  Thro'. 

EPISTLE.  {Hebr.  xiii.  7  — 17.)  Brethren:  Remember  your 
prelates  who  have  spoken  the  word  of  God  to  you:  whose 
faith  follow,  considering  the  end  of  their  conversation.  Jesus 
Christ  yesterday  and  to-day:  and  the  same  for  ever.  Be  not 
led  away  with  various  and  strange  doctrines.  For  it  is  best 
that  the  heart  be  established  with  grace,  not  with  meats: 
which  have  not  profited  those  that  walk  in  them.  We  have 
an  altar,  whereof  they  have  no  power  to  eat  who  serve  the 
tabernacle.  For  the  bodies  of  those  beasts,  whose  blood  is 
brought  into  the  Holies  by  the  high-priest  for  sin  are  burned 
without  the  camp.  Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  he  might 
sanctify  the  people  by  his  own  blood,  suffered  without  the 
gate.  Let  us  go  forth  therefore  to  him  without  the  camp, 
bearing  his  reproach.  For  we  have  not  here  a  lasting  city, 
but  we  seek  one  that  is  to  come.  By  him  therefore  let  us 
offer  the  sacrifice  of  praise  always  to  God,  that  is  to  say,  the 
fruit  of  lips  confessing  to  his  name.  And  do  not  forget  to  do 
good  and  to  impart;  for  by  such  sacrifices  God's  favour  is 
obtained.  Obey  your  prelates,  and  be  subject  to  them.  For 
they  watch,  as  being  to  render,  an  account  of  your  souls. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  here  admonishes  the  He- 
brews, that  is,  Jews,  who  although  converted  to  Christianity, 
had  still  the  idea,  that  Judaism  must  he  connected  with  Chris- 
tianity, that  they  must  honor  their  spiritual  directors,  and  imi- 
tate their  virtues,  their  living  faith,  which  led  them  to  a  bless- 
ed and  glorious  end.  He  exhorts  them  to  keep  watch  against 
strange  and  false  doctrines,  for  Christ,  that  is,  His  doctrine,  re- 
mains unchanged.  He  teaches  them  especially  not  to  think  too 
much  of  sacrifices  and  different  sorts  of  food,  which  were  ordered 
by  the  Jewish  law,  for  these  cannot  strengthen  the  heart,  cannot 
justify  and  sanctify  us,  this  can  be  done  only  by  the  grace  of  the 
gospel :  the  use  of  the  Sacraments,  the  blessed  Sacrament  of  the 
Altar.  Of  this,  indeed,  the  Jews  who  serve  the  tabernacle,  that 
is,  those  who  observe  the  Old  Law,  are  not  allowed  to  partake, 
because  the  Law  forbids  them  also  to  partake  of  the  annual  pro- 
pitiatory sacrifice  which  was  burnt  outside  the  gates  of  the  city 
of  Jerusalem.  This  propitiatory  sacrifice  was  a  type  of  Jesus  who, 
laden  with  ignominy  by  the  Jews,  also  sacrificed  Himself  outside 
the  gates  of  the  city  on  the  cross.  If,  therefore,  they  wish  to  have 
part  in  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus,  and  partake  of  it,  they  must  leave 
the  camp,  that  is,  give  up  the  Old  Law,  cling  with  a  strong  faith 


54  4   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  NICHOLAS,  BISHOP. 

to  Jesus,  and  bear  with  the  reproach  cast  on  Him.  If  they  suffer 
with  Him,  it  lasts  not  long,  for  we  are  here  without  an  abiding 
place,  seeking  heaven.  Through  Christ,  that  is,  by  acknowledg- 
ing Him  as  the  real  Redeemer,  they  should  at  all  times  bring  to 
God  the  sacrifice  of  praise  and  connect  this  sacrifice  with  deeds 
of  mercy  which  are  especially  agreeable  to  God.  They  should 
faithfully  obey  their  superiors,  or  pastors,  because  these  pastors 
are  concerned  for  their  soul's  salvation  and  are  accountable  for 
them. 

"As  the  Jews  had  no  share  in  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  because 
they  kept  to  the  Old  Law,  so  also  you  will  have  no  share  in  it,  so 
long  as  you  keep  with  the  world.  Fly  from  the  world  and  keep 
with  Christ,  as  so  often  exhorted  by  the  spiritual  superiors  to 
whom  you  owe  faithful  obedience. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xxv.  14—23.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spoke 
this  parable  to  his  disciples :  A  man  going  into  a  far  country, 
called  his  servants,  and  delivered  to  them  his  goods.  And  to 
one  he  gave  five  talents,  and  to  another  two,  and  to  another 
one,  to  every  one  according  to  his  proper  ability:  and  im- 
mediately he  took  his  journey.  And  he  that  had  received  the 
five  talents  went  his  way  and  traded  with  the  same,  and 
gained  other  five.  And  in  like  manner  he  that  had  received 
the  two,  gained  other  two.  But  he  that  had  received  the 
one,  going  his  way  digged  into  the  earth,  and  hid  his  lord's 
money.  But  after  a  long  time  the  lord  of  those  servants 
came,  and  reckoned  with  them.  And  he  that  had  received 
the  five  talents  coming,  brought  other  five  talents,  saying: 
Lord,  thou  didst  deliver  to  me  five  talents:  behold,  I  have 
gained  other  five  over  and  above.  His  lord  said  to  him:  Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  because  thou  hast  been  faith- 
ful over  a  few  things,  I  will  place  thee  over  many  things: 
enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord.  And  he  also  that  had 
received  the  two  talents  came  and  said :  Lord,  thou  deliver- 
edst  two  talents  to  me:  behold,  I  have  gained  other  two.  His 
lord  said  to  him:  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  be- 
cause thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  place 
thee  over  many  things :  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord. 
Who  is  he  who  went  into  a  far  country? 

This  is  Christ  who  by  His  ascension  into  heaven,  has  gone 
away  from  earth,  and  will  come  again  at  the  judgment. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  NICHOLAS,  BISHOP.    545 

What  is  to  be  understood  by  the  talents? 

A  talent  in  our  money  amounts  to  about  four  thousand  dol- 
lars; but  here  the  talents  are  a  figure  of  the  threefold  gifts  of 
God.  In  the  first  part  are  the  gifts  of  nature:  a  keen  intellect, 
a  ready  wit,  a  good  memory,  science  and  skill,  as  also  health, 
strength,  and  beauty;  the  second  part  comprises  the  gifts  of 
grace,  that  is,  inward  inspiration  and  enlightenment,  faith,  hope, 
charity,  and  other  virtues;  the  third  the  gift  of  miracles, 
the  apostolate  and  pastorship,  the  power  oi  discerning  spirits, 
of  prophecy,  of  healing,  of  tongues,  &c. 

How  does  God  distribute  these  talents? 

God  distributes  His  gifts  variously,  by  virtue  of  His  unlimited 
power,  as  Lord  of  all.  To  one  He  gives  much,  to  another  little. 
If  one  receives  much,  he  must  not  become  prodigal,  if  little,  not 
fainthearted,  but  work  with  that  which  he  has  received,  accord- 
ing to  his  ability,  for  the  honor  of  God,  the  good  of  his  neighbor, 
and  the  salvation  of  his  own  soul.  More  than  this  God  does  not 
require,  but  He  certainly  exacts  more  from  him  who  has  received 
much  than  from  him  who  has  received  little. 

Who  are  meant  by  those  who  with  five  talents  gained  five,  and  with 
two  talents  gained  two  ? 
Those  who  have  worked  scrupulously  with  the  gifts  which  God 
has  given  them.  They  deserve  equal  praise,  and  are  received  with 
equal  joy  by  the  householder,  and  equally  rewarded  for  their 
fidelity.  God  does  not  judge  by  the  extent  of  the  merits,  but  his 
merciful  eye  regards  our  good  will,  obedience,  diligence,  and  the 
obstacles  under  which  we  labored. 

Who  are  understood  by  the  servant  who  buried  his  talent  in  the 

earth  ? 
Those  who,- whether  of  high  or  humble  position,  make  no  use 
of  God's  gifts,  and  will,  therefore,  be  deprived  of  them  at  the 
Last  Day  and  cast  into  hell. 

Why  says  the  Lord:  Enter  then  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord? 

Because  God  rejoices  at  man's  salvation,  and  because  His 
faithful  servants  will  find  eternal  joy  in  beholding  and  possessing 
Him  in  heaven. 

PRAYER.  I  thank  Thee,  my  divine  Saviour,  for  all  the 
gifts  and  graces  which  Thou  hast  given  me,  and  I  am  griev- 
ed from  my  heart,  that  I  have  so  ill  used  and  neglected  them. 
Be  merciful  to  me,  and  give  me  the  grace  to  use  my  talents, 
as  did  St.  Nicholas,  with  all  energy  for  Thy  honor  aiuHxiy 
own  salvation,  so  that  Thou  mayest  say  to  me  on  the  Day  of 
Judgment:  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  be- 


:J5 


546   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION 

cause  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I 
will  place  thee  over  many;  enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST 

OF  THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION 

OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MAEY. 

[December  8  J 

N  this  day  and  the  ensuing  eight  days,  the 
Catholic  Church  celebrates  with  special  so- 
lemnity the  happy,  immaculate  conception  of 
the  blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

What  does  the  Catholic  Church  understand  by 
immaculate  conception  ? 

By  immaculate  conception  she  does  not  understand  that  great 
grace  by  which  Mary  preserved  herself  pure  from  every,  even 
the  least,  actual  sin ;  for,  as  concerns  this,  the  Church  lias  long 
since  declared,  that  Mary  never  committed  a  sin;  nor  does  she 
understand  by  it  her  continual  virginity,  for  that,  both  before  and 
after  the  birth  of  her  divine  Son,  Mary  remained  a  pure  virgin, 
has  been  for  a  long  time  a  doctrine  of  faith;  nor  yet  that  she  was 
sanctified  before  birth,  as  were  the  Prophet  Jeremias  and  John, 
the  Baptist,  who  were  both  conceived  in  sin,  but  by  a  special 
grace  of  God  were  released  from  it  before  their  birth;  neither 
does  she  understand  by  it  the  conception  of  Christ  from  the  Holy 
Ghost,  that  is,  that  Mary  unstained  conceived  the  Son  of  God  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  without  the  assistance  of  man,  for  this  was 
always  the  unalterable  doctrine  of  the  Church;  she  does  under- 
stand by  it  that  exalted  preference,  that  unshared  priv- 
ilege, by  which  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  in  the  first 
moments  of  her  conception  by  special  grace  and  pre- 
ference on  the  part  of  God  in  reference  to  the  merits 
of  Jesus,  our  Saviour,  was  preserved  from  every  stain 
of  original  sin. 

What  has  until  noya  been  held  by  the  Church  in  regard  to  this 

privilege  ? 

The  Catholic  Church  has  always  been  of  the  pious  opinion, 
that  Mary,  the  blessed  Mother  of  the  Redeemer,  was  conceived 
immaculate  without  the  stain  of  sin,  that  her  most  pure  soul  had 
never  from  the  first  moment  of  her  existence  the  least  shadow  of 
sin.  This  devout  view  was  embraced  by  all  the  saints,  the  .most 
learned  and  most  faithful  children  of  the  Church.  We  have  testi- 
mony of  this  which  goes  back  to  the  times  of  the  apostles,  in  a 


OP  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


547 


writing  concerning  the  sufferings  of  St.  Andrew,  in  which  it  is 
said:  uAs  the  first  man  was  created  from  the  spotless  earth,  so 
was  it  necessary,  that  the  perfect  man  (Christ  Jesus)  should  be 
born  of  an  immaculate  virgin."  St.  Justin,  who  died  a  martyr  in 
the  year  167  after  Christ,  compares  the  blessed  Virgin  with  Eve, 
before  she  sinned  and  while  she  was  still  a  virgin.  St.  Amphilochus 
says:  "He  who  created  the  first  Eve  free  from  shame,  created 
the  second  without  spot  or  stain."  Origen,  one  of  the  fathers  of 
the  Church,  writes,  that  she  was  neither  surprised  by  the  person- 
ated serpent,  nor  infected  by  his  poison,  and  calls  her  a  pure  and 
immaculate  mother.  St.  Ephrem  calls  her  the  undefiled,  the 
strong,  the  inviolate,  the  most  chaste  virgin,  far  removed  from  all 
spot  and  stain.  The  Abbot  St.  Sabbas  says  of  Mary:  "On  thee 
who  never  took  part  in  any  guile,  I  place  my. hope.    No  one  but 


35* 


548    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION 

thee,  0  Lady,  is  without  fault,  and  besides  thee  no  one  is  un- 
sullied and  spotless."  St.  Ambrose  calls  Mary  a  virgin  who  by 
the  grace  of  God  remained  always  free  from  all  shadow  of  sin. 
St.  Augustine  says:  "When  there  is  mention  made  of  sin,  the 
Virgin  of  whom  on  account  of  our  Lord  no  question  is  to  be  ask- 
ed, must  be  excepted."  St.  Proclus  says,  "that  the  holy  Mother 
of  God  was  made  by  the  purest  God  free  from  all  stain."  St.  Ful- 
gentius  says:  "The  wife  of  the  first  man  was  led  astray  and  her 
soul  soiled  by  the  malice  of  sin,  but  in  the  mother  of  the  second 
(Christ)  the  grace  of  God  preserved  the  soul  as  well  as  the  body 
inviolate."  St.  Pasch.  Radbertus  testifies:  "It  is  certain,  that 
Mary  was  free  from  original  sin;"  and  St.  Peter  Damian  says: 
"The  flesh  of  the  Virgin  taken  from  Adam,  would  not  submit  to  the 
stain  of  Adam,"  and  before  him  the  pious  Doctor  Alkuin  writes 
of  Mary:  "Thou  art  beautiful  as  the  moon  and  free  from  all  spot 
and  every  shadow  of  changeableness !"  And  St.  Ildephonsus  says: 
"It  is  certain,  that  Mary  was  free  from  original  sin."  An  im- 
mense number  of  saintly  men  and  theologians  maintained  the  same. 
Many  of  them  argued  with  the  greatest  keenness  and  the  most 
indefatigable  zeal  the  part  of  the  blessed  Virgin ;  the  teachers  at 
the  universities  of  Paris,  Salamanca,  Coimbra,  Naples,  Cologne, 
Mayence,  Ingolstadt,  &c,  made  it  by  vows  their  duty  to  inculcate 
this  great  privilege  of  the  most  favored  Virgin,  and  to  defend 
it  by  speech  and  by  writings.  Celebrated  orders  of  monks,  espe- 
cially the  orders  of  St.  Francis  and  St.  Ignatius,  made  it  their 
duty  to  advance  among  the  people  this  pious  faith  of  the  imma- 
culate conception.  A  great  number  of  popes  and  bishops  also 
honored  the  immaculate  conception  and  forbade  the  contrary  doc- 
trine to  be  taught.  Even  kings,  princes,  and  emperors  counted  it 
their  great  honor  to  pay  homage  to  the  immaculate  conception  of 
the  Queen  of  Heaven.  At  last  the  Catholic  Church  gave  definite 
expression  to  this  universally  held  belief,  by  declaring  in  the 
( ■ouncil  of  Trent,  that  in  the  resolutions  relating  to  original  sin, 
the  Virgin  Mary  was  not  included,  and  confirmed  the  festival  of 
the  immaculate  conception,  introduced  by  St.  Anselm  in  the  tenth 
century,  and  since  that  time  observed  in  all  the  Churches. 

Still,  this  glowing  veneration  of  all  Catholic  hearts  for  the  im- 
maculate conception,  this  pious  view  held  by  the  whole  Catholic 
Church,  was  not  yet  a  matter  of  faith,  that  is,  the  Catholic  Church 
had  not  yet  laid  down  this  great  privilege  of  the  Mother  of  God 
as  a  dogma  and  commanded  us  to  believe  it.  It  was  still  permitt- 
ed to  us  doubt  this  point,  without  being  branded  as  heretics,  al- 
though it  was  forbidden  to  teach  or  preach  against  it.  But  when, 
in  the  course  of  time,  a  large  number  of  faithful,  among  them  bi- 
shops and  archbishops,  whole  religious  orders  as  well  as  great 
monarchs,  besought  the  pope  verbally  and  in  writing,  to  pronounce 
himself  publicly  concerning  the  immaculate  conception  of  the  bless- 
ed Virgin,  that  is,  to  elevate  the  belief  so  widely  spread  through- 


OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.  T>49 

out  the  Catholic  Church  to  a  dogma,  the  pope  could  no  longer  he- 
sitate to  raise  his  voice  in  regard  to  this  most  important  affair. 

What  did  the  supreme  pastor  of  the  Church,  the  pope,  then  do  in 
regard  to  the  immaculate  conception  of  the  blessed  Virgin? 

The  present  Pope  Pius  IX.,  who,  as  he  himself  testifies,  has 
in  many  ways  experienced  the  assistance  of  the  great  Queen  of 
Heaven,  was  urged  by  his  love  and  childlike  veneration  for  the 
blessed  Mother  of  our  Lord,  to  set  the  last  brilliant  diamond  in 
her  crown  of  glory,  and  give  the  so  heartily  desired  judgment 
concerning  the  immaculate  conception,  but  he  did  not  wish  to  be 
precipitate.  He  first  addressed,  on  the  2.  Februar  1849,  a  circular 
to  all  the  primates,  patriarchs,  archbishops,  and  bishops  of  the 
whole  Catholic  world,  requesting  them  to  send  him  reports  of  the 
devotion  of  their  clergy  and  the  faithful  concerning  the  immacu- 
late conception,  and  the  extent  of  their  desire  in  the  matter,  that 
the  case  might  be  decided  by  the  Apostolic  See;  at  the  same  time 
he  urged  them  to  pray  with  him,  that  God  would  give  him  the 
necessary  enlightenment,  and  to  call  upon  the  clergy  and  the 
faithful  for  their  prayers.  When  this  was  done,  five  hundred  bi- 
shops in  different  parts  of  the  world  declared,  that  they  and  their 
flocks  firmly  believed  that  Mary,  the  most  favored  Virgin ,  was 
preserved  from  every  stain  of  original  sin,  and  that  they  earnestly 
desired  that  the  pope  might  raise  this  pious  opinion  to  a  dogma 
of  the  Church.  Then  the  holy  father,  full  of  delight,  invited  the 
bishops  of  the  different  countries  to  come  to  Rome,  and  gather 
around  and  consult  with  him.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  bi- 
shops, and  a  large  number  of  learned  men  and  superiors  of  spiri- 
tual orders,  came  together  at  Rome,  and  the  whole  subject  was 
once  more  maturely  examined;  and,  at  last,  in  1854,  the  eighth  of 
December,  the  day  on  which  the  Church  celebrates  the  feast  of 
the  immaculate  conception,  was  appointed  as  the  day,  on  which 
the  pope,  the  supreme  head  of  the  Church,  the  mouth  of  the  apost- 
les, should  solemnly  announce  the  dogma  of  the  immaculate  con- 
ception. 

On  this  day  the  holy  father  ascended  the  Apostolic  Chair  in 
the  splendid  Church  of  St.  Peter  at  Rome,  and,  having  again  in- 
voked the  light  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  surrounded  by  the  assembled 
cardinals,  archbishops,  and  bishops,  the  clergy  and  the  people,  he 
opened  his  lips  and  amid  the  perfect  silence  which  reigned  in 
that  immense  Church,  in  a  loud  voice  and  with  the  most  profound 
reverence  and  emotion  read  the  decree  by  which  he  solemnly  pro- 
nounced and  established,  that : 

"It  is  a  dogma  of  faith,  that  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  by  a 
special  grace  and  privilege  of  God,  on  account  of  the  merits  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Redeemer  of  mankind,  was  from  the  first  in- 
stant of  her  conception  protected  and  preserved  from  every 
stain  of  original  sin." 


550   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION 

Thus  has  the  head  of  Catholic  Christianity  drawn  aside  the  veil 
which  until  now  obscured  the  full  glory  of  the  Queen  of  Heaven, 
that  now  in  stainless  loveliness  shines  radiant  over  the  whole  world. 
The  truth,  that  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  was  conceived  immacu- 
late, is  no  longer  a  pious  opinion,  but  an  article  of  faith  which 
every  Catholic  who  wishes  to  remain  a  child  of  the  Church,  must 
profess  with  heart  and  with  lips. 

But,  perhaps,  the  decision  of  the  pope  concerning  the  itmnaculate, 
conception  is  a  new  doctrine? 

By  no  means ;  it  is  an  old  belief,  established  upon  the  holy 
Scriptures,  and  laid  down  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church,  but  not 
previously  solemnly  pronounced  and  made  public.  The  pope  can- 
not make  a  new  article  of  faith,  but  he  can  and  must  announce  that 
as  a  revealed  truth,  which  is  established  by  the  holy  Scriptures 
and  has  been  everywhere  and  at  all  times  believed  as  a  revealed 
truth  by  all  true  Christians.  But  if  there  is  a  truth  founded  on 
the  holy  Scriptures  and  tradition,  of  which  the  pope,  the  repre- 
sentative of  Christ  on  earth,  speaks  officially  as  such,  then  every 
Catholic  is  bound  to  believe  and  openly  to  acknowledge  it.  As 
we  have  already  seen,  the  doctrine  of  the  immaculate  conception 
has  been  believed  since  the  times  of  the  apostles,  and  it  is  also 
established  by  the  holy  Scriptures.  In  the  oldest  of  the  sacred 
Books  in  the  Book  of  Genesis  (iii.  15.),  is  one  of  the  most  weighty 
passages  on  this  subject  which  reads:  I  will  put  enmities  be- 
tween thee  and  the  woman,  and  thy  seed  and  her  seed; 
she  shall  crush  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  lie  in  wait  for 
her  heel.  These  words  God  Himself  spoke  to  Satan,  the  serpent, 
immediately  after  the  fall  of  the  first  man,  announcing  that  a  woman 
should  come  and  crush  his  head,  that  is,  destroy  his  power;  and 
all  Catholic  interpreters  and  holy  fathers  agree,  that  this  woman 
is  the  blessed  Virgin.  Mary  is,  therefore,  placed  by  God  Him- 
self as  Satan's  enemy,  and  must  have  been  free  from  original  sin 
from  the  first  moment  of  her  conception ,  otherwise  she  would 
have  been,  as  St.  Paul,"  the  Apostle,  says,  a  child  of  God's  wrath 
and  been  under  the  power  of  Satan.  In  the  gospel  of  St.  Luke 
(i. 27.),  it  is  furthermore  said:  And  the  angel  being  come  in, 
said  to  her:  Hail,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee, 
blessed  art  thou  amongst  women.  The  angel,  by  the  di- 
rection of  God,  called  Mary:  full  of  grace,  that  is,  more  than 
any  of  the  just  endowed  with  God's  sanctifying  grace,  as  the  holy 
fathers  agree.  But  would  Mary  be  full  of  sanctifying  and  all  other 
graces,  had  she  once  for  one  moment  of  her  life  been  without 
grace  and  burdened  with  sin?  Would  God  have  permitted,  that 
the  blessed  Mother  of  His  only  begotten  Son,  from  whom  He  re- 
ceived flesh  and  under  whose  heart  He  rested,  should  be  once 
touched  by  sin,  once,  though  but  for  an  instant,  in  the  power  of 
Satan?  No;  God's  hand  preserved  her;  by  His  grace  and  by  the 


OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.  551 

infinite  merits  of  her  divine  Son,  she  remained  free  from  every 
stain  of  sin,  and  the  Church  most  justly  applies  to  her  the  words 
of  the  holy  Scripture:  Thou  art  all  fair,  0  my  love,  and 
there  is  not  a  spot  in  thee.  {Cant.  iv.  7.) 

What  instructive  meaning  has  the  immaculate  conception  of  the 
blessed  Virgin  for  every  Catholic  ? 

The  immaculate  conception  teaches  Catholics  to  know  in  some 
measure  the  infinite  holiness  of  the  Trinity  of  God,  which  makes 
sin  so  hateful  and  detestable  to  Him.  The  Heavenly  Father  could 
not  see  His  beloved  daughter  for  one  moment  stained  by  sin.  The 
Divine  Son  could  not  wish  to  choose  for  His  mother  a  virgin 
upon  whose  soul  there  was  a  vestige  of  sin.  The  Holy  Ghost 
whose  most  pure  bride  Mary  is,  was  not  willing,  that  Mary's 
heart,  His  dwelling  place,  should  ever  be  for  one  instant  soiled  by 
sin.  Behold,  how  God  detests  sin!  The  immaculate  conception 
also  teaches  us  the  inestimable  treasure  of  sanctifying  grace.  Mary 
received  this  priceless  treasure  from  God  even  in  the  first  moment 
of  her  conception,  without  it  she  would  never  have  become  the 
Mother  of  the  Saviour.  And  thou,  my  Christian,  hadst  this  treas- 
ure not  at  thy  conception,  it  is  true,  but  thou  didst  receive  it  in 
holy  Baptism;  there  God's  hand  arrayed  thee  in  the  snow-white 
garment  of  innocence ;  there  He  sanctified  thy  soul,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  selected  it  for  His  dwelling  place.  Mary  preserved  this  in- 
estimable treasure  until  death,  she  was  always  blooming  as  a  pure 
lily,  the  breath  of  sin  never  soiled  her  loveliness.  Ask  thyself: 
Do  I  still  possess  entire  this  treasure  which  was  given  to  me  in 
holy  Baptism ;  have  I  preserved  my  soul's  beauty  from  the  poison 
of  sin,  have  I  soiled  it,  destroyed  it,  lost  it?  0,  if  thou  hast  lost 
it,  this  precious  gift,  how  unhappy  then  art  thou !  If  thou  hast 
had  this  great  misfortune,  by  sin  to  have  stained  thy  garment  of 
baptismal  innocence,  have  lost  the  sanctifying  vesture :  for  thee, 
Mary,  the  peerless  Virgin,  has  borne  the  Saviour  whose  sacred 
blood  cleanses  from  every  sin,  whose  infinite  merits,  if  thou  art 
contrite  and  dost  confess  thy  sin,  will  restore  to  thee  the  sancti- 
fying grace.  But  for  the  Saviour  this  treasure  would  be  forever 
lost  to  thee,  and  thy  soul  forever  lost.  But  for  this  Saviour  Mary 
would  not  have  been  preserved  from  original  sin,  would  not  have 
received  the  sanctifying  grace  at  her  conception.  Here  can  the 
necessity  of  salvation  by  Christ  be  learned,  gratefully  thanking 
God  who  has  given  us  such,  and  praising  Mary  who  had  the  grace 
to  receive  and  give  birth  to  Him.  In  the  immaculate  conception, 
0  Christian,  thou  canst  learn  to  know  somewhat  of  the  priceless 
value  of  virginity.  Jesus  chose  a  pure  and  immaculate  virgin  for 
His  mother,  who  should  be  the  mirror  of  all  virginal  souls,  her 
most  pure  and  immaculate  image  should  be  continually  presented 
to  the  corrupted  world  to  show,  how  above  all  price  is  virginity  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Lord. 


5f»2    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION 

Introit  of  the  Mass:  I  will  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord, 
and  my  soul  shall  be  joyful  in  my  (jod:  for  he  hath 
clothed  me  with  the  garment  of  salvation,  and  with 
the  robes  of  justice  he  hath  covered  me,  as  a  bride- 
groom decked  with  a  crown,  and  as  a  bride  adorned 
with  her  jewels.  (Ps.  lxx.)  I  will  extol  thee,  0  Lord,  for 
thou  hast  upheld  me,  and  hast  not  made  my  enemies 
to  rejoice  over  me.  (Ps.  xxix.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  the  im- 
maculate conception  of  the  blessed  Virgin  didst  prepare  a 
worthy  dwelling  for  Thy  Son,  grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that 
Thou  who  because  of  the  foreseen  death  of  Thy  Son  didst 
preserve  her  from  all  stain,  wouldst  permit  us  by  her  inter- 
cession to  come  to  Thee  free  from  sin.  Amen. 

LESSON.  (Prov.  viii.  22  —  25.)  The  Lord  possessed  me  in 
the  beginning  of  his  ways,  before  he  made  any  thing,  from 
the  beginning.  I  was  set  up  from  eternity,  and  of  old  before 
the  earth  was  made.  The  depths  were  not  as  yet,  and  I  was 
already  conceived,  neither  had  the  fountains  of  waters  as  yet 
sprung  out:  the  mountains  with  their  huge  bulk  had  not  as 
yet  been  established:  before  the  hills  I  was  brought  forth: 
he  had  not  yet  made  the  earth,  nor  the  rivers,  nor  the  poles 
of  the  world.  When  he  prepared  the  heavens,  I  was  there: 
when  with  a  certain  law  and  compass  he  enclosed  the  depths : 
wrhen  he  established  the  sky  above,  and  poised  the  fountains 
of  waters:  when  he  compassed  the  sea  with  its  bounds,  and 
set  a  law  to  the  waters,  that  they  should  not  pass  their 
limits:  when  he  balanced  the  foundation  of  the  earth,  I  was 
with  him  forming  all  things,  and  was  delighted  every  day, 
playing  before  him  at  all  times,  playing  in  the  world:  and 
my  delight  is  to  be  with  the  children  of  men.  Now,  there- 
fore, ye  children,  hear  me,  blessed  are  they  that  keep  my 
ways.  Hear  instruction  and  be  wise,  and  refuse  it  not.  Bless- 
ed is  the  man  that  heareth  me,  and  that  watcheth  daily  at 
my  gates,  and  waiteth  at  the  posts  of  my  doors.  He  that 
shall  find  me,  shall  find  life,  and  shall  have  salvation  from 
the  Lord. 

EXPLANATION  and  APPLICATION.  This  lesson  is  first  a 
panegyrick  on  the  divine,  uncreated  Wisdom,  the  eternal  Son  of 
God,  who  at  all  times  and  before  all  things  was  with  God  and  in 
God,  by  whom  was  made  everything  that  was  made,  ordered  and 


OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.  553 

preserved;  who  rejoices  in  His  works,  loves  them,  and  who  ad- 
monishes man  to  iove  and  imitate  Him,  and  promises  to  him 
temporal  and  eternal  happiness.  The  Church  causes  this  lesson 
to  be  read  on  this  day,  because  the  greater  part  of  it  can  be  ap- 
plied to  Mary;  for  of  Mary  it  can  be  truly  said,  that  she  also 
possessed  the  first  place  in  the  heart  of  God  beyond  all  creatures, 
as  the  most  holy  and  excellent  of  creatures.  For  this  reason  the 
Church  also  applies  to  her  the  words  of  the  wise  man:  I  came 
out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Most  High,  the  first  born  be- 
fore all  creatures.  {Eccl.  xxiv.  5.)  For  she,  as  St.  Richardus 
says ,  is  the  most  worthy  of  all ;  no  one  has  received  so  full  a 
measure  of  purity  and  of  all  supernatural  gifts ;  in  no  creature 
are  the  marvels  of  divine  goodness  so  visible  as  in  her.  Admire, 
devout  soul,  this  masterpiece  of  Almighty  God,  and  make  fre- 
quent use  of  the  words  of  St.  Chrysostom : 

"Hail,  Mother  of  God  and  our  Mother!  Hail,  0  Heaven 
in  which  God  Himself  dwells !  0  Throne  of  grace  from  which 
the  Lord  distributes  His  graces!  Pray  always  to  Jesus  for 
us,  that  on  the  Day  of  Judgment  we  may  receive  forgiveness 
and  eternal  salvation.11 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  i.  26—28.)  At  that  time:  The  angel 
Gabriel  was  sent  from  God  into  a  city  of  Galilee,  called  Na- 
zareth, to  a  virgin  espoused  to  a  man  whose  name  was  Jo- 
seph, of  the  house  of  David;  and  the  virgin's  name  was  Mary. 
And  the  angel  being  come  in,  said  unto  her:  Hail,  Mary,  full 
of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee;  blessed  art  thou  amongst 
women. 

Why  is  the  gospel  of  the  angel's  message  and  greeting  read  in  the 
Mass  of  this  day? 

Because  the  words  of  this  gospel  have  a  significant  relation 
to  the  immaculate  conception  and  indescribably  great  honor  of 
the  blessed  Virgin,  as  shown  by  the  words:  Hail,  Mary,  full  of 
grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee;  blessed  art  thou  amongst 
women. 

Why  did  the  angel  call  Mary  full  of  grace? 

Because  Mary  was  filled  with  grace,  even  before  she  came 
into  this  world ;  because  she  always  increased  in  grace ;  because 
she  was  to  bear  the  Author  of  ali  grace;  that  we  may  consider 
how  Mary  obtains  for  us  the  treasures  of  divine  grace. 

Mary  was  filled  with  grace  even  before  her  birth.  As  we  are 
all  conceived  in  sin,  as  children  of  a  sinful  ancestor,  we  are, 
therefore,  afflicted  with  sin  before  our  birth.  Mary  was  free  by 
the  privilege  of  the  immaculate  conception  from  all  sin ;  her  soul, 


554   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION 

pure  and  adorned  with  sanctifying  grace,  came  forth  from  the 
hands  of  the  creator,  and  without  the  least  prejudice  to  its  purity 
and  sanctity  was  united  to  her  most  pure  body,  from  which  the 
Saviour  was  to  take  His  humanity.  She  could  not  have  lacked 
from  the  first  instant  of  her  existence  that  original  sanctity  and 
justice,  which  were  the  most  beautiful  adornments  of  our  natural 
ancestress,  Eve. 

But  Mary  from  the  first  moment  of  her  conception  was  not 
only  in  grace  but  full  of  grace,  because  God  appointed  her  for 
the  highest  dignity,  for  the  dignity  of  being  the  Mother  of  His 
only  begotten  Son,  and  had  consequently  presented  her  with  the 
full  measure  of  corresponding  plenitude  of  graces  and  gifts  of  the 
Holy  Ghost;  according  to  the  opinion  of  many  learned  men,  the 
measure  of  grace  which  the  blessed  Virgin  received  at  her  imma- 
culate conception,  was  greater  than  that  which  all  the  angels  and 
blessed  now  in  glory  possess. 

Mary  ever  increased  in  grace:  But  the  path  of  the  just, 
as  a  shining  light,  goeth  forward  and  increaseth  even 
to  perfect  day.  (Prov.  iv.  18.)  The  life  of  the  blessed  Virgin 
especially  confirms  the  words  inspired  by  the  holy  Ghost,  who, 
having  already  at  her  conception  shed  the  fulness  of  His  graces 
upon  Marjr,  did  not  cease  to  shower  the  treasures  of  His  good- 
ness upon  her,  in  order  to  prepare  her  to  be  a  worthy  dwelling  of 
the  divine  Son.  But  what  abundance  of  grace  did  she  not  re- 
ceive, when  the  Holy  Ghost  overshadowed  her,  and  the  divine 
Son,  who  is  Himself  the  infinite  plenitude  of  grace,  came  into  her 
most  pure  body !  Above  all  this,  there  yet  came  that  rich  supply 
of  grace  by  which  her  zealous,  constant,  perfect  and  faithful  co- 
operation made  Mary  increase  ever}7  moment  in  grace  and  filled 
her  measure  of  grace.  Thus  St.  Bonaventura  says:  "As  all  the 
waters  meet  in  the  sea,  so  all  the  graces  were  united  in  Mary." 

Mary  has  borne  the  Author  of  all  grace,  Jesus  Christ.  In 
Jesus  all  the  treasures  and  riches  of  grace  are  contained ,  and 
assuredly  His  most"  blessed  Mother  received  the  richest,  over- 
flowing measure  of  His  abundance,  not  for  herself  only,  but  for 
us.  "Mary,"  says  St.  Thomas  of  Aquinas,  "is  not  full  of  grace 
for  herself  only,  but  for  all.  Every  saint  has,  it  is  true,  received 
grace  by  which  to  assist  some  men ;  but  Mary  received  so  many, 
that  she  could  cooperate  in  the  salvation  of  the  whole  world, 
which  after  Jesus  Christ  she  only  could  do."  "With  what  senti- 
ments of  devotion  should  we  not  venerate  Mary,"  says  St.  Bernard, 
"since  the  Most  High  has  bestowed  the  fulness  of  all  good  upon 
her,  while  we  know,  that,  if  there  exist  any  hope,  if  there  be  any 
grace,  if  there  be  any  salvation,  it  flows  from  her  to  us!" 

Why  did  the  angel  say  to  Mary:  The  Lord  is  with  thee? 
Because  God  is  with  the  blessed  Virgin  in  an  extraordinary 
manner.    It  is  well  particularly  to  notice,  that  the  archangel 


OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.  555 

Gabriel  did  not  say  to  Mary  as  the  angel  did  to  Gideon:  The 
Lord  be  with  thee  (Judges  vi.  12.),  but:  The  Lord  is  with 
thee.  These  words  are  not,  therefore,  the  wish  that  the  favor, 
the  blessing,  the  protection  of  God  may  be  with  Mary,  but  the 
positive  declaration  that  the  Lord  really  is  with  Mary,  not  simply 
because  of  His  omnipotence  and  omnipresence  by  which  He  is 
with  all  His  creatures,  nor  merely  because  of  His  goodness,  love 
and  intimacy  by  which  He  is  with  all  the  just.  He  is  with  her  in  a, 
peculiar  manner,  since  she  by  her  dignity  of  being  the  Mother  of 
God  came  into  such  close  relationship  with  the  Triune  God,  that 
our  intellect  can  conceive  nothing  nearer.  She  became  the  chosen 
Mother  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  dearest,  the  most  favored  daughter 
of  the  Heavenly  Father,  and  the  pure,  beloved  bride  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  "God  the  Father  was  with  her,"  here  says  St.  Bonaven- 
tura,  "as  with  His  most  noble  daughter;  God  the  Son  wa>  with 
her  as  with  His  worthy  Mother ;  God  the  Holy  Ghost  was  with 
her  as  with  His  most  pure  bride." 

Why  did  the  angel  say  to  Mary:  Blessed  art  thou  amongst 

women? 

Because  he  desired  to  honor  her  as  the  most  Blessed  of  her 
sex.  She  is  the  most  Blessed  of  her  sex,  because  she  alone  was 
selected  among  all  for  the  Maiden-Mother  of  God ;  because  the 
first  woman  brought  the  curse,  but  Mary  the  salvation  of  the 
world. 

Mary:  Mother  ofGod!  An  honor,  indeed,  which  in  its  exal- 
tation is  second  only  to  divinity.  As  the  divinity  itself  so  the 
honor  of  being  the  Mother  of  God,  exceeds  every  thing  which  we 
are  able  to  say  or  think  of  it.  Mary:  the  Virgin  Mother  of 
God!  Mother  and  Virgin  at  the  same  time,  what  a  wonderful  pre- 
rogative !  Though  the  greatest  and  most  glorious  of  all  mothers, 
she  is  the  purest  and  most  spotless  of  virgins,  the  queen  of  virgins ! 

Bat  not  only  on  account  of  her  double  glory  as  Mother  of  God 
and  as  a  Virgin,  Mary  is  the  most  Blessed  of  her  sex,  but  because 
it  was  given  to  her  to  mediate  for  us  and  for  the  whole  world. 
She  is  that  woman,  promised  to  our  first  and  sinful  parents  in 
Paradise,  who  would  crush  the  serpent's  head;  she  gave  to  her 
Son  the  body  with  which  He  by  His  death  on  the  cross,  accom- 
plished the  great  work  of  salvation. 

EULOGY.  "Praised  and  blessed  be  the  holy  and  imma- 
culate conception  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary!" 

[Pope  Pius  VI.  granted  an  indulgence  of  one  hundred  days  to 
those  who  with  contrition  and  devotion  repeat  the  above  prayer.] 


556 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  KEAST  OF 
ST.  THOMAS,  THE  APOSTLE. 

[December  21.] 


Homas,  otherwise  called  Didymus  (twin),  was 
a  Galilean  and  a  fisherman.  Having  heen  re- 
ceived by  Christ  as  one  of  the  apostles,  he 
accompanied  our  divine  Saviour  on  all  His 
journeys,  shunning  no  danger.  His  courage 
and  faithful  adherence  to  his  divine  Master, 
were  especially  manifested  at  the  time  that 
our  Lord  went  to  Bethania  to  raise  Lazarus  to  life,  when  the  dis- 
ciples were  afraid  to  accompany  Him,  because  the  Jews  sought 
His  life.  "Let  us  go  with  Him,"  Thomas  said  to  the  other  disciples, 
"that  we  may  die  with  Him."  His  belief  in  Christ's  resurrection 
staggered,  but  scarcely  had  Christ  convinced  him  by  showing  His 
wounds,  than  he  cried  out  at  once,  strong  in  faith:  My  Lord  and 
my  God!  thus  acknowledging  the  Saviour  not  only  as  man,  as  he 
saw  with  his  eyes,  but  as  God  whom  he  could  not  see.  St.  Gregory 
says  on  this  subject:  "God  permitted  St.  Thomas'  doubts  for  our 
good;  and  his  unbelief  is  of  more  advantage  to  us  than  the  ready 
faith  of  the  other  disciples,  for  he  induced  Christ  to  give  us  clearer 
proofs  of  His  resurrection,  thus  strengthening  our  faith  in  it." 
After  he  had  received  the  Holy  Ghost,  at  Pentecost,  and  for  some 
time  preached  the  gospel  in  Judea,  St.  Thomas  at  the  dispersion 
of  the  apostles  went  to  the  Eastern  nations :  to  the  Persians,  Medes, 
Armenians,  Hyrcanians,  Bactrians,  and  according  to  later  reports 
the  doctrine  of  Jesus  was  heard  from  his  lips  in  India  and  China. 
What  trials,  hardships  and  persecutions  must  he  have  suffered  on 
these  long  journeys  among  unbelievers!  According  to  the  Roman 
Martyrology  he  died  the  death  of  martyr,  being  pierced  with 
lances  at  Calamnia,  now  called  Meliapor,  a  city  of  India. 

For  three  years  Thomas  had  associated  continually  with  Jesus, 
seen  His  miracles,  and  heard  His  doctrine,  especially  the  doctrine 
of  His  resurrection,  which  He  had  often  plainly  foretold;  and  yet 
he  doubted  and  found  it  hard  to  accept  this  truth.  Whence  came 
this?  We  find  no  other  explanation  than  human  weakness,  or 
perhaps  a  little  failing,  occasioned  perhaps  by  the  intemperate 
sorrow  at  the  death  of  Jesus,  which  caused  Thomas  to  separate 
himself  from  the  other  apostles,  who  with  Mary,  the  mother  of 
the  faithful,  were  assembled  together,  occupied  in  prayer  and  pious 
conversation,  and  thus  to  lose  Christ's  first  appearance.  If  Thomas 
was  in  this  manner  shaken  in  his  faith,  how  will  it  be  with  those 
Christians  who  hate  all  spiritual  exercises,  prayers,  and  edifying 
reading,  on  the  contrary  associate  only  with  free-thinkers  and 
ridiculers  of  the  Church,  and  read  irreligious  books? 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  THOMAS,  THE  APOSTLE.     557 

[For  the  Introit  of  Mass  see  the  Feast  of  St.  Andrew.] 
PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  0  Lord,  we  beseech 
Thee,  that  we  may  rejoice  on  the  solemnity  of  Thy  blessed 
Apostle  Thomas;  to  the  end  that  we  may  always  have  the 
assistance  of  his  prayers,  and  zealously  profess  the  faith  he 
taught. 

EPISTLE.  (Ephes.  ii.  19—22.)  Brethren:  You  are  no 
more  strangers  and  foreigners:  but  you  are  fellow-citizens 
with  the  saints,  and  the  domestics  of  God,  built  upon  the 
foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself 
being  the  chief  corner-stone :  in  whom  all  the  building  being 
framed  together,  groweth  up  into  a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord. 
In  whom  you  also  are  built  together  into  an  habitation  of 
God  in  the  spirit. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  here  says  to  the  Ephesians  and 
to  all  baptized  Christians:  Now  that  you  are  baptized,  you  are  no 
longer  foreigners  and  strangers,  that  is,  without  the  rights  of  a 
citizen,  as  before  when  you  were  yet  gentiles;  you  are  now  by 
baptism  fellow- citizens  with  the  saints,  and  belong  now  to  the  large 
family  of  God,  to  the  Church,  have,  therefore,  part  in  its  riches, 
and  are  heirs  of  heaven.  The  Church  to  which  you  belong,  is 
firmly  founded  on  the  teachings  and  faith  of  the  prophets  and 
apostles,  having  for  their  corner-stone  Christ,  who  unites  you 
with  Him,  who  holds  the  entire  building  together,  and  causes  the 
Church  to  spread  itself  ever  more  and  more,  receiving  ever  more 
and  more  faithful  within  it,  whom  He  by  His  grace  purifies  and 
sanctifies ;  and  thus  there  stands  a  holy  spiritual  temple,  the  corner- 
stone of  which  is  Christ,  its  foundation  the  apostles,  its  spiritual 
stones  the  living  Christians,  among  whom  are  you,  and  those  who 
live  only  in  and  for  Christ,  the  Lord.  What  a  happiness  is  yours, 
that  you  by  baptism  have  been  brought  into  this  temple  as  a  living 
stone  in  its  walls!  But  if  you  do  not  preserve  the  living  faith  in 
Christ,  if  you  live  not  in  accordance  with  His  doctrine,  then  will 
you  be  taken  away  and  to  your  greatest  misfortune  cast  out  as 
unfit  for  this  temple,  the  Church. 

[See  Gospel  and  Explanation  for  first  Sunday  after  Easter.] 

PRACTICAL  INSTRUCTIONS  CONCERNING  FAITH  AND 

T  SUPERSTITION. 

He  just  man,  says  St.  Paul,  liveth  by  faith  (Rom.  i.  17.), 
that  is,  as  a  farmer  lives  by  his  labor,  an  artist  by  his  art, 
receiving  his  food  and  support  from  it,  so  the  true  Christian  finds 
the  life,  health  and  strength  of  his  soul  in  his  faith.  And  as  ma- 
terial life  shows  itself  by  certain  external  acts  and  signs,  so  the 


558  PRACTICAL  INSTRUCTIONS  CONCERNING  FAITH,  &c. 

spiritual  life  shows  itself  by  actions  dictated  by  faith:  he,  who 
possesses  this  spiritual  life  prays  fervently,  gives  alms  according 
to  his  means,  exercises  himself  in  all  charitable  deeds  towards  his 
neighbor,  fasts  and  lives  strictly,  walks  in  the  presence  of  God, 
avoiding  every  sin,  and  he  performs  all  because  he  is  animated  by  a 
lively  faith  which  teaches  him,  that  God  is  a  just  judge,  the  severe 
punisher  of  all  evil,  the  liberal  rewarder  of  all  good,  who  Himself  has 
said,  that  heaven  must  be  forced,  and  only  those  who  use  force,  can 
gain  it.  An  indifferent  Christian,  on  the  other  hand,  who  has  only  a 
dead  faith,  does  of  all  that  it  requires,  nothing;  but  sets  his  heart 
on  temporal  things,  seeks  only  the  happiness  of  this  world,  and  to 
gain  it,  does  not  avoid  even  superstitious  means.  Superstition,  ge- 
nerally, consists  in  venerating  God  in  a  manner  which  is  not  pleasing 
to  Him,  in  ascribing  to  things  a  supernatural  value  which  from  God 
and  His  Church  they  have  not,  and  in  even  seeking  aid  from  evil  spi- 
rits. It  is,  therefore,  superstition  to  apply  to  vain,  even  sinful  pur- 
poses that  which  is  instituted  by  Christ  and  His  Church  for  the  sal- 
vation of  souls.  There  are  people  so  blind,  that  they  fancy  that  in 
searching  for  a  concealed  treasure,  nothing  is  necessary  for  success 
but  the  saying  of  Mass  by  a  priest  at  midnight;  who  imagine  by  the 
repetition  of  certain  prayers  to  have  luck  in  a  lottery;  or  that  by 
diligently  saying  such  and  such  prayers  and  wearing  amulets,  &c, 
they  are  sure  ot  salvation.  This  is  all  pure  superstition  and  sin, 
for  these  things  have  no  strength  or  influence.  It  is  superstition 
to  find  out  from  fortune  tellers  prayers,  blessings,  conjurations, 
&c,  by  which  to  dispel  sickness,  guard  against  danger,  inflict  in- 
juries upon  others,  to  foretell  future  events  by  cards  and  by  vain 
interpretation  of  dreams,  think  to  win  in  lotteries,  and  all  si- 
milar things.  Those  who  believe  in  such  deceivers  or  ask  their 
advice,  are  guilty  of  superstition.  The  most  abominable  super- 
stition is  practised  by  those  who  go  so  far  as  to  seek  help  and  ad- 
vice from  evil  spirits,  since  the  evil  spirits  have  not  the  smallest 
possession  of  their  own,  nor  of  themselves  any  knowledge.  "In 
the  just  judgment  of  God,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "it  sometimes  hap- 
pens, that  those  superstitious  men  who  seek  from  evil  spirits  to 
find  out  things  hidden,  are  made  over  curious  and  become  involv- 
ed in  the  manifold  snares  of  pernicious  error.  How  sinful  such 
superstition  is,  is  evident  from  its  own  nature,  since  by  it  we  set 
aside  God  and  have  no  confidence  in  Him.  If  God  curses  those 
who  turn  their  hearts  from  Him  and  place  their  confidence  in  man 
(Jer.  xvii.  5.),  what  must  those  expect  who  stoop  to  these  super- 
stitions? If  you  have  fears,  that  such  and  such  things  are  super- 
stitious, go  to  your  pastor  and  seek  information. 

PETITION.  0  most  benign  Jesus!  who  didst  permit  the 
doubting  and  wavering  Thomas  to  touch  Thy  sacred  wounds, 
and  thus  freedst  him  from  his  unbelief,  heal  me  also,  and  give 
me  a  firm,  strong  and  lively  faith,  which  will  continually 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  STEPHEN,  &c 


559 


urge  me  to  do  that  which  is  pleasing  to  Thee,  and  leave  un- 
done all  that  is  displeasing  to  Thee. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
STEPHEN  THE  FIRST  MARTYR. 

[December  26  J 

Short  history  of  the  life  and  sufferings  of  this 
saint  is  contained  in  the  epistle  of  this  day, 
taken  from  the  acts  of  the  apostles,  to  which 
it  is  only  necessary  to  add,  that  on  account 
of  his  good  name,  his  virtues,  his  wisdom  and 
his  zeal  for  the  faith,  St.  Stephen  was  held 
worthy  hy  the  apostles  of  being  ordained,  by 
the  imposition  of  hands,  the  first  of  the  seven  deacons  whose  duty 
it  was,  besides  announcing  the  word  of  God,  to  attend  to  the  poor, 
distributing  alms  among  them.  In  the  performance  of  these  duties 
St.  Stephen  connected  such  disinterested  love  of  his  neighbor  with 
such  zeal  for  Christ,  that  he  brought  upon  himself  the  most  in- 
tense hatred  of  the  Jews,  who  finally  stoned  him  to  death,  thus 
making  him  the  first  martyr  for  Christ. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  is  from  Psalm  CXVIIL:  Princes 
sat  and  spoke  against  me:  and  sinners  persecuted  me; 
help  me,  0  Lord,  my  God,  for  thy  servant  hath  prac- 
tised thy  commandments.  Blessed  are  the  undefiled  in 
the  way,  who  walk  in  the  law  of  the  Lord.    Glory  &g. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  o  Lord,  we  beseech 
Thee,  that  we  may  imitate  him  whose  memory  we  celebrate, 
so  as  to  learn  to  love  even  our  enemies,  because  we  now  so- 
lemnize his  martyrdom,  who  knew  how  to  pray,  even  for  his 
persecutors,  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Thy  Son.  Who  liveth. 

LESSON.  {Acts  vi.  8—10.,  vii.  54—59.)  In  those  days: 
Stephen,  full  of  grace  and  fortitude,  did  great  wonders  and 
signs  among  the  people.  Now  there  arose  some  of  that  which 
is  called  the  synagogue  of  the  Libertines,  and  of  the  Cyre- 
nians,  and  of  the  Alexandrians,  and  of  them  that  were  of 
Cilicia  and  Asia,  disputing  with  Stephen.  And  they  were 
not  able  to  resist  the  wisdom  and  the  spirit  that  spoke.  Now 
hearing  these  things,  they  were  cut  to  the  heart,  and  they 
gnashed  with  their  teeth  at  him.  But  he  being  full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  looking  up  steadfastly  to  heaven,  saw  the  glory 
of  God,  and  Jesus  standing  on  the  right-hand  of  God.     And 


560 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  STEPHEN 


he  said:  Behold,  I  see  the  heavens  opened,  and  the  Son  of 
man  standing  on  the  right-hand  of  God.  And  they,  crying 
out  with  a  loud  voice,  stopped  their  ears,  and  with  one  ac- 
cord ran  violently  upon  him.  And  casting  him  forth  without 
the  city,  they  stoned  him:  and  the  witnesses  laid  down  their 
garments  at  the  feet  of  a  young  man,  whose  name  was  Saul. 
And  they  stoned  Stephen  invoking  and  saying :  Lord  Jesus 
receive  my  spirit.  And  falling  on  his  knees,  he  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,  saying:  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge. 
And  when  he  said  this,  he  fell  asleep  in  the  Lord. 

INSTRUCTION.  St.  Stephen's  innocence  and  sanctity  were  so 
great,  that  the  angry  Jews  could  not  bring  the  least  thing  against 


THE  FIKST  MARTYR.  5(J1 

him.  They,  therefore,  procured  false  witnesses  who  were  required 
to  testify,  that  lie  had  blasphemed  against  God  and  the  law;  but 
severe  as  was  this  accusation,  it  did  not  disturb  St.  Stephen,  be- 
cause his  conscience  upheld  him.  Learn  from  this,  that  there  is 
no  worse  tormentor  than  a  bad  conscience,  no  better  defender 
than  a  good  one ;  for  a  good  conscience  is  a  continual  feast  and  the 
best  comforter  in  all  annoyances  (Prov.  xv.  15.),  it  gf.es  with  us 
in  prison,  in  distress,  in  death,  yes  even  before  the  judgment  seat 
of  God.  Though  so  innocent,  and  so  unjustly,  so  maliciously  per- 
secuted and  stoned,  St.  Stephen  prayed  for  his  persecutors.  Were 
not  St.  Stephen  and  other  saints,  who  did  the  same,  men  like  we? 
Can  not  we  also,  with  God's  grace,  do  what  they  have  done?  If 
we  do  not  wish  to  do  it,  then  we  cannot  call  ourselves  Christians; 
for  the  love  of  our  neighbor,  even  of  our  enemy,  is  the  principal 
mark  of  a  Christian,  and  only  by  such  love  can  we  be  true  children 
of  the  Heavenly  Father  who  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  good 
and  the  bad,  and  raineth  upon  the  just  and  the  unjust.  {Malt.  v.  43.) 

GOSPEL.  {Matt,  xxiii.  34—39.)  At  that  time:  Jesus 
said  to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees :  Behold,  I  send  to  you  pro- 
phets, and  wise  men,  and  scribes:  and  some  of  them  you 
will  put  to  death,  and  crucify,  and  some  you  will  scourge  in 
your  synagogues,  and  persecute  from  cit}r  to  city:  that  upon 
you  may  come  all  the  just  blood  that  hath  been  shed  upon 
the  earth,  from  the  blood  of  Abel  the  just,  even  unto  the 
blood  of  Zacharias  the  son  of  Barachias,  whom  you  killed 
between  the  temple  and  the  altar.  Amen,  I  say  to  you:  all 
these  things  shall  come  upon  this  generation.  Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest  them 
that  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered 
together  thy  children,  as  the  hen  doth  gather  her  chickens 
under  her  wings,  and  thou  wouldst  not?  Behold,  your  house 
shall  be  left  to  you  desolate.  For  I  say  to  you,  you  shall  not 
see  me  henceforth  till  you  say:  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord. 

Who  are  here  understood  by  the  prophets,  wise  men,  and  scribes? 

The  apostles  and  disciples  of  Christ;  "for  these,"  says  St.  Jer- 
ome, "received  different  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  some  with  the 
gift  of  prophecy  foretold  future  events,  some  have  known  by  the 
wisdom  imparted  to  them,  things  which  they  should  say,  and  the 
time  in  which  to  say  them ;  others  had  in  their  science  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  law." 


%a 


562       INSTRU  CTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  STEPHEN, 


Did  the  Jews  really  put  any  of  these  to  death? 
Yes;  they  stoned  Stephen,  they  beheaded  James,  the  brother 
of  John;  cast  down  another  James  from  the  temple,  scourged 
Peter  and  others,  exiled  John,  while  Paul  and  Barnabas  suffered 
one  persecution  after  another.  And  so,  says  St.  Paul,  must  all 
who  wish  to  live  devoutly  for  Christ,  suffer  persecution 
from  the  wicked.  {Tim.  iii.  12.) 

What  is  meant  by:  Upon  you  will  come  the  just  blood? 
This  means,  that  the  guilt  and  punishment  for  all  the  just  blood 
that  was  shed  upon  the  earth,  would  come  upon  the  Jews,  because 
they  followed  their  fathers,  although  they  had  more  knowledge 
than  the  fathers  had.  "Those  who  follow  the  wicked" ,  says  St. 
Augustine,  ''are  not  only  punished,  as  they  deserve,  for  their  own 
guilt,  but  for  the  guilt  of  those  whom  they  follow7." 


THE  FIRST  MARTYR.  563 

Why  does  Christ  here  compare  Himself  to  a  hen? 
Because  Christ  had  and  still  has  the  most  sincere  love  and  the 
most  tender  care  for  the  salvation  of  the  Jews  and  of  all  men;  and 
as  a  hen  calls  her  wandering  little  ones  to  her  side,  warns  them 
from  danger,  and  shelters  them  under  her  wings,  so  that  nothing 
evil  may  befall  them ,  "so  Christ  sought  during  His  whole  life", 
says  St.  Hilarius,  "to  save  us  by  His  doctrine,  sighs,  and  sufferings; 
and  as  the  hen  exhausts  herself  and  becomes,  for  love  of  her  brood, 
entirely  enfeebled,  so  for  love  us  and  to  cure  our  weakness,  Christ 
became  frail  man;  and  as  the  hen  turns  here  and  there  in  accor- 
dance with  her  chickens,  so  Christ,  full  of  mercy  and  compassion, 
moves  in  compliance  with  our  capacity  and  our  need."  In  this 
love  He  can  and  should  be  imitated  by  preachers,  parents,  and 
heads  of  families,  who  should  strive  to  keep  those  under  them 
from  doing  wrong,  and  by  prayers,  admonitions,  exhortations,  and 
warnings  preserve  them  from  danger. 

Who  even  now  stone  the  preachers  and  put  them  to  death? 

Those  who  by  evil  reports  insult  and  lessen  the  influence  of 
their  pastor,  despise  preachers  and  their  sermons.  To  such  per- 
sons it  may  happen  as  it  did  to  the  Jews,  that  the  faith  will  be 
taken  from  them  and  given  to  others  more  deserving  of  it. 

What  is  meant  by  the  house  made  desolate? 
In  the  literal  sense  these  words  refer  to  the  temple  of  Jeru- 
salem which  together  with  the  city  was,  as  foretold  by  Christ, 
destroyed,  forty  years  after  His  death,  by  the  Romans;  but  in  the 
figurative  sense  they  represent  the  moral  condition  of  the  sinner 
who  departs  from  the  grace  and  guardianship  of  God,  falls  a  prey 
to  his  enemies,  and  is  hurried  to  perdition. 

SUPPLICATION  TO  ST.  STEPHEN.  St.  Stephen,  who 
wast  so  full  of  grace,  love,  and  strength,  whose  innocence 
was  so  great,  that  thy  countenance  shone  like  an  angel's,  I 
beseech  thee  by  the  grace  thou  didst  receive,  so  that  at  thy 
death  thou  didst  see  the  heavens  open  and  Jesus  at  the  right 
hand  of  His  Father,  that  thou  wouldst  ask  from  God  for  me, 
that,  through  purity  of  conscience  and  meekness  of  love,  I 
may  after  thy  example  forgive  all  who  insult  me,  pray  for 
them,  not  only  wishing  "them  good,  but  doing  them  good  in 
very  deed,  and  thus  receive  the  grace  of  a  happy  death. 
Through  Christ,  &c. 


564 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  JOHN, 
THE  APOSTLE. 

[December  27.] 

Ohn,  the  son  of  Zebedee  and  of  St.  Salome,  and 
brother  of  St.  James,  the  greater,  born  about 
eight  years  later  than  Christ,  was  the  youngest 
of  the  apostles,  and  before  being  called  by  Christ 
was  a  fisherman  and  disciple  of  St.  John,  the 
Baptist.  When  Jesus  called  him  and  his  bro- 
ther, they  were  mending  their  nets  by  the  sea 
of  Galilee.  He  obeyed  the  call  and  became  our  Lord's  constant 
companion,  and  was  with  Peter  and  James  His  most  intimate  dis- 
ciple. Our  Lord  loved  him  beyond  all  the  others,  especially  on 
account  of  his  great  purity  of  heart,  gave  him  the  most  tender 
proofs  of  His  affection,  so  much  so,  that  at  the  Last  Supper  St. 
John  was  permitted  to  lean  upon  the  Saviour's  breast ;  our  Lord 
when  dying,  gave  His  beloved  Mother  Mary  into  his  care,  and  she 
was  taken  home  by  St.  John  who  never  again  left  her.  When  the 
apostles  dispersed  to  preach  the  gospel  in  different  parts  of  the 
world,  St.  John  went  to  Asia  Minor,  where  he  founded  many  con- 
gregations, and  that  he  might  be  near  them,  he  established  his 
seat  at  Ephesus,  from  which  city  he  watched  over  all  the  Churches 
of  the  country.  He  was  taken  to  Rome  in  the  year  95,  during  the 
reign  of  the  cruel  Emperor  Domitian,  and  cast  into  a  kettle  of 
boiling  oil,  but  by  wonderful,  divine  assistance  came  out  of  it  stron- 
ger than  ever,  and  was  then  banished  by  the  Emperor  to  the  island 
of  Patmos,  now  called  Palmosa.  Here  he  received  those  marvel- 
lous revelations,  called  the  Apocalypse  of  St.  John,  which  are  in- 
cluded in  the  holy  Scriptures  and  foretell  the  fate  of  the  Church 
of  God.  After  the  death  of  Domitian,  St.  John  returned  to  Ephesus, 
where  at  the  prayer  of  the  faithful  and  to  refute  the  heresy  which 
denied  the  divinity  of  Christ,  he  wrote  his  gospel,  in  which  he 
soars  like  an  eagle  to  the  subject  of  Christ's  divinity,  and  proves 
it  indisputably  against  the  heresies  of  Ebion  and  Cerinthus.  About 
the  same  time  he  also  wrote  his  three  epistles,  wherein  he  espe- 
cially urges  to  the  love  of  God  and  one's  neighbor.  He  constantly 
inculcated  this  love,  especially  in  his  old  age,  and  when  he  could 
no  longer,  because  of  the  weakness  of  age,  deliver  long  sermons, 
he  would  always,  when  he  appeared  among  the  faithful,  repeat 
these  words:  "My  children,  love  one  another,"  and  when  once 
asked:  why  he  said  always  the  same  thing?  he  replied:  "This  is 
the  commandment  of  God,  and  who  observers  this,  does  enough." 
For  St,  John  believed  he  could  not  better  repay  the  love  which 
Christ  had  shown  him,  than  by  infusing  into  all  hearts  the  holy 
love,  which  is  the  perfect  bond  and  the  mark  of  the  true  disciple 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  JOHN,  THE  APOSTLE.   56  j 

of  Jesus.  St.  John  survived  all  the  apostles;  at  last  in  the  year 
100  of  our  chronology,  Christ  called  to  Himself  by  a  placid  death, 
the  man  of  nearly  a  hundred  years,  whom  He  loved  so  much.  The 
sepulchre  of  the  saint,  which  is  on  a  hill  outside  the  city  of  Ephesus, 
has  been  glorified  by  many  miracles. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  reads:  In  the  midst  of  the  Church 
theLord  opened  his  mouth  and  filled  him  with  the  spirit 
of  wisdom  and  understanding,  and  clothed  him  with  a 
robe  of  glory.  (Eccl.  xv.  65.)  It  is  good  to  give  praise  to  the 
Lord,  and  to  sing  to  thy  name,  0  Most  High.  (Ps.  xcv.) 
Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Mercifully,  0  Lord,  en- 
lighten Thy  Church,  that  being  taught  by  blessed  John,  Thy 
Apostle  and  Evangelist,  she  may  come  to  Thy  eternal  re- 
wards. Thro'. 

LESSON.  (Eccl,  xv.  1—6.)  He  that  feareth  God,  will  do 
good:  and  he  that  possesseth  justice,  shall  lay  hold  on  her. 
And  she  will  meet  him  as  an  honourable  mother.  With  the 
bread  of  life  and  understanding,  she  shall  feed  him,  and  give 
him  the  water  of  wholesome  wisdom  to  drink:  and  she  shall 
be  made  strong  in  him,  and  he  shall  not  be  moved:  and  she 
shall  hold  him  fast,  and  he  shall  not  be  confounded:  and  she 
shall  exalt  him  among  his  neighbours,  and  in  the  midst  of 
the  Church  she  shall  open  his  mouth,  and  shall  fill  him  with 
the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding,  and  shall  clothe  him 
with  the  robe  of  glory.  She  shall  heap  upon  him  a  treasure 
of  joy  and  gladness,  and  our  Lord  God  shall  cause  him  to 
inherit  an  everlasting  name. 

ON  PURITY. 

HE  that  loveth  wisdom,  saith  the  Holy  Ghost,  will 
obtain  it;  for  it  will  not  enter  into  a  malicious 
soul,  nor  dwell  in  a  body,  subject  to  sins.  (Wis.  i.  4.)  From 
his  childhood  St.  John  was  an  angel  of  purity,  and  was  on  this 
account  especially  loved  by  Jesus,  and  gifted  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
with  such  wisdom  and  understanding,  that,  as  observed  by  St. 
Augustine,  "St.  John  commences  his  gospel  in  a  grander  and  nobler 
strain  than  that  used  by  the  other  three  evangelists."  For  while 
they  walk  on  earth  with  the  God-Man ,  saying  but  little  concern- 
ing His  divinity,  St.  John,  as  if  forgetting  the  world,  soars  like  an 
eagle  not  only  far  above  the  earth,  but  above  the  wide  blue  skies, 
above  even  the  whole  angelic  hosts,  to  Him  by  whom  all  things 
were  made,  saying:  In  the  beginning  was  the  word.   At  the 


56(>      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  JOHN,  THE  APOSTLE. 

Last  Supper  he  was  permitted  to  lean  upon  our  Lord's  breast, 
and  that  which  he  silently  imbibed  in  that  union,  he  afterwards 
openly  imparted.  Strive,  therefore,  to  maintain  purity  of  heart, 
that  thou  mayst  be,  like  St.  John,  a  loved  disciple  of  Christ,  and 
be  filled  with  heavenly  wisdom. 

GOSPEL.  (John  xxi.  19 — 24.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  Peter:  follow  me.  Peter  turning  about,  saw  that  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved  following,  who  also  leaned  on  his  breast 
at  supper  and  said:  Lord,  who  is  he  that  shall  betray  thee? 
Him  therefore  when  Peter  had  seen,  he  saith  to  Jesus:  Lord 
and  what  shall  this  man  do?  Jesus. saith  to  him:  So  I  will 
have  him  to  remain  till  I  come,  what  is  it  to  thee?  follow 
thou  me.  This  saying,  therefore,  went  abroad  among  the 
brethren,  that  that  disciple  should  not  die.  And  Jesus  did 
not  say  to  him:  He  should  not  die;  but,  so  I  will  have  him 
to  remain  till  I  come,  what  is  it  to  thee?  This  is  that  dis- 
ciple who  giveth  testimony  of  these  things,  and  hath  written 
these  things :  and  we  know  that  his  testimony  is  true. 

What  did  Christ  mean  by  the  words:  So  I  will  have  him  to 
remain  till  I  come.     Follow  thou  me? 
He  meant  to  say,  that  St.  John  was  not  to  die  a  violent,  but  a 
natural  death,  while  Peter  was  to  be  crucified,  as  our  Lord  had 
foretold.  (John  xxi.  18.) 

Why  did  our  Lord  not  answer  Peter's  question? 
He  wished  to  rebuke  his  inquisitiveness  and  instruct  Him,  that 
we  should  not  be  curious  about  our  neighbor's  affairs.  He  who 
busies  Himself  over  much  in  his  neighbor's  concerns,  is  apt  to 
neglect  his  own ,  and  cause  himself  much  annoyance  and  incon- 
venience. 

SUPPLICATION  TO  ST.  JOHN.  0  St.  John,  Christ's  be- 
loved disciple,  who  leaned  upon  His  breast  at  the  Last  Sup- 
per, to  whom  He  from  the  cross  entrusted  His  mother,  I  be- 
seech thee  by  these  great  graces,  to  obtain  for  me  and  all 
men  purity  of  heart,  sincere  devotion  to  the  dying  Saviour 
and  His  blessed  Mother,  an  ardent  love  for  God  and  our 
neighbor,  and,  finally,  a  happy  death. 

Why  is  wine  blessed  on  this  day  and  given  to  the  faithful  to  drink  ? 

That  all  who  drink  of  this  blessed  wine,  may  be  preserved 

from  all  diseases  of  body  and  soul,  as  God  preserved  St.  John, 

who  to  confirm  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion ,  drank  of  a 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  HOLY  INNOCENTS.   5(J7 

rich,  but  poisoned  wine,  without  being  injured  by  it;  and  that  we 
may  by  St.  John's  intercession  be  strengthened  and  confirmed 
in  the  faith  and  be  rightly  inflamed  with  the  love  of  God  and  our 
neighbor,  of  which  this  wine  is  a  figure,  and  with  which  St.  John 
was  overflowing.  Consequently  when  presenting  the  wine,  the 
priest  says :  Drink  the  love  of  St.  John,  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
HOLY  INNOCENTS. 

[December  28.] 


He  gospel  of  this  day  gives  the  history  of  the 
death  of  these  children  whom  the  Church 
regards  as  martyrs,  because  though  they  could 
not  confess  Christ  with  their  lips,  they  did  so 
by  the  death  which  they  suffered  on  account 
of  Herod's  hatred  of  Christ. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  is  from  the  eighth  Psalm:  Out  of 
the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected 
praise,  because  of  thy  enemies.  0  Lord,  how  admirable 
is  thy  name  in  the  whole  earth.  Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  whose  praise  the 
Holy  Martyrs,  the  Innocents,  published  this  day,  not  by 
speaking,  but  by  dying:  mortify  in  us  all  our  vicious  incli- 
nations, that  we  may  shew  forth,  in  our  actions,  thy  faith 
which  we  profess  with  our  lips.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  (Apoc.  xiv.  1 — 5.)  In  those  days:  I  beheld  the 
Lamb  standing  on  mount  Sion,  and  with  him  a  hundred 
forty-four  thousand,  having  his  name,  and  the  name  of  his 
Father  written  on  their  foreheads.  And  I  heard  a  voice  from 
heaven,  as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of 
great  thunder:  and  the  voice  which  I  heard,  was  as  the  voice 
of  harpers,  harping  on  their  harps.  And  they  sung  as  it  were 
a  new  canticle,  before  the  throne,  and  before  the  four  living 
creatures,  and  the  ancients,  and  no  man  could  say  the  can- 
ticle, but  those  hundred  forty-four  thousand,  who  were 
purchased  from  the  earth.  These  are  they  who  were  not  de- 
filed with  women:  for  they  are  virgins.  These  follow  the 
Lamb  whithersoever  he  goeth.  These  were  purchased  from 
among  men,  the  first  fruits  to  God,  and  to  the  Lamb :   and 


568   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  HOLY  INNOCENTS. 

in  their  mouths  there  was  found  no  lie;  for  they  are  without 
spot  before  the  throne  of  God. 

EXPLANATION  AND  APPLICATION.  This  vision  of  St. 
John  is  applied  to  the  holy  innocents,  not  because  there  were 
one  hundred  and  forty  four  thousand  of  them  (for  the  number 
of  the  innocents,  though  not  fixed,  is  certainly  not  so  great),  but 
because  they  are,  on  account  of  their  innocence,  ranked  with  the 
virgins  of  whom  mention  is  here  made ;  St.  John  describes  the 
prerogatives  of  purity,  and  relates  that  he  had  seen  the  Lamb  of 
God,  Christ,  on  Mount  Sion,  that  is,  in  heaven  surrounded  by  one 
hundred  and  forty  four  thousand  virgins.  There  is  here  givt  n  a 
round  number  to  represent  the  unknown  company,  in  which  are 
included  all  who  carried  their  innocence  to  the  grave.  These  are 
distinguished  from  all  the  other  saints  by  the  name  of  the  Lamb 
which  is  marked  upon  them,  are  in  a  measure  like  to  Him  and 
enjoy  His  company  in  an  especial  manner,  which  is  manifested 
by  the  new  canticle  which  none  of  the  other  saints  can  sing.  Mark 
the  great  preference  which  virginal  innocence  holds  in  heaven ; 
God  raises  the  virginal  soul  above  all  the  other  saints  in  heaven. 
And  can  you  throw  away  this  heavenly  virtue,  this  most  precious 
of  pearls,  for  a  vain,  passing  pleasure,  which  never  satisfies  the 
soul,  but  on  the  contrary  fills  it  with  pain  and  digust?  By  no 
means;  ever  preserve,  then,  the  robe  of  innocence  clean  from  all 
spots,  and  if  you  have  stained  it  or  by  sin  have  lost  it,  hasten  to 
do  penance  for  the  sin,  that  you  may  be  received  with  the  sainted 
penitents  into  the  joys  of  God  and  His  angels. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  ii.  13 — 18.)  At  the  same  time:  An  angel 
of  the  Lord  appeared  in  sleep  to  Joseph,  saying:  Arise,  and 
take  the  Child  and  his  Mother,  and  fly  into  Egypt;  and  be 
there  until  I  shall  tell  thee.  For  it  will  come  to  pass  that 
Herod  will  seek  the  Child  to  destroy  him.  Who  arose,  and 
took  the  Child  and  his  mother  by' night,  and  retired  into 
Egypt :  and  he  was  there  until  the  death  of  Herod :  that  it 
might  be  fulfilled  which  the  Lord  spoke  by  the  prophet,  say- 
ing: "Out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  my  Son."  Then  Herod  per- 
ceiving that  he  was  deluded  by  the  wise  Men,  was  exceeding 
angry:  and  sending  killed  all  the  men-children  that  were  in 
Bethlehem,  and  in  all  the  borders  thereof,  from  two  years 
old  and  under,  according  to  the  time  which  he  had  diligently 
enquired  of  the  wise  men.  Then  was  fulfilled  that  which 
was  spoken  by  Jeremias  the  prophet,  saying:  "A  voice  in 
Rama  was  heard,  lamentation  and  great  mourning:  Rachel 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  HOLY  INNOCENTS.   569 

bewailing  her  children,  and  would  not  be  comforted,  because 
they  are  not.1' 

Why  did  Herod  seek  the  life  of  Christ? 

Because  carried  away  by  pride  and  ambition,  he  feared ,  that 
by  this  child,  whom  the  wise  men  named  King  of  the  Jews,  he 
would  be  deprived  of  his  throne  which  he  had  unjustly  ursurped 
and  to  obtain  which  he  had  caused  even  his  son  and  nearest  re- 
lations to  be  put  to  death. 

How  ruinous  it  is  to  give  oneself  up  to  pride !  To  what  will 
not  this  passion  often  lead  men!  Seek  well,  that  the  inclination 
to  pride  has  not  taken  root  in  your  heart !  Strive,  while  consider- 
ing your  misery,  your  poverty,  and  your  sinfulness,  to  weed  it  out 
at  once,  despising  yourself,  and  continually  imploring  for  the  spirit 
of  true  humility. 

Who  are  like  Herod? 
All  those  who  kill  innocent  children  either  in  body  or  soul; 
for  example,  all  imprudent,  careless  mothers  who  by  excessive 
dancing,  by  carrying  or  lifting  heavy  burdens,  by  hurtful  eating 
or  drinking,  by  violent  anger  or  immoderate  grief,  injure  the  fruit 
of  their  bodies;  brutal  men  who  treat  their  wives  while  in  this 
condition  harshly,  yes,  even  strike  them,  beat  them,  and  drive 
them  to  great  anger;  careless  parents  who  take  their  children  into 
bed  with  them  at  the  risk  of  suffocating  them  in  their  sleep ;  cor- 
rupt and  godless  women  who  destroy  the  fruit  of  their  shame 
before  birth,  and  thus  send  them  without  baptism  into  the  other 
world.  But  more  cruel  even  than  these,  far  more  cruel  than  Herod, 
are  those  who  scandalize  the  innocent,  that  is,  lead  them  into  sin 
by  holding  improper  conversations ,  singing  bad  songs ,  making 
indecent  jokes  and  using  immodest  words  in  the  presence  of  child- 
ren, thus  enticing  them  into  this  abominable  kind  of  sin.  Jesus 
pronounces  a  terrible  curse  upon  such  people. 

What  reward  did  Herod  receive  for  his  cruelties? 

He  was  shortly  after  attacked  by  a  most  painful  and  disgusting 
disease,  which  made  him  so  offensive,  that  he  was  deserted  by 
every  one,  and  eaten  up  by  worms,  in  the  greatest  despair  he 
rushed  into  hell. 

If  Herod,  the  murderer  of  the  bodies  of  the  holy  innocents, 
was  so  fearfully  punished  by  God ,  what  must  the  murderers  of 
their  innocent  souls  expect? 

What  is  meant  by  the  words:  A  voice  in  Rama  was  heard? 

Of  this  St.  Chrysostom  says:  "If  we  are  asked,  why  Rachel 
bewailing  her  children,  is  mentioned  here,  when  it  is  only  the 
children  of  Bethlehem  that  are  spoken  of,  and  what  connection 
there  is  between  Rachel  and  Rama,  we  answer:  Rachel  most  pro- 
perly appears  here,  showing  her  distress,  for  she  was  the  mother 


570   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  HOLY  INNOCENTS. 

of  Benjamin  (from  whom  the  holy  innocents  descended)  and  had 
buried  him  in  a  place  in  the  vicinity  of  Bethlehem,  which  was  also 
near  Rama,  in  the  land  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  And  as  Rachel 
was  the  mother  of  the  prince  of  this  tribe  and  this  place  contained 
the  ashes  of  the  mother,  the  holy  Scripture  names  the  children 
who  were  killed,  the  children  of  Rachel."  From  these  words  may  be 
understood  the  grief  of  the  mothers  over  their  murdered  children. 
To  weep  over  the  loss  of  children  is  most  natural,  but  to  weep 
immoderately  is  not  wise.  How  can  the  Christian  mother  be  in- 
consolable over  the  loss  of  her  children  whom  God  has  taken  to 
Himself?  Is  it  not  better  for  them  to  be  with  God  in  heaven  than 
to  live  here  on  earth,  exposed  to  dangers  and  perhaps  lost  forever? 

FURTHER  USEFUL  AND  CONSOLING  LESSONS. 

GOd  saved  His  Son  from  the  hands  of  Herod  in  a  natural  way 
by  flight,  although  He  could  have  guarded  Him  in  any  other 
way,  because  He  wished  us  to  learn  not  to  expect  of  Him,  that  He 
will  help  us  in  a  supernatural  way,  so  long  as  He  can  aid  us  in  a 
natural  manner.  We  should  learn  from  the  readiness  with  which 
Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph  submitted  to  God's  ordering  and  arran- 
gements without  questioning  or  murmuring,  also  to  submit  in  ready 
obedience  to  all  God's  dispositions,  without  enquiring  or  complain- 
ing about  them. 

The  adverse  incidents  which  these  most  holy  persons,  Jesus, 
Mary,  and  Joseph,  had  to  meet  in  their  lives,  can  teach  us,  that 
God  takes  pleasure  in  trying  and  perfecting  His  own  by  proving 
them  through  trials  and  vicissitudes  of  comfort.  Dare  we,  then, 
murmur  when  God  so  tries  us? 

Herod  sought  to  slay  Jesus,  and  to  secure  his  end  caused  a 
great  number  of  innocent  children  to  be  murdered,  and  yet  Jesus 
escaped  him.  What  are  the  plans  of  the  wicked  against  God  and 
His  chosen  ones?  Who  fears  God  and  serves  Him,  against  him  all 
the  power  of  hell  can  do  nothing. 

SUPPLICATION  TO  THE  HOLY  INNOCENTS. 

I  salute  you,  innocent  little  martyrs,  who  glorified  God 
not  by  your  words,  but  by  your  death.  What  happiness  was 
yours  to  pass  into  eternal  life  almost  before  you  had  com- 
menced the  temporal!  What  happiness  is  now  yours  who 
continually  follow  the  true  Lamb  of  God ,  Jesus  Christ !  0 
pray  for  us,  that  we  may  ever  confess  the  faith  in  Jesus  with 
heart  and  with  lips,  and  by  a  pious  Christian  life,  through 
sufferings  and  trials  reach  to  Christ  whom  you  now  forever 
enjoy. 


571 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF 
ST.  VALENTINE,  RISHOP. 

[January  7.] 

T.  Valentine,  moved  by  zeal  for  the  propagation 
of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  came  in  the  middle  of 
the  fifth  century  to  that  part  of  the  country  near 
which  the  rivers  Inn  and  Danube  meet,  and  where 
the  city  of  Passau  now  stands ,  in  order  that  he 
might  preach  the  gospel  there ;  whence  he  came, 
is  not  known.  There  were  already  many  Chris- 
tians in  this  country ;  but,  alas !  they  were  given  up  to  the  heresy 
of  that  denier  of  the  divinity  of  Christ,  Arius,  and  his  words  pro- 
duced no  effect.  He  found  it  necessary  to  go  to  Rome  to  the  holy 
Father,  Pope  Leo  I.,  to  obtain  permission  to  preach  elsewhere  the 
doctrines  of  Christ.  The  pope  was  surprised  to  see  the  saint,  and 
when  he  heard  the  reason  of  his  coming,  said  to  him:  "Go  and 
preach  the  faith;  be  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season;  glorious 
will  be  the  fruit  of  your  trouble,  if  you  but  enable  yourself  to  en- 
dure and  soften  the  hardness  of  the  long  opposing  people.  But  if 
you  fail,  you  may  with  my  permission  and  authority  become  the 
messenger  of  the  faith  to  other  countries."  He,  then,  consecrated 
him  bishop,  and  he  departed,  strengthened  by  the  apostolic  bene- 
diction. Valentine  animated  anew  returned  to  Passau,  but  still 
his  words  were  without  effect.  Heretics  and  pagans  joined  hands 
against  him  and  forced  him  away.  With  a  sorrowful  heart  he 
turned  towards  Rhaetia,  which  was  at  that  time  a  part  of  Bavaria, 
Switzerland ,  and  Swabia ,  and  there  announced  the  faith  of  the 
cross  with  such  effect,  that  thousands  were  converted  to  Christ. 
Ever  further  went  the  saint,  the  cross  in  his  hand,  into  the  moun- 
tains of  Switzerland,  then  to  the  mountains  of  the  Tyrol,  into  the 
fruitful  vineyards,  called  also  Passayer-Thal,  where  in  the  midst 
of  mountains  rising  towards  heaven,  he  found  a  most  fertile  country. 
The  humblest  of  the  inhabitants  came  to  him  with  childlike  con- 
fidence, listening  eagerly  to  his  words,  and  joyfully  confessed  Christ, 
the  Crucified.  He  settled  at  Mais,  not  far  from  Meran,  and  saw, 
thanking  God  for  it,  how  in  a  short  time  a  rich  harvest  of  fer- 
vent souls  sprang  up  around  him.  A  little  cell,  which  is  even  to 
this  day  shown  in  the  castle  of  Newburg,  was  his  dwelling,  in 
which  when  not  preaching,  he  spent  day  and  night.  And  when  his 
strength  would  not  permit  him  any  longer  to  reach  all  these  souls 
who  took  the  gospel  to  their  heart,  he  founded  a  society  of  priests 
to  assist  him,  among  whom  he  lived  as  a  father  among  his  children, 
until  on  the  seventh  of  January  470.  the  loving  God  called  him  to 
Himself.  Duke  Thassilo  of  Bavaria  carried  his  sacred  remains  to 
Passau,  where  they  are  held  in  veneration  to  this  day. 


572 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ANTHONY, 


[The  Introit,  Epistle,  and  Gospel  as  on  the  sixth  of  De- 
cember.] 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Be  merciful  to  us,  Thy 
servants,  0  Lord,  by  the  glorious  merits  of  the  blessed  Va- 
lentine, Confessor  and  Bishop,  that  by  his  intercession  we 
may  be  preserved  from  all  evils,  through  Christ,  our  Lord. 
Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF 
ST.  ANTHONY, 

ABBOT  AND  FATHER  OF  THE  HERMITS. 
1  [January  17.] 

Nthony,  whom  the  succeeding  ages  surnam- 
ed  the  Great  and  whose  life  was  written 
by  St.  Athanasius,  was  born  at  Koman,  a 
village  in  Upper  Egypt.  His  noble,  and 
pious  parents,  withheld  their  son  from  all 
^4r  enticements  of  the  world,  so  that  Anthony 
knew  only  his  parents  and  younger  sister.  He  consequent- 
ly visited  no  school  and  remained  ignorant  regarding  human 
science.  Nevertheless,  Anthony  shewed  an  eminent  understand- 
ing, was  obedient,  pious  and  a  zealous  visitor  of  the  Churches, 
together  with  his  parents.  Being  about  18  years  of  age,  he  lost 
his  parents  by  death.  From  this  moment  the  management  of  do- 
mestic affairs  devolved  entirely  upon  him,  he  discharged  them; 
most  faithfully,  taking  the  greatest  possible  care  of  his  young 
sister.  So  he  lived  six  months  among  the  considerable  riches,  in- 
herited from  his  parents,  when  going  once  to  church  he  meditated 
on  the  Apostles,  who  abandoned  all  earthly  goods  for  Christ's 
imitation  and  on  the  first  Christians  at  Jerusalem  who  lived  in 
community  of  goods. 

By  ordination  of  divine  Providence,  at  Anthony's  very  en- 
trance into  the  church  Christ's  words  to  the  youth  were  read: 
"If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go  and  sell  what  thou  hast,  and  give 
it  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  a  treasure  in  heaven,  and 
come  and  follow  me."  These  words  so  pierced  his  heart  that 
he  hastened  home,  as  soon  as  the  divine  service  had  ended, 
distributed  his  estates  among  his  neighbors,  sold  his  movables, 
gave  the  money  thereof  to  the  poor  and  only  kept  for  his  and  his 
sister's  support  a  small  sum  in  reserve.  Once  more  being  in 
church  and  there  hearing  the  words  of  the  Son  of  God:  "Take 
therefore  no  thought  for  the  morrow,"  he  immediately  delivered 
committed  up  even  the  small  remainders  of  his  own,  his  sister  to 
the  care  of  virgins  living  in  holy  community,  and  took  a  solitary 


ABBOT  AND  FATHER  OF  THE  HEEMITS.  573 

abode  near  the  village,  to  imitate  the  example  of  a  pious  old  man, 
who  had  already  been  a  hermit  for  many  years.  An  interruption 
of  this  retirement  only  took  place,  when  he  frequented  other  her- 
mits, both  to  enkindle  the  flame  of  his  own  faith,  hope,  love  and 
virtues  at  theirs  and  to  learn  to  imitate  their  religious  exercises 
and  mortifications.  The  hermits,  in  return,  loved  Anthony  because 
of  his  humility  and  were  more  and  more  edified  by  him. 

The  saint  at  this  time  grievously  suffered  under  various  temp- 
tations by  Satan,  scruples  concerning  his  way  of  life,  thoughts  of 
pride,  and  he  was  vehemently  assailed  by  the  sin  of  lust. 

Anthony  however  defeated  his  foes  by  fasting,  vigils,  prayer, 
meditations  and  most  of  all  by  labor,  the  wages  of  which  he  dis- 
tributed to  the  poor. 

Some  time  after  St.  Anthony  left  even  his  present  solitude 
and  penetrated  into  a  deeper  wilderness,  where  he  lived  unknown 
to  any  human  being,  save  that  one  who  brought  him  his  scanty 
daily  meal.  There  he  ate  but  once  a  day  after  the  setting  of  the 
sun.  Many  times,  too,  he  spent  two  or  three  days  without  eating 
aught,  passed  many  a  night  waking,  and  what  little  repose  he 
allowed  to  himself,  was  taken  on  the  bare  ground,  or  upon  rushes 
or  his  hairy  cloth. 

By  divine  permission  not  even  this  self-denying  life  was  free 
from  the  most  violent  temptations  and  cruels  assaults  of  the  ma- 
lignant spirits;  yet  the  saint  did  not  fear  anything,  God  himself, 
who  so  vouchsanngly  taught  him,  being  his  refuge  and  strength. 
One  day  weary  of  his  solitude,  Anthony  said  to  God:  "Behold,  0 
Lord,  I  so  much  desire  to  become  a  saint,  yet  the  thoughts  do  not 
allow  me !"  Immediately  he  heard  the  following  voice :  "Step  out 
of  thy  cavern  and  look !"  Anthony  did  so,  and  saw  a  man,  who 
sat  laboring,  then  rose  and  prayed.  Now  the  same  voice  came 
again  saying:  "Imitate  him,  and  thou  also  wilt  be  a  saint!"  On 
another  day  when  after  a  severe  struggle  with  the  infernal  foes  a 
bright  ray  of  celestial  light  fell  into  his  cavern  making  the  devils 
disappear,  the  saint  asked  the  Lord:  "Where  wast  Thou,  0  my 
Jesus,  that  Thou  didst  not  help  sooner?"  Affectionately  the  Lord 
answered  him:  "I  was  with  thee,  Anthony,  I  witnessed  thy 
struggle  nor  will  I  ever  forsake  thee !"  From  this  day  the  saint 
felt  encouraged  to  do  every  good  work. 

Anthony  continued  this  mode  of  living  for  15  years,  when  at 
the  age  of  28,  he  left  his  cavern,  and  crossing  the  Nile,  retired 
into  the  most  horrible  desert,  where  he  chose  a  dilapidated  castle 
for  his  abode.  Nobody  knew  him  here,  except  a  pious  hermit, 
who  semiannually  provided  him  with  a  loaf  of  bread,  which  he 
threw  over  the  wall,  without  either  seeing  or  speaking  to  him.  In 
this  new  retreat  the  saint  lived  20  years,  labor,  prayer  and  the 
singing  of  holy  psalms  being  his  occupation.  At  last,  about  the 
year  305,  his  present  abode  was  detected  by  his  former  friends, 
who  in  great  numbers  again  flocked  to  him  and  unceasingly  be- 


574  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ANTHONY, 

sought  him  to  leave  his  miserable  mansion  and  abide  together 
with  them  at  Thebais,  where  they  built  the  cloister  Phainon. 

St.  Anthony  yielded  to  their  petition;  most  lovingly  he  now 
took  care  of  his  brethren.  His  wisdom  and  clemency,  his  example 
and  above  all  the  miracles  through  which  by  divine  power  he 
restored  the  sick  to  health  and  exorcised  the  demons,  conducted 
crowds  of  disciples  to  his  monastery.  Like  his  divine  master  he 
spent  days  and  nights  in  meditation,  prayer,  and  chanting  of 
pious  hymns.  The  saint's  food  now  was  merely  a  small  piece 
of  bread,  which  he  soaked  in  water  and  strewed  over  with  salt. 
Sometimes  he  added  a  couple  of  fruits,  but  then  again  he  ab- 
stained three  or  even  four  days  from  any  food.  Often,  when 
he  ate  together  with  his  disciples,  it  happened  that  he  wept  or 
went  off  without  tasting  anything ,  because  he  remembered  the 
happiness  of  the  blessed,  who  without  need  of  food  praise  God 
for  ever.  Thus  St.  Anthony's  only  joy  was  to  lock  himself  up  in 
his  cell  and  devote  himself  to  the  practise  of  prayer  and  medi- 
tation. By  no  means,  however,  did  he  neglect,  to  rule  his  large 
community  with  circumspection  and  fatherly  love ,  infusing  into 
the  minds  of  his  disciples  those  precious  doctrines  of  Christian 
perfection,  handed  down  to  us  by  St.  Athanasius,  who  was  the 
bosom  friend  of  our  saint.  Some  of  these  inestimable  doctrines 
may  find  a  place  here.  First:  "To  a  Christian  nothing  is  more 
useful  than  to  think  every  day :  to  day  I  commence  serving  God 
and  this  very  day  is  the  last  of  my  life.  Secondly :  There  is  no 
better  remedy  against  a  relaxation  in  fervor,  than  the  continual 
remembrance  of  the  shortness  of  this  life  and  the  uncertainty  of 
death.  Thirdly:  Temptations  are  easily  to  be  overcome  by  dif- 
fiding  in  our  own  strength,  and  confiding  in  God."  Somebody 
once  asked  the  saint:  "What  shall  I  do  to  please  God?"  To  him 
the  saint  said :  "Wheresoever  thou  shalt  go,  have  God  before  thy 
eyes.  Whatsoever  thou  shalt  do,  consult  holy  Scripture.  Where- 
soever thou  sittest  down,  do  not  too  speedily  go  away.  If  thou 
thus  wilt  act,  thou  wilt  be  saved."  Yet,  while  caring  for  other's 
salvation,  Anthony  did  not  at  all  forget  his  own  soul,  devoting 
his  spare  time  either  to  prayer  or  labor,  so  as  to  weave  mats  of 
rushes  or  cultivate  his  garden.  While  thus  working,  the  saint, 
however,  was  uninterruptedly  occupied  with  God,  his  heart  being 
so  filled  with  divine  love  that  he  could  say :  I  do  not  fear  God  so 
much  as  I  love  him.  Nor  did  his  life,  which  was  all  absorbed  in 
God,  hinder  him  from  taking  all  possible  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  holy  Church.  As  soon  as  he  had  heard  of  the  emperor  Maxi- 
mum's persecution  against  the  Christians,  he  hastened  to  Alexan- 
dria, there  to  corroborate  the  Christians  in  the  faith  and  perhaps 
to  attain  for  himself  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  He  entered  prisons 
and  mines  to  search  for  Christians,  encouraged  them,  at  the  tri- 
bunals, forced  himself  through  the  midst  of  crowds  of  people  and 
guards  accompanying  the  martyrs  upon  the  scaffolds;  nobody 


ABBOT  AND  FATHER  OF  THE  HERMITS.  575 

seized  him  though  he  publicly  wore  his  hermit's  garment.  "When 
the  persecution  was  over,  Anthony,  who  most  sorrowfully  re- 
gretted that  his  fervent  desire,  to  die  for  Christ's  sake  not  had 
been  realized,  sadly  returned  into  his  solitude.  More  and  more 
grew  the  number  of  youths,  who  entrusted  themselves  to  the 
saint's  direction,  under  whose  guardianship  were  already  three 
monasteries.  These  monasteries  were,  as  St.  Athanasius  says,  as 
many  temples  and  heavens,  in  which  no  other  voices  resounded 
than  those  of  God's  praise  and  where  nobody  thought  of  else  but 
prayer,  spiritual  reading,  fasting,  vigil  and  labor  in  support  of 
the  poor. 

The  direction  of  so  numerous  a  flock  occasioned  the  saint  too 
many  distractions,  which  at  last  became  insupportable  to  him. 
Therefore  he  made  his  escape,  and  penetrated  into  a  still  deeper 
wilderness  in  search  of  a  quiet  and  retired  abode.  After  a  three 
days'  wandering  he  reached  the  mountain  Kalzim  only  a  three  days' 
journey  distant  from  the  Red  Sea;  at  the  foot  of  this  mountain, 
bubbled  forth  a  most  healthy  spring  under  the  shady  leaves  of  a 
palm-tree.  This,  then,  was  the  spot  where  the  saint  erected  three 
cells  and  thanked  God  for  the  quiet  mansion.  But  the  disciples  in 
search  for  their  master,  also  discovered  him  here,  he  however  did 
not  permit  them  to  build  themselves  cells  and  to  fix  their  abodes 
in  his  neighborhood.  Thus,  in  a  distance  of  about  20  miles,  a  new 
monastery  was  erected,  into  which  numbers  of  Christians  took  re- 
fuge to  renounce  the  world  and  enable  themselves  to  serve  God 
without  reserve.  Anthony  often  visited  them;  once  every  year  he 
also  visited  the  disciples  of  the  former  monasteries.  All  the  day  the 
saint  now  devoted  to  prayer,  rising  at  midnight,  and  upon  his 
knees,  with  hands  stretched  heavenwards,  he  prayed  until  day- 
break or  even  three  o'  clock  in  the  afternoon.  Not  seldom,  when  the 
rising  sun  aroused  him  of  his  collection  of  mind,  Anthony  com- 
plainingly  exclaimed:  "What  have  I  to  do  with  thee,  0  sun,  why 
dost  thou  come  to  distract  me?"  Once,  all  absorbed  in  meditation, 
he  saw  the  earth  all  covered  with  snares,  nets  and  traps,  and 
Satan  at  work  to  catch  mankind.  Astonished  at  his  terrible  scene, 
St.  Anthony  cried  out:  "Who  could  escape  there!"  To  which  a 
voice  replied:  "Humility  alone;"  that  means,  everybody  who  dif- 
fides  in  himself,  and  does  not:  wilfully  expose  himself  to  danger, 
flees  the  occasions  of  sins  and  trusts  only  in  God. 

Though  the  saint  was  greatly  attached  to  prayer,  yet  he  never 
neglected  to  labor  by  handwork.  With  the  sweat  on  his  brow  he 
exerted  himself  to  subject  to  cultivation  a  small  field  that  he 
might  raise  on  it  a  little  grain,  for  his  support.  Adjacent  to  the 
field  was  a  garden  in  which  he  planted  vegetables,  to  serve  his 
brethren  that  came  to  visit  him.  The  matrasses,  he  made,  were 
sold  in  support  of  the  poor. 

Notwithstanding  the  saintly  hermit  fled  the  world,  abhorred 
all  praise,  declined  accepting  any  mark  of  honor,  so  that  the  call 


576  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ANTHONY, 

of  his  holy  life  surprised  the  world.  The  emperor  Constantine  and 
his  son  recommended  themselves  to  his  prayer.  Anthony  at  first 
declined  answering  the  imperial  letter,  but  at  last  yielding  to 
the  prayers  of  his  brethren,  answered  their  majesties  in  the 
following  remarkable  words:  "I  praise  you  for  your  faith  in  Je- 
sus Christ.  Be  not<proud  of  your  dignity,  but  be  mindful  of  Jesus 
Christ,  who  will  judge  you."  In  closing  the  letter,  our  saint  called 
the  emperors'  attentions  to  his  subjects,  admonishing  him,  to  ex- 
ercise clemency  towards  them,  and  especially  to  be  merciful  to 
the  poor.  When  the  sectarian  Arius  denied  Christ  to  be  true  God, 
Anthony  was  called  upon  by  the  bishops.  Without  hesitation  the 
holy  man  listened  to  the  call  and  came  to  Alexandria  where  he 
was  cheerfully  received  not  only  by  the  faithful  but  even  by  the 
unbelievers,  who  flocked  together  from  all  sides  to  see  and  hear 
him.  After  he  had  testified  there  the  true  faith  and  confirmed  his 
words  by  miracles,  Anthony  without  any  delay  returned  to  his 
retreat.  Shortly  after  he  perceived  the  end  of  his  life  to  approach, 
when  with  a  cheerful  air  he  said  to  his  scholars:  "I  see  the 
Lord  ready  to  call  me  home.  Be  you  watchful,  do  not  lose  the 
fruits  of  the  labors  of  so  many  years.  Always  follow  Christ  and 
confide  in  Him."  He  also  caused  the  brethren  to  be  reminded  of 
the  duty  to  shun  all  intercourse  with  those  who  wilfully  had  de- 
serted the  Church.  To  which  he  added:  "First  of  all  endeavor 
to  belong  to  the  Lord,  then  be  attached  to  the  saints  also,  that 
as  through  your  friends  and  relatives  after  death  they  may  take 
you  into  the  eternal  mansions."  St.  Anthony's  last  words  were: 
"Bring  my  clothes  to  the  bishop  Athanasius  and  Serapion,  for 
yourselves  keep  my  girdle.  Fare  well  my  children."  With  a 
bright  countenance  he  embraced  death  as  if  he  were  a  welcome 
friend;  our  great  saint  expired  in  the  year  356  in  the  extraordi- 
nary age  of  105  years. 

The  Introit  of  this  day's  Mass  runs:  The  mouth  of  the 
just  man  shall  meditate  wisdom,  and  his  tongue  speak 
judgment:  the  law  of  his  God  is  in  his  heart.  (Ps.  xxxvi.) 
Be  not  emulous  of  evil  doers,  nor  envy  them  that  work 
iniquity.    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  We  beseech  Thee,  0  Lord, 
to  be  pleased  by  the  blessed  Abbot  Anthony's  intercession  for 
us ;  that,  what  through  our  own  merits  we  cannot  reach,  we 
may  obtain  by  his  protection.  Through,  &c. 

LESSON.  {Eccl.  xliv.)  He  waths  beloved  to  God  and  men; 
his  memory  is  blessed.  He  hath  glorified  him  like  the  saints, 
magnified  him  to  the  terror  of  the  enemies  and  upon  his 
'word  made  cease  the  huge  plagues.  He  glorified  him  before 
kings  and  entrusted  him  with  orders  to  his  people  and  re- 


ABBOT  AND  FATHER  OF  THE  HERMITS.  577 

vealed  him  His  glory.  For  his  loyalty  and  meekness  He 
hallowed  him  and  elected  him  before  all  men.  He  let  him 
hear  His  voice  and  led  him  into  the  cloud.  In  His  presence 
He  gave  him  the  commandments,  the  law  of  life  and  disci- 
pline. 

EXPLANATION.  These  words  of  the  Holy  Ghost  refer  to 
God's  friend,  Moses,  but  the  Church  here  justly  applies  them  to  St. 
Anthony,  since  he  likewise  was  loved  by  God  and  man.  His  memo- 
ry is  ever  blessed ;  God  has  exalted  this  most  humble  saint  in  a 
order  to  terrify  devils  and  unbelievers.  His  powerful  words  ex- 
pelled the  plagues  that  the  wicked  spirits  inflicted  on  man.  Before 
emperors  and  kings  the  Lord  did  glorify  him  and  even  vouch- 
safed at  many  times  to  converse  with  him,  laying  the  words  of 
prayer,  divine  love  and  holy  discipline  upon  the  saint's  tongue, 
who  was  thus  enabled  to  show  to  the  many  thousands  that  flock- 
ed to  him,  the  way  of  salvation. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  xii.  35 — 40.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples:  Let  your  loins  be  girt,  and  lamps  burning 
in  your  hands,  and  you  yourselves  like  to  men  who  wait  for 
their  lord,  when  he  shall  return  from  their  wedding;  that 
when  he  cometh  and  knocketh,  they  may  open  to  him  imme- 
diately. Blessed  are  those  servants,  whom  the  Lord,  when 
he  cometh,  shall  find  watching:  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  that 
he  will  gird  himself,  and  make  them  sit  down  to  meat,  and 
passing  will  minister  unto  them.  And  if  he  shall  come  in  the 
second  watch,  or  come  in  the  third  watch,  and  find  them  so, 
blessed  are  those  servants.  But  this  know  ye,  that  if  the 
householder  did  know  at  what  hour  the  thief  would  come, 
he  would  surely  watch,  and  would  not  suffer  his  house  to  be 
broke  open.  Be  you  then  also  roady:  for  at  what  hour  you 
think  not,  the  Son  of  man  will  come. 

INSTRUCTION.  What  does  the  Redeemer  mean  by  the  words: 
"Let  your  loins  be  girded  and  your  lights  be  iburning."  He  will 
say :  we  must  continually  be  ready  to  serve  God  and  receive  the 
Lord  when  -at  the  end  of  our  lives  He  comes  for  judgment;  like 
the  servant  in  the  East,  who  in  order  to  work  with  greater  ease 
truss  up  their  undergarments.  Moreover  the  Orientals  gird  their 
clothes  when  undertaking  a  journey,  that  they  may  walk  easier  and 
quicker.  The  burning  lamps,  then,  mean  the  three  divine  virtues 
Faith,  Hope  and  Love  and  also  the  good  works,  with  which  we 
must  be  adorned,  when  the  Lord  shall  come  to  judge  the  world. 


37 


578     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  PETER'S  CHAIR  AT  ROME. 

Who  are  the  watchful  servants? 
Those  Christians,  that  are  neither  wretched  sinners  living  only 
for  this  earth,  nor  indolent  forgetters  of  God,  death,  judgment  ana1 
their  last  end,  but  who  often  think  of  death,  by  a  true  Christian 
life  prepare  themselves  for  it,  have  God  continually  before  their 
eyes  and  thus  preserve  themselves  free  from  sin. 

What  signifies  the  watch,  the  Lord  comes  in? 
The  first  vigil  signifies  death,  the  second,  judgment  immediate- 
ly after  death,  the  third,  universal  judgment  at  the  end  of  the  world. 

ASPIRATION.  0  dear  saint  Anthony,  who  by  the  power 
of  the  Cross  victoriously  overcamest  every  temptation;  help 
and  assist  me,  that  when  the  seducer  approaches  to  incite 
me  to  do  evil,  I  also  may  victoriously  combat  and  triumph 
over  him,  and  thus  gain  the  crown  of  heaven.  Amen. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
PETERS  CHAIR  AT  ROME. 

[January  18.  and  February  22.J 


Peter's 
that  of 


What  is  this  festival? 
T  is  the  festival  by  which  the  Church  celebrates 
the  anniversary  of  the  day  upon  which  St.  Peter 
as  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  established  his  Episco- 
pal See  at  Antioch  in  Syria,  and  seven  years 
later  for  himself  and  his  successors  the  Apos- 
tolic Chair  at  Rome,  which  he  occupied  for  twenty 
five  years  before  his  death.  The  Feast  of  St. 
Chair  at  Rome  is  celebrated  by  the  Church  on  January  18th, 
the  See  at  Antioch  on  the  22"a  of  February. 

Why  did  St.  Peter  remove  the  Apostolic  See  to  Roine? 

Because  Rome  was  at  that  time,  so  to  speak,  the  capital  of  the 
world  and  the  centre  of  all  errors.  Hence  it  was  proper,  as  Pope 
St.  Leo  says,  that  this  city  should  be  made  the  centre  and  head  of 
the  true,  Catholic  religion,  and  that  the  light  of  faith  be  carried  by 
the  apostolic  authority  over  the  whole  world,  in  the  same  manner 
as  by  the  power  of  Rome  error  had  been  diffused  over  the  whole 
earth. 

What  ought  Catholics  to  do  on  this  day? 

They  should  thank  God,  that  He  founded  the  Roman,  Catholic, 
Apostolic  Church  for  them,  and  pray  to  Him  for  the  supreme 
head  of  the  Church,  the  Pope  at  Rome,  that  he  may  be  given  the 
grace  to  follow  St.  Peter  in  zeal  for  religion  and  the  salvation  of 
souls,  as  he  follows  him  in  the  Apostolic  Chair. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  PETER'S  CHAIR  AT  ROME.  579 

[The  Intro  it  of  the  Mass  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Nicholas.] 
PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  delivering 
to  the  blessed  Apostle  Peter  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven, didst  give  him  the  power  of  binding  and  loosing:  grant 
that,  by  his  intercession,  we  may  be  freed  from  the  bonds  of 
our  sins.  Who  livest. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Pet.  i.  1—7.)  Peter,  an  Apostle  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  the  strangers  dispersed  through  Pontus,  Galatia, 
Cappadocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia,  elect,  according  to  the  fore- 
knowledge of  God  the  Father,  unto  the  sanctification  of  the 
Spirit,  unto  obedience  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ:  grace  unto  you  and  peace  be  multiplied.  Blessed  be 
the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  according 
to  his  great  mercy  hath  regenerated  us  unto  a  lively  hope, 
by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead ,  unto  an 
inheritance  incorruptible,  and  undefiled,  and  that  cannot 
fade,  reserved  in  heaven  for  you,  who  by  the  power  of  God 
are  kept  by  faith  unto  salvation  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the 
last  time.  Wherein  you  shall  greatly  rejoice,  if  now  you 
must  be  for  a  little  time  made  sorrowful  in  divers  tempta- 
tions: that  the  trial  of  your  faith  (much  more  precious  than 
gold,  which  is  tried  by  the  fire)  may  be  found  unto  praise, 
and  glory,  and  honour,  at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ. 

EXPLANATION.  This  epistle  may  be  regarded  as  a  general 
pastoral  letter  which  St,  Peter,  as  pope,  addressed  to  the  whole 
Christian  flock,  to  all  Christians,  whom  he  looked  upon  as  strangers 
in  the  world,  especially  to  those  whom  he  had  himself  converted. 
He  entreats  them  to  give  thanks  to  God  for  their  redemption 
through  Jesus  Christ,  and  for  His  having  called  them  to  the  faith 
and  the  inheritance  of  heaven,  which  they  should  look  upon  as 
their  true  fatherland,  and  which  they  must  merit,  even,  if  it  should 
be  necessary,  by  withstanding  all  manner  of  temptations. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xvi.  13 — 19.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  came 
into  the  quarters  of  Cesarea  Philippi :  and  he  asked  his  dis- 
ciples saying:  Whom  do  men  say  that  the  Son  of  Man  is? 
But  they  said:  Some,  John  the  Baptist,  and  some  other, 
Elias,  and  others  Jeremias,  or  one  of  the  prophets.  Jesus 
saith  to  them:  But  whom  do  you  say  that  I  am?  Simon 
Peter  answered  and  said :  Thou  art  Christ  the  Son  of  the 
living  God.    And  Jesus  answering,  said  to  him :  Blessed  art 


37* 


580  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  PETER'S  CHAIR  AT  ROME. 

thou  Simon  Bar-Jona;  because  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  re- 
vealed it  to  thee,  but  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  And  I 
say  to  thee:  That  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will 
build  my  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it.  And  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  And  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  upon  earth,  it 
shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt 
loose  on  earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven. 

Why  does  Christ,  here  and  in  other  places,  call  himself  the  Son 

of3  Man? 

From  humility  and  to  teach  us  that  He  is  not  only  the  true  Son 
of  God  but  also  of  man,  and  a  descendant,  according  to  the  flesh, 
of  Adam.  Christ  was  necessarily  man,  because  He  was  to  suffer 
for  the  sins  of  the  world,  rendering  satisfaction  for  them ,  and  as 
God  he  could  not  suffer.  We  must,  therefore,  if  we  wish  to  be 
saved,  believe  that  Christ  is  both  true  God  and  true  man. 

Why  was  Peter  the  only  one  to  answer  the  question:   But  whom 
do  you  say  that  I  am? 

Because  he,  as  St.  Jerome  says,  was  already  appointed  by  God 
as  head  of  all  the  apostles  and  of  the  whole  Church,  and  here  as 
well  as  after  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  spoke  in  the  name  of  all 
the  apostles,  who  made  his  professions  theirs,  as  must  all  the  faith- 
ful ,  if  they  wish  to  be  saved. 

What  is  expressed  by  Peter's  words:  Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son 
of  the  litiiny  God? 

That  Christ  is  the  true  Messiah,  promised  by  God,  the  Lord's 
Anointed,  and  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  from  all  eternity,  who 
is  life  itself,  and  who  gives  life  to  all  things. 

Let  us  often  say  and  confess  aloud,  that  Christ  is  the  Son  of 
the  living  God ;  for  this  profession  is  the  manifest  sign  of  a  true 
Christian,  especially  in  our  days,  when  impious  freethinkers  deny 
the  divinity  of  Christ,  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  seeking  to 
degrade  Him,  our  tender  Redeemer,  to  the  level  of  a  common  man. 
Woe  to  him  who  does  not  make  St.  Peter's  confession  his  own; 
such  a  one  is  no  member  of  the  Church,  no  child  of  salvation,  no 
heir  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven! 

Whence  did  Peter  receive  the  knowledge  of  Christ's  divinity? 

Christ  Hirnse'f  says,  that  Peter  had  received  this  knowledge 
by  divine  inspiration,  and  not  from  natural  sources. 

This  is  a  proof,  that  faith  is  a  gift  of  God,  a  divine  light,  which 
en'ightens  man,  by  which  he  believes  and  professes  that  which 
God  reveals. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  St.  PETER'S  CHAIR  AT  ROME.  5^1 

Why  did  Christ  call  St.  Peter  blessed? 

Because  lie  firmly  believed  in  the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  to  he 
blessed  in  this  world  consists  in  believing  in  Jesus  and  loving  Him, 
as  in  the  other  world  it  consists  in  beho  ding  and  possessing  Him. 
This,  says  St.  John  ixvii.  3.),  is  eternal  'ife:  that  they  may 
know. thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom 
thou  hast  sent. 

These  words:  Blessed  art  thou,  which  Christ  said  to  Peter, 
suggested  to  the  Council  at  Ephesus  to  .name  St.  Peter  thrice  bles- 
sed, from  which  came  the  custom  of  calling  his  successors,  the 
popes,  "Most  Blessed  Father",  and  later  "Holy  Father." 

What  reward  did  St.  Peter  receive  for  his  acknowledgment  of  Christ? 

Besides  promising  him  eternal  salvation,  Christ  gave  him  the 
highest  place  and  authority  over  all  the  apost'.es,  and  announced 
to  him  that  on  him  as  on  a  rock  would  be  founded  and  built  the 
Church  of  Christ,  against  which  hell  with  ail  its  persecutions  and 
heresies  should  never  prevail. 

See  how  wonderfully  Christ's  promise  is  fulfilled!  Nearly  eigh- 
teen centuries  have  passed  away,  since  the  Saviour  founded  His 
Church  upon  the  blessed  Apostle  Peter  and  his  successors,  the 
Roman  popes ;  thousands  of  heresies  have  arisen  since  then  from 
the  port  of  hell,  all  have  raged  with  inexpressible  fury  against 
the  Chair  of  St.  Peter,  and  yet  the  Chair  of  St.  Peter  still  stands 
at  Rome  unshaken,  and  in  it,  serene  and  unharmed,  in  all  the  pow- 
er of  his  apostolic  dignity,  sits  the  Holy  Father,  the  Head  of  the 
Church,  the  Successor  of  St.  Peter.  But  the  heresies  the  winds 
have  blown  away,  or  the  teeth  of  time  have  gnawed  into  the  poor 
sects  which  have  nothing  but  hatred  of  the  Church  and  its  head 
to  keep  them  together;  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years  have 
passed  away,  kings  and  emperors,  yes,  whole  cities  and  nations, 
have  arisen  against  the  Church  and  her  supreme  Head,  the  Pope, 
have  reddened  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  faithful,  the  priests, 
bishops,  popes,  and  have  rejoiced  in  the  wild  presumption,  that 
they  had  obliterated  the  Church  and  the  holy  See  from  the  earth, 
and  lo!  the  kings  and  emperors  are  dust,  the  nations  have  disap- 
peared, and  the  Church  and  the  Chair  — they  are  standing  yet! 
No  stone  is  broken  in  that  glorious  edifice,  the  Church,  which 
Christ  founded  on  Peter  and  his  successors,  and  from  the  mouth 
of  the  holy  Father  there  sounds  over  the  whole  earth  that  same 
great  answer  of  St.  Peter:  Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
living  God,  and  millions  repeat  it  after  him,  praising  him  as  bles- 
sed because  they  are  thus  united  with  Peter  as  members  of  Christ's 
body,  and  in  faithful  observance  of  Christ's  holy  doctrine  have 
part  in  the  salvation  of  His  heavenly  kingdom.  Hold,  then,  firm 
and  fast  to  the  holy  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  her  Head  the 
Pope  at  Rome,  and  be  not  betrayed  by  the  pitiful  talk  of  light 
and  progress  into  the  ruin,  which  has  allured  many  men  from  the 


582  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  PETER'S  CHAIR  AT  ROME. 

true  living  faith  and  true  Catholic  love,  and  even  sometimes  per- 
jured, impious,  apostate  priests,  who  would  tear  you  away  from 
the  true  living  vine  which  is  Christ,  and  from  the  shining  light 
of  liberty  and  progress  which  live  and  work  only  in  the  Church, 
which  to-day  and  yesterday  is  ever  the  same,  and  teaches  no  other 
liberty  and  knows  no  other  progress  than  freedom  from  the  yoke 
of  sin  by  mortification  and  selfdenial,  and  the  continual  advance- 
ment in  virtue  and  sanctity,  towards  Him  who  has  already  promised 
to  every  one  who  faithfully  perseveres  in  faith  in  Him  and  His 
holy  Church  endless  life  and  salvation  and  indescribable  reward 
in  His  heavenly  kingdom. 

Is  Peter  really  the  rock  of  the  Church? 
Yes,  by  reason  of  his  faith  and  in  his  faith,  for  the  Church 
consists  of  faithful  ones,  and  consequently  the  foundation  of  the 
Church  must  be  a  faithful  man  of  rock,  Peter.  Christ  so  under- 
stood it,  for  He  said  to  Peter:  Thou  art  Peter,  that  is  a  rock, 
and  on  this  rock  I  build  my  Church,  and  it  has  always  been 
the  visible  personal  rock,  Peter  and  his  followers,  the  popes,  who 
by  their  faith  have  saved  the  Church  from  the  attacks  of  hell, 
from  false  and  sacrilegious  doctrines.  For  this  reason  the  princi- 
pal attacks  of  all  heretics  always  have  been  and  are  now  directed 
against  the  successors  of  St.  Peter,  the  Popes  at  Rome,  because 
it  is  well  known,  that  if  the  corner  stone,  the  foundation  of  the 
Church,  is  destroyed,  the  Church  itself  falls.  But  Christ  has  pro- 
mised, that  the  powers  of  hell  who  would  change  trust  and  virtue 
into  error  and  vice,  shall  not  prevail  against  her. 

What  is  meant  by  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  hearen? 

The  keys  were  and  are  still  a  sign  of  the  highest  power  and 
authority  with  which  one  person  can  entrust  another,  (Isai  xxii.  22.) 
In  the  East  even  now  the  giving  of  keys  signifies  the  part  of  the 
power  to  reign  or  command,  and  we  understand  by  giving  up  of 
the  keys  of  a  city  to  a  king  or  general,  that  the  city  is  surrendered 
to  him.  The  words  of  Jesus:  and  I  will  give  thee  the  keys 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  cannot,  therefore,  be  made  to  mean 
as  the  heretics  assert,  that  Peter  was  to  open  the  doors  of  Chris- 
tianity to  the  Jews  and  pagans,  having  converted  them  to  the 
true  faith,  but  that  Peter  has  the  chief  legislative  and  judicial 
power  in  the  Church  of  Christ. 

What  is  meant  by  binding  and  loosing  ? 

Binding  and  loosing  in  the  first  place  means,  according  to  Isaias 
(xxii.  22.),  to  open  and  close  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  that  is,  to 
receive  or  reject  from  the  Catholic  Church  founded  by  Christ;  in 
the  next  place  to  remit  or  retain  sin  and  its  punishment;  to  im- 
pose penances  upon  penitents,  to  moderate  or  to  remit  them  (in- 
dulgences) ;  to  excommunicate  or  place  under  ban,  that  is,  to  exclude 
from  the  Church  and  from  the  means  of  salvation  the  faithless, 


INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  PAPACY.  58 } 

impious,  &c;  to  make  or  recall  certain  commandments  and  pro- 
hibitions; to  make  laws  of  punishment;  to  settle  dogmas  and  to 
require  their  acceptance  by  the  faithful;  in  a  word,  to  order  all 
that  is  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  unity  in  the  faith ,  and 
for  the  external  discipline  of  the  Church. 

Was  not  the  power  to  bind  and  to  loose  given  to  the  rest  of  the 

apostles  ? 

Yes  {Matt,  xviii.;  Johnxx.);  but  it  does  not  follow  from  this, 
as  asserted  by  heretics,  that  Christ  did  not  intend  to  distinguish 
St.  Peter  above  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  and  to  promise  to  make 
him  the  chief  pastor;  for  at  the  time  when  Christ  gave  the  apostles 
power  to  bind  and  to  loose,  St.  Peter  was  with  them,  but  in  this 
case  they  were  not  with  St.  Peter,  Christ  speaks  to  St.  Peter  alone 
and  gives  to  him  on'y  and  in  a  solemn  manner  the  chief  guard  of 
the  keys,  thus  showing  the  other  apostles,  that  they  should  prac- 
tise their  power  only  in  union  with  him.  St.  Cyprian  writes  thus 
on  this  subject:  "Although  Christ  after  His  resurrection  gave  to 
all  His  apostles  equal  power,  He  built  His  Church  on  one,  and  for 
unity  placed  fast  a  seat  of  doctrine,  and  so  ordered  it  thus  in  virtue 
of  His  authority,  that  this  unity  should  originate  with  one." 

SUPPLICATION.  0  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Son  of  the  living 
God!  who  didst  found  Thy  Church  on  St.  Peter  as  on  a  rock, 
and  didst  entrust  him  with  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heav- 
en, placing  him  and  his  successors  as  chief  pastors  of  the 
Church  and  its  earthly  government,  grant  us  Thy  grace,  that 
we  may  obey  all  their  directions  as  we  obey  Thee,  and  that 
we  may  be,  like  St.  Peter,  immovable  rocks  in  all  good 
things. 

INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  PAPACY. 

TW/iat  do  we  Catholics  understand  by  the  pope  ? 
He  general  and  visible  head  of  the  Church  of  Christ  (the 
assemblage  of  all  true  believers),  the  Bishop  of  Rome. 

Did  Christ  really  institute  such  a  head? 
That  He  did  so,  is  clearly  proven  in  this  day's  gospel,  wherein 
Christ  promised  to  build  His  Church  on  St.  Peter  as  on  a  rock, 
and  to  give  to  him  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  this  can 
mean  nothing  less  than  that  Peter  is  the  visible  foundation  and 
corner-stone  of  the  visible  Church  (the  invisible  foundation  and 
corner-stone  is  Christ  Himself.  Eph.  ii.  20.) ,  and  that  with  the 
reception  of  the  keys  he  should  assume  the  chief  government  of 
the  Church.  Christ  after  His  resurrection  faithfully  accomplished 
this  promise,  when  He  expressly  named  St.  Peter  shepherd  over 
all  His  lambs  and  His  sheep,  that  is,  over  the  faithful  as  over  the 
bishops  and  priests.  {John  xxi.  15—17.) 


584  INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING  THE  PAPACY. 

Did  St.  Peter  conduct  himself  as  head  of  the  Church? 

Yes,  for  after  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord,  he  showed  him- 
self always  the  head  in  all  ecclesiastical  affairs,  for  which  reason 
St.  Chrysostom  also  calls  him  "the  mouthpiece  of  the  apostles,  the 
prince  and  head  of  that  group."  Thus  he  led  the  election  of  Mat- 
thias to  the  place  among  the  apostles,  made  vacant  by  the  treason 
of  Judas  (Acts  i.  25—26.);  thus  he  spoke  first  in  the  first  general 
assembly  of  the  Church  at  Jerusalem,  with  him  the  whole  as- 
sembly afterwards  agreed  (Acts  xv.  1—10.),  and  in  the  gospels  if 
here  and  there  there  is  a  difference  made  among  the  apostles,  St. 
Peter  is  always  placed  first  (Mark  x.  16.;  Luke  vi.  14.);  St.  Mat- 
thew says:  The  first  Simon  who  is  called  Peter  (Matt.x.  2.), 
since  Peter  was  by  no  means  first  according  to  calling,  it  is  evident 
that  according  to  position  the  other  apostles  acknowledged  him 
as  their  head. 

Did  not  this  chief  pastorship  of  St.  Peter  end  with  his  death? 

No,  it  did  not  end  then  and  could  not,  because  by  Christ's  un- 
failing promise  the  Church  continues  and  will  continue  unto  the 
end  of  the  world,  and  to  retain  unity  in  matters  of  faith  and  moral 
doctrine  there  must  be  a  central  point,  which  is  and  can  be  no 
other  than  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  in  which 
city  St.  Peter  for  twenty  five  years  reigned  over  the  Church  of 
Christ,  where  he  died  a  martyr's  glorious  death,  and  where  he 
lies  buried,  as  impartial  history  testifies.  The  Bishops  at  Rome 
have,  therefore,  ever  since  held  this  supreme  pastorship  over  the 
whole  Church,  without  there  having  ever  been  a  well  grounded 
objection  to  their  doing  so;  the  Roman  Bishops  have  been  honored 
not  only  by  single  bishops,  but  also  by  general  councils,  as  Heads 
of  the  Church,  and  given  the  highest  titles,  as,  for  instance,  St. 
Irenaeus  calls  the  Bishop  of  Rome  the,  "Bishop  of  Bishops",  and 
the  Council  of  Chalcedon  the  "Prince  of  Bishops."  The  union  with 
the  Bishop  of  Rome  in  matters  of  faith  and  doctrine,  has  always 
been  regarded  as  the  badge  of  a  true  Christian,  and  on  account 
of  this  union  with  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  the  Pope,  we  call  ourselves 
Roman  Catholics,  and  no  one  can  make  us  ashamed  of  the  title, 
for  as  the  great  Father  of  the  Church,  St  Jerome,  writes:  "I  mean- 
while declare  aloud:  Who  holds  to  the  faith  of  St.  Peter's  Chair, 
he  is  mine."  So  keep  ever  firmly  to  this  centre-point  of  unity,  St. 
Peter's  Chair;  for  "how  can  he  regard  himself,"  writes  St.  Cyprian, 
"as  a  member  of  the  Church,  who  leaves  out  the  doctrine  of  St. 
Peter's  Chair,  on  which  the  Church  is  founded?" 

What  is  a  bishop? 

A  bishop  is  a  successor  of  the  apostles,  who  in  union  with  the 
successor  of  St.  Peter,  the  Pope,  is  called  upon  to  rule  and  guide 
the  Church,  and  is  usually  placed  at  the  head  of  a  single  diocese. 


ON  EXCOMMUNICATION.  585 

What  do  we  understand  by  archbishops,  primates,  and  patriarchs? 

The  archbishops  are,  like  the  bishops,  rulers  of  dioceses, 
but  have  besides  the  direction  of  a  number  of  bishops,  and  of  dio- 
ceses lying  near  their  own;  these  episcopates  taken  together  are 
called  a  Church  Province.  A  primate  is  the  bishop  of  the  first 
and  most  important  diocese  in  the  country,  the  name  "may  be  simply 
an  honorary  title,  or  the  primate  may  have,  as  the  pope's  governor, 
an  actual  authority  and  jurisdiction  A  patriarch  is  a  bishop 
under  whose  direction  and  spiritual  authority  are  placed  all  the 
bishops  and  archbishops  of  several  provinces  or  even  nations. 

ON  EXCOMMUNICATION. 

FRom  the  authority  to  bind  and  to  loose,  expressly  given  by 
Christ  to  St.  Peter  and  his  successors,  the  popes,  and  in  the 
same  manner  to  the  other  apostles  and  their  successors,  the  bi- 
shops (Matt,  xviii.  18.),  the  pnpe  has  the  right  and  the  power  for 
the  whole  Church,  and  the  bishop  for  his  diocese,  not  only  to  give 
or  refuse  absoktion  to  sinners,  but  to  impose  punishment  for 
grievous  crimes,  when  sinners  stubbornly  persist  in  their  sins. 

The  most  severe  of  these  punishments  and  the  most  terrible 
in  its  consequences,  is  that  of  Excommunication. 

Excommunication  is  a  punishment,  a  spiritual  punishment  of 
the  Church,  by  which  a  Christian  on  account  of  some  great  sin  is 
shut  out  from  the  membership  of  the  Church,  and  wholly  or  in 
part  deprived  of  the  spiritual  riches  flowing  from  it. 

Excommunication  is  of  two  kinds,  the  greater  and  the  lesser. 

He  who  is  under  the  greater  ban  from  the  pope  or  bishop, 
or  has  fallen  into  this  condition,  has  no  longer  the  right  to  re- 
ceive the  Sacraments,  is  excluded  from  the  community  of  the 
faithful,  has  no  further  share  in  the  good  works  and  merits  of  the 
just,  or  in  the  public  prayers  of  the  Church,  and  cannot  gain  an 
indulgence.  Only  on  one  day  of  the  year,  on  Good  Friday,  does 
the  Church  publicly  pray  for  these  unhappy  ones,  that  they  may 
become  better.  Finally,  such  a  person  is  not  permitted  to  be  pre- 
sent at  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  and  the  other  services  of 
the  Church,  but  is  allowed  to  be  present  at  Christian  instructions. 

The  lesser  ban  prevents  him  who  comes  under  it  from  re- 
ceiving the  Sacraments,  but  not  from  attending  Church  and  divine 
service. 

Excommunication  is  not  only  a  punishment,  but  a  remedy,  for 
as  soon  as  an  excommunicated  person  becomes  better,  the  Church 
with  great  joy  receives  him  again  into  her  communion,  and  ab- 
solves him  from  the  continuance  of  the  punishment.  As  excom- 
munication is  the  severest  of  punishments,  it  can  be  pronounced 
only  on  account  of  great  crimes ,  and  only  after  many  repeated 
admonitions  to  improvement.  The  Catholic  Church  conducts  her- 


586      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  SEBASTIAN,  MARTYR. 

self  in  this  as  a  good,  careful  mother,  who  warns  and  exhorts  her 
children,  and,  at  last,  when  nothing  else  avails,  inflicts  punishment, 
but  only  in  order  to  bring  the  stubborn  child  to  a  knowledge  of  hav- 
ing committed  wrong  and  reformation.  The  Church  has  for  this  the 
right  which  Christ  expressly  gave  her  (Matt,  xviii.  15-lrf.),  and  of 
which  the  apostles  themselves  made  use,  as  St.  Paul  in  the  case  of 
the  incestuous  person  at  Corinth,  (i.  Cor.  v.  4.)  Besides,  as  the  Church 
is  a  visible  organization,  and  as  every  organization  has  the  right  to 
exclude  rebellious  and  stubborn  members  from  the  advantages  of 
its  community,  no  one  can  deny  the  same  right  to  the  Church.  If 
the  Church  had  not  this  right  and  the  power  to  execute  it,  she 
w^ould  have  to  give  herself  up  to  be  broken  to  pieces  and  des- 
troyed, as  is  already  the  case  with  protestantism.  He  who  loves 
and  exactly  obeys  the  commandments  of  God  and  the  directions 
in  matters  of  faith  and  morals  of  the  Church,  has  nothing  to  fear, 
for  excommunication  is  only  used  in  punishment  for  great  crimes. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
SERASTIAN,  MARTYR. 

[January  20  J 

T.  Sebastian  was  born  and  brought  up  by  Christian 
parents  in  Narbonne,  a  city  in  the  South  of  France. 
On  account  of  his  splendid  talents  and  irreproach- 
able conduct,  the  Emperor  Diocletian  appointed 
him  captain  of  the  first  legion  of  his  body-guards 
The  saint  made  use  of  this  high  place  of  honor  and 
power  to  relieve  the  poor  and  to  assist  the  Chris- 
tians, especially  those  in  prison.  He  would  visit  them  to  aid  them, 
console  them,  and  encourage  them  to  firm  perseverance  in  faith,  to 
suffer,  and  to  die  for  Christ.  By  his  ardent  zeal  he  even  effected 
the  conversion  of  many  pagans,  among  whom  wras  the  judge  Cro- 
matius,  w7ho  with  his  whole  family  and  fourteen  hundred  slaves, 
whom  he  liberated,  received  baptism,  gave  up  his  office  and  with- 
drew to  his  country  seat.  When  Fabian,  the  successor  in  office  of 
Chromatius  heard  this,  he  sent  for  St.  Sebastian  and  reproached 
him  for  the  crime  of  having  perverted  Romans  under  his  command 
to  the  Christian  faith.  The  saint  replied:  "I  believe,  I  can  do  the 
state  no  greater  service;  for  the  more  faithfully  they  serve  Christ, 
the  more  faithfully  will  they  serve  their  temporal  master."  When 
the  emperor  wras  informed  of  this  affair,  he  was  enraged  and  or- 
dered his  soldiers  to  bind  Sebastian  to  a  post  and  shoot  him  with 
arrows.  The  sentence  was  carried  out ;  the  soldiers  believing  they 
had  killed  the  saint,  left  him.  But  a  Christian  widow,  named  Irene, 
who  went  in  the  night  to  bury  him,  found  him  yet  living,  and  at 
once  had  him  brought  in  secret  to  her  house,  where  his  wounds 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  SEBASTIAN,  MARTYR.      587 

soon  became  healed.  But  burning  for  a  martyr's  death,  he  could 
by  no  persuasion  be  withheld  from  going  to  the  emperor,  to  whom 
he  said:  "Sir,  can  it  be  possible  you  still  listen  to  slanders  against 
the  Christians?  I  come  to  you  once  more  to  assure  you,  you  have 
not  in  your  whole  country  more  useful  and  more  faithful  subjects 
than  the  Christians,  who  pray  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole  nation." 
When  Diocletian  saw,  that  Sebastian  still  lived,  he  was  wholly 
surprised  and  exclaimed:  "What!  are  you  still  alive?"  "Yes, 
replied  the  saint,"  the  Lord  has  preserved  my  life,  that  I  may  tell 
you,  how  impious  you  are  in  persecuting  the  Christians."  The 
emperor,  incensed  beyond  measure,  ordered  Sebastian  to  be 
scourged  to  death,  and  thus  it  came  about  that  on  the  20th  of 
January,  288,  Sebastian  was  taken  to  heaven  to  receive  the  mar- 
tyr's crown.  The  pagans  threw  his  body  into  a  sewer,  where  it 
was  found  hanging  on  a  hook,  by  Lucina,  a  woman  of  great  virtue, 
who  caused  it  to  be  taken  out,  and  had  him  buried  at  the*entrance 
of  the  cemetery,  which  is  to  this  day  called  the  Catacomb  of  St. 
Sebastian. 

H  EXPRESSIONS  OF  ST.  SEBASTIAN. 
E  who  enjoys  every  pleasure  in  this  life  which  so  quickly 
ends,  will  lose  all  pleasure  in  that  life  which  never  ends. 
The  Christian  fears  not  the  sufferings  of  this  life,  for  he  knows 
that  with  them  he  buys  eternal  happiness,  and  that  for  every 
passing  pain  he  receives  an  eternal  joy.  Let  us  not  fear  to  suffer 
an  hour's  pain  in  our  body,  who  seek  to  enjoy  ourselves  forever 
with  Christ. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  reads:  Let  the  sighing  of  the 
prisoners  come  in  before  thee,  0  Lord;  render  to  our 
neighbors  sevenfold  in  their  bosom;  revenge  the  blood 
of  thy  saints,  wrhich  has  been  shed.  (Ps.  lxxviii.) 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Have  regard  to  our  weak- 
ness, 0  Almighty  God,  and  since  the  weight  of  our  own 
deeds  is  grievous  to  Thee,  may  the  glorious  intercession  of 
Thy  blessed  Martyr  Sebastian  protect  us.  Through  Christ  our 
Lord,  &c. 

EPISTLE.  (Hebr.  xi.  33—39.)  Brethren:  The  saints  by 
faith  conquered  kingdoms,1)  wrought  justice,  obtained  pro- 
mises, stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,2)  quenched  the  violence 
of  fire,3)  escaped  the  edge  of  the  sword,4)  recovered  strength 
from  weakness,  became  valiant  in  battle,  put  to  flight  the 
armies  of  foreigners :  women  received  their  dead  raised  to 


*)  Gideon  and  David.  5)  As  Samson,  David,  Daniel.  3)  The  three  children 
in  the  fiery  furnace.    4)  Elias,  David. 


588 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  CONVERSION 


life  again. *)  But  others  were  racked,  not  accepting  deliver- 
ance, that  they  might  find  a  better  resurrection.-)  And 
others  had  trial  of  mockeries  and  stripes,  moreover  also  of 
bands  and  prisons:  they  were  stoned,  they  were  cut  asunder, 
they  were  tempted,  they  were  put  to  death  by  the  sword, 
they  wandered  about  in  sheep-skins,  and  in  goat-skins,  being 
in  want,  distressed,  afflicted:  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy;  wandering  in  deserts,  in  mountains,  and  in  dens, 
and  in  caves  of  the  earth.  And  all  these  being  approved  by 
the  testimony  of  faith,  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  shows  by  many  examples  from 
history,  especially  from  the  Old  Testament,  the  virtue  there  is  in 
a  living  faith,  and  what  strength  it  gives  its  confessors  to  endure 
unmoved  the  greatest  tortures. 

Where  do  we  in  our  days  find  such  living  faith?  For  fear  of 
a  little  mockery  or  the  petty  scorn  of  socalled  enlightened  Chris- 
tians, who  have  abandoned  the  practice  of  their  religion,  even  Ca- 
tholics otherwise  faithful  and  pious,  often  omit  the  practice  and 
pub'ic  profession  of  their  faith.  To  such  will  one  day  be  made 
good  the  words  of  our  Lord :  He  that  shall  deny  me  before 
men,  I  will  deny  him  before  my  Father  who  is  in  hea- 
ven. {Matt.x.  33.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
CONVERSION  OF  ST.  PAUL,  THE  APOSTLE. 

[January  25  J 


\  He  full  history  of  this  conversion  is  given  in 
this  day's  Lesson,  which  is  taken  from  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  is  as  follows:  I 
know  whom  I  have  believed  and  I  am 
certain,  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that 
which  I  have  committed  unto  him, 
against  that  day.  (ii.  Tim.  i.  12.)  Lord,  thou  hast  proved 
me,  and  hast  known  me:  thou  hast  known  my  sitting 
down  and  my  uprising.  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c.  —  This 
Introit  shows,  how  valuable  are  good  works  in  God's  eyes,  since 
He  so  faithfully  preserves  them  lor  reward. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  by  the  preach- 
ing of  blessed  Paul  Thy  Apostle,   didst  instruct  the  whole 


')  The  widow  of  Sarepta,  who  through  Elias  received  her  son. 
Machabees. 


J)  The 


OF  ST.  PAUL,  THE  APOSTLE.  589 

world;  grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  we,  who  this  day  honor 
his  conversion,  may,  by  his  example,  learn  to  come  to  Thee. 
Thro'. 

LESSON.  (Acts  ix.  1  —  22.)  In  those  days:  Saul  breathing 
out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against  the  disciples  of  the 
Lord,  went  to  the  high  priest,  and  asked  of  him  letters  to 
Damascus,  to  the  synagogues,  that  if  he  found  any  men  and 
women  of  this  way,  he  might  bring  them  bound  to  Jerusa- 
lem.- And  as  he  went  on  his  journey,  it  came  to  pass  that 
he  drew  nigh  to  Damascus :  and  suddenly  a  light  from  heav- 
en shined  round  about  him.  And  falling  on  the  ground  he 
heard  a  voice  saying  to  him:  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest 
thou  me?  Who  said:  Who  art  thou,  Lord?  And  he  said:  I 
am  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  whom  thou  persecutest.  It  is  hard 
for  thee  to  kick  against  the  goad.  And  he  trembling  and 
astonished,  said:  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?  And 
the  Lord  said  to  him:  Arise,  and  go  into  the  city,  and  there 
it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do.  Now  the  men  who 
went  in  company  with  him  stood  amazed,  hearing  indeed  a 
voice,  but  seeing  no  man.  And  Saul  arose  from  the  ground, 
and  when  his  eyes  were  opened  he  saw  nothing.  But  they 
leading  him  by  the  hand,  brought  him  to  Damascus.  And 
he  was  there  three  days  without  sight,  and  he  did  neither 
eat  nor  drink.  Now  there  was  a  certain  disciple  at  Damas- 
cus, named  Ananias:  and  the  Lord  said  to  him  in  a  vision: 
Ananias.  And  he  said:  Behold,  I  am  here,  Lord.  And  the 
Lord  said  to  him:  Arise  and  go  into  the  street  that  is  called 
Strait,  and  seek  in  the  house  of  Judas,  one  named  Saul  of 
Tarsus.  For  behold,  he  prayeth.  (And  he  saw  a  man  named 
Ananias,  coming  in  and  putting  his  hands  upon  him,  that 
he  might  recover  his  sight.)  But  Ananias  answered :  Lord, 
I  have  heard  by  many  of  this  man,  how  much  evil  he  hath 
done  to  thy  saints  in  Jerusalem:  and  here  he  hath  authority 
from  the  chief  priests  to  bind  all  that  invoke  thy  name.  And 
the  Lord  said  to  him:  Go  thy  way,  for  this  man  is  to  me  a 
vessel  of  election,  to  carry  my  name  before  the  Gentiles,  and 
kings,  and  the  children  of  Israel.  For  I  will  shew  him  how 
great  things  he  must  suffer  for  my  name's  sake.  And  Ana- 
nias went  his  way,  and  entered  into  the  house:  and  laying 
his  hands  upon  him,  he  said :  Brother  Saul,  the  Lord  Jesus 


__ 


590  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  CONVERSION 

hath  sent  me,  he  that  appeared  to  thee  in  the  way  as  thou 
earnest:  that  thou  mayest  receive  thy  sight,  and  be  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  immediately  there  fell  upon  his 
eyes  as  it  were  scales,  and  he  received  his  sight :  and  rising 
up  he  was  baptized.  And  when  he  had  taken  meat,  he  was 
strengthened.  And  he  was  with  the  disciples  that  were  at 
Damascus  for  some  days.  And  immediately  he  preached 
Jesus  in  the  synagogues,  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God.  And  all 
that  heard  him  were  astonished,  and  said:  Is  not  this  he 
who  persecuted  in  Jerusalem  those  who  called  upon  this 
name :  and  came  hither  for  that  intent  that  he  might  carry 
them  bound  to  the  chief  priests?  But  Saul  increased  much 
more  in  strength,  and  confounded  the  Jews  who  dwelt  in 
Damascus,  affirming  that  this  is  the  Christ. 

What  are  we  taught  by  this  history? 

That  we  should  not  despise  any  sinner,  nor  despair  of  his  con- 
version ;  for  the  greatest  sinner  may  be  at  once  converted  by  the 
grace  of  God,  and  even  become  a  great  saint,  like  St.  Paul,  who, 
while  he  was  seeking  to  exterminate  the  Christians,  became  a 
chosen  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  for  the  instruction  of  the 
people;  that  we  should  fervently  pray  for  the  conversion  of  sin- 
ners, as  did  St.  Stephen  for  Saul  (this  was  Paul's  name  before  he 
became  a  Christian)  and  won  by  his  prayer  the  grace  of  his  con- 
version. (Acts  vii.  57—59.)  To  pray  for  the  conversion  of  sinners, 
is  to  make  fruitful  for  them  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  cooperating 
with  those  sufferings,  that  the  heartfelt  wish  of  onr  Saviour  who 
came  into  this  world  to  save  sinners,  and  who  still  intercedes  for 
them  in  heaven,  may  be  realized.*) 

Let  us  learn  from  this,  how  we  must  preserve  our  conversion. 
Paul  at  his  conversion  became  physically  blind,  but  spiritually  so 
enlightened,  that  he  immediately  exclaimed:  Lord,  what  wilt 
thou  have  me  to  do?  He  then,  by  God's  direction,  took  Ana- 
nias as  his  guide  in  the  way  of  salvation,  and  he  afterwards  spoke 
as  much  for  the  honor  of  Christ  as  he  had  previously  persecuted 
the  faithful.  In  the  same  manner  a  convert  should  close  his  eyes 
to  everything  which  has  led  him  wrongly,  and  look  only  at  that 
which  God  requires  from  him;  he  should  furthermore  entrust 

*)  In  the  year  1836  there  arose  in  the  most  remarkable  manner  in  Paris 
the  Confraternity  of  the  Holy  and  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary,  having  for  its 
object  to  obtain  the  blessed  Virgin's  intercession  for  the  conversion  of  sin- 
ners. What  a  grand  and  meritorious  object  1  You,  too,  0  Christian,  should 
hasten  to  join  this  fraternity,  that,  in  union  with  its  millions  of  members, 
you  may  by  fervent  humble  prayer,  do  somewhat  towards  this  great  end,  the 
conversion  of  sinners  and  unbelievers,  and  thereby  acquire  grace  for  your 
own  soul. 


OF  ST.  PAUL,  THE  APOSTLE.  591 

himself  to  an  experienced  spiritual  director,  following  his  in- 
structions in  all  things;  finally,  he  must  now  devote  himself  as 
fervently  to  the  honor  of  God  and  of  virtue  as  he  was  previously 
attached  to  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  everything  evil,  and  never 
permit  himself  to  be  turned  from  the  right  way,  either  by  perse- 
cution or  by  mockery. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xix.  27  —  29.)  At  that  time:  Peter  said 
to  Jesus:  Behold,  we  have  left  all  things,  and  have  followed 
thee:  what  therefore  shall  we  have?  And  Jesus  said  to  them: 
Amen,  I  say  to  you,  that  you  who  have  followed  me  in  the 
regeneration,  when  the  Son  of  Man  shall  sit  on  the  seat  of 
his  majesty,  you  also  shall  sit  on  twelve  seats  judging  the 
twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  And  every  one  that  hath  left  house, 
or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  chil- 
dren, or  lands  for  my  name's  sake,  shall  receive  an  hundred 
fold,  and  shall  possess  life  everlasting. 

Why  is  this  gospel  read  to-day? 

Because,  although  St.  Paul  did  not  follow  Christ,  while  He  was 
yet  living  on  earth,  he  was  called  to  the  apostleship  by  Christ 
Himself,  and,  like  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  left  everything  to  follow 
Christ,  and  labored  and  endured  even  more  than  the  others  in 
the  propagation  of  the  gospel.  He  will,  therefore,  with  the  rest  of 
the  apostles  come  with  Christ,  to  judge  not  only  the  world,  but 
even  the  fallen  angels.  He  is,  therefore,  venerated  by  the  Church 
in  connection  with  St.  Peter  as  a  prince  of  the  apostles. 

How  did  Peter  and  the  other  apostles  leave  all,  since  they  had  but 

little  to  leare? 

This  St.  Gregory  thus  explains :  "We  must  consider  the  in- 
clination and  love  for  a  thing  more  than  the  value  of  the  thing 
itself."  Although  Peter  possessed  but  little,  he  gave  up  all  incli- 
nation for  that  little  and,  therefore,  he  left  much;  for  St.  Bernard 
says:  "He  leaves  much  who  yields  up  the  will  to  possess."  This 
St.  Peter  did.  But  he  who  leaves  honors  and  riches  and  every- 
thing for  God,  and  jet  retains  the  desire  for  them,  gives  up  but 
little  and  has  no  merit  in  the  abnegation.  So  likewise  every 
one  of  you  that  doth  not  renounce  all  that  he  possess- 
eth,  that  is,  all  inclination  for  it,  cannot  be  my  disciple. 
(Luke  xiv.  33.) 

Why  did  Peter  ask  a  reward? 

This  may  have  been  done  out  of  selfinterest  (for  the  apostles 
wrere  not  yet  free  from  every  imperfection),  but  Christ  permitted 
the  question  and  made  it  the  occasion  to  announce  the  reward 
which  would  be  given  to  those  who  sincerely  follow  Him. 


592  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  CONVERSION  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

Why  did  Christ  promise  the  apostles,  that  they  should  sit  in  judg- 
ment with  Him? 
To  encourage  them  to  perseverance  in  following  Him,  and  in 
bravely  bearing  disgrace  and  persecution  from  the  world;  to  let 
it  be  known  to  them  and  to  all  who  adhere  to  Christ  in  poverty 
and  humiliation,  what  exaltation  will  be  given  them  at  the  end 
of  the  world;  to  show  the  followers  of  this  wrorld  who  regard 
Christ's  adherents  as  most  foolish,  the  folly  and  madness  of  their 
judgment,  for  which  they  themselves  will  be  condemned. 

Why  does  Christ,  since  he  commands  us  to  love  our  parents  and 
relations,  promise  us  a  reward  for  leaving  them? 
This  does  not  interfere  with  the  command  to  love  them  in  so 
far  as  they  are  our  parents,  but,  as  St.  Gregory  says,  "only  in 
so  far  as  they  are  obstacles  in  the  way  to  God  and  our  salvation;" 
we  must  shun  and  avoid  them,  that  is,  we  are  not  required  to 
follow  them,  if  they  advise  or  command  us  to  do  anything  which 
is  contrary  to  God's  commandments  or  injurious  to  our  salvation. 

What  is  understood  by  the  hundredfold  which  Christ  promises  in 
return  for  temporal  possessions  ? 

St.  Jerome  explains  it  to  mean  the  spiritual  benefits,  the  grace 
of  God,  the  virtues,  the  interior  consolation  and  satisfaction  which 
are  a  hundredfold,  that  is,  infinitely  more  valuable  than  temporal 
riches.  0  how  small  and  trivial  is  that  which  we  leave  and  of 
which  death  would,  in  any  event,  deprive  us,  for  the  love  of  God ! 
How  indescribably  great  are  the  treasures  which  God  in  this  life 
and  in  the  next  gives  in  return!  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man, 
what  things  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love 
him.  (i.  Cor.  ii.  9.) 

SUPPLICATION  TO  ST.  PAUL.  0  great  Apostle,  St.  Paul, 
whom  the  voice  of  the  Lord  cast  to  the  ground,  that  thou 
mightest  arise  to  true  penance,  and  who  thus  from  being  a 
vessel  of  dishonor  became  a  vessel  of  election,  from  being  the 
enemy  of  Christ  was  changed  into  His  most  faithful  defender 
and  friend,  I  beseech  thee  to  ask  the  grace  from  Christ  for  me, 
that  I  may  now  rightly  know  and  love  Him  whose  enemy  I 
have  been,  and  by  my  sins  have  crucified;  that  I  may  follow 
him  and  according  to  thy  example  as  zealously  practise  jus- 
tice as  I  have  hitherto  practised  malice,  so  that  I  may  obtain 
equal  salvation  with  thee.  Through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  &c. 
Amen. 


593 

INSTRUCTION 

FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  PURIFICATION 

OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY, 

COMMONLY  CALLED  CANDLEMAS  DAY. 

[February  2.] 

What  is  this  festival? 
T  is  the  festival  on  which  the  Church  venerates 
the  humility  and  obedience  of  Mary  and  her 
divine  Son,  by  which  she  subjected  herself,  al- 
though not  obliged  to  do  so,  to  the  law  of  Moses, 
requiring  purification  and  presentation  in  the 
s  temple.  From  this  comes  the  name  the  Puri- 
fication of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  or  the  Presenta- 
tion of  Jesus  in  the  temple.  It  is  also  called  Candlemas, 
because  before  Mass  on  this  day  the  candles  used  in  divine  ser- 
vice are  blessed,  a  procession  then  being  formed,  in  which  hymns 
sung,  and  the  candles  carried. 

Why  are  the  candles  blessed  on  this  day  and  carried  in  procession? 

In  remembrance  of  the  presentation  of  Jesus  to  His  Heavenly 
Father  on  this  day,  when  the  aged  Simeon  called  Him:  A  light 
to  the  revelation  of  the  gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  the 
people  Israel  (Luke  ii.  32.),  and  to  remind  us  that,  like  the 
five  wise  virgins,  we  should  go  to  meet  Christ  with  the  burning 
light  of  faith  and  good  works. 

With  what  intention  are  the  candles  blessed? 

With  the  intention  of  obtaining  that,  by  their  pious  use  and 
the  prayers  of  those  who  devoutly  carry  them,  God  may  be  mov- 
ed to  hear  us  and  preserve  us  in  health  of  body  and  soul;  that 
our  hearts  through  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  and  the  grace  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  may  be  interiorly  enlightened ;  and  that  the  fire  of 
the  love  of  God  may  be  kindled  in  our  hearts,  purify  them  from 
all  remains  of  sin,  and  make  us,  some  day,  take  part  in  the  joyous 
light  of  heaven,  which  will  never  be  extinguished. 

The  Introit  sung  in  the  Mass  is  from  Psalm  xlvii.:  We  have 
received  thy  mercy,  0  God,  in  the  midst  of  thy  temple: 
according  to  thy  name,  so  also  is  thy  praise  unto  the 
ends  of  the  earth:  thy  right  hand  is  full  of  justice. 
Great  is  the  Lord  and  exceedingly  to  be  praised,  in 
the  city  of  our  God,  on  his  holy  mountain.  Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  Almighty  and  Eternal 
God,  we  humbly  beseech  Thy  divine  majesty  that  as  Thy  only 
Son  in  the  substance  of  our  flesh,  was  this  day  presented  in 


38 


594  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  PURIFICATION 

the  temple,  so  our  souls,  being  perfectly  cleansed,  may  be- 
come a  pure  oblation  and  presented  to  Thee.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  {Mai.  iii.  1—4.)  Thus  saith  the  lord  god:  Be- 
hold, I  send  my  angel,  and  he  shall  prepare  the  way  before 
my  face.  And  presently  the  Lord  whom  you  seek,  and  the 
angel  of  the  Testament  whom  you  desire,  shall  come  to  his 
temple.  Behold,  he  cometh,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts:  and  who 
shall  be  able  to  think  of  the  day  of  his  coming?  and  who 
shall  stand  to  see  him?  For  he  is  like  a  refining  fire,  and 
like  the  fuller's  herb :  and  he  shall  sit  refining  and  cleansing* 
the  silver,  and  he  shall  purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  shall  re- 
fine them  as  gold,  and  as  silver,  and  they  shall  offer  sacri- 
fices to  the  Lord  in  justice.  And  the  sacrifice  of  Judea  and 
Jerusalem  shall  please  the  Lord,  as  in  the  days  of  old,  and 
in  the  ancient  years:  saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 

EXPLANATION.  The  angel  or  messenger  who  shall  prepare 
the  way  for  the  Lord,  is  John  the  Baptist  {Matt  xi.  10.),  and  the 
long  desired  Ruler  and  Messiah  is  Christ,  who  on  this  day  came 
into  the  temple.  Christ  is  called  the  Ang,  1  of  the  Testament,  be- 
cause He  has  arranged  between  God  and  man  a  new  and  far  more 
excellent  covenant  than  God  had  made  with  the  Jews;  for  He 
did  not  supply  the  Christians,  as  He  had  the  Jews,  with  temporal, 
but  with  heavenly  and  eternal  riches.  This  Angel  of  the  Testa- 
ment, Christ,  came  the  first  time  in  all  the  humility  of  a  little 
child  into  the  temple,  but  His  second  coming  at  the  end  of  the 
world,  the  time  of  which  will  be  known  no  one,  will  be  terrible.  The 
prophet  likens  Him  to  a  fire  which  purifies  the  gold,  and  to  that 
herb  with  which  cloth  is  whitened  in  the  fuller's  machine;  under 
which  figures  he  alludes  to  the  strength  of  judgment,  with  which 
Christ  will  judge  the  just  and  the  unjust.  Pure  as  refined  gold, 
and  as  the  white  linen  (corporal)  on  which  the  Body  of  Christ  is 
laid  in  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  must  be  the  heart  of  those 
who  receive  Christ  in  the  blessed  Sacrament,  or  seek  to  worthily 
offer  the  holy  Sacrifice  with  the  priest. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  ii.  22— 32.)  At  that  time:  After  the 
days  of  the  purification  of  Mary,  according  to  the  law  of 
Moses,  were  accomplished,  they  carried  Jesus  to  Jerusalem, 
to  present  him  to  the  Lord.  As  it  is  written  in  the  law  of 
the  Lord,  Every  male  opening  the  womb  shall  be  called  holy 
to  the  Lord.  And  to  offer  a  sacrifice  according  as  it  is  writ- 
ten in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  a  pair  of  turtle  doves,  or  two 
young  pigeons.    And  behold,  there  was  a  man  in  Jerusalem 


OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


595 


named  Simeon,  and  this  man  was  just  and  devout,  waiting 
for  the  consolation  of  Israel:  and  the  Holy  Ghost  was  in  him. 
And  he  had  received  an  answer  from  the  Holy  Ghost,  that 
he  should  not  see  death,  before  he  had  seen  the  Christ  of  the 
Lord.  And  he  came  by  the  Spirit  into  the  temple.  And  when 
his  parents  brought  in  the  child  Jesus,  to  do  for  him  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  the  law,  he  also  took  him  into  his  arms, 
and  blessed  God,  and  said :  Now  thou  dost  dismiss  thy  ser- 
vant, 0  Lord,  according  to  thy  word,  in  peace.  Because  my 
eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation,  which  thou  hast  prepared  be- 


QG* 


596  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  PURIFICATION 

fore  the  face  of  all  peoples :  a  light  to  the  revelation  of  the 
Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel. 

Why  was  Jesus  brought  into  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  ? 
That  our  Lord  might  be  presented,  that  is,  offered  up  to  God ; 
for  God  had  commanded  the  Jews  to  offer  their  first  born  sons 
to  Him,  and  to  redeem  them  afterwards  at  a  price,  in  grateful  com- 
memoration of  the  destroying  angel's  having  spared  their  first 
born  at  the  departure  from  Egypt,  when  all  the  first  born  of  the 
Egyptians  were  s:ain.  {Lev.  xiii.  13.) 

How  soon  after  birth  must  this  take  place? 
On  the  fortieth  day,  for  according  to  the  law  the  mother's  im- 
purity lasted  for  this  length  of  time  after  the  birth  of  the  boy, 
after  which  she  went  to  the  temple,  and  in  order  to  be  declared 
purified,  made  her  offering  of  purification.  {Lev.  xii.) 

Was  Mary  subject  to  this  laic  of  purification? 

No,  for  she  had  not,  like  other  mothers,  conceived  and  born 
in  sin,  and,  therefore,  did  not  need  purification;  but  she  placed 
herself  with  her  divine  child  among  sinners  and  fulfilled  the  law 
by  which  these  were  bound.  ''Nothing,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "was 
impure  in  her  conception,  nothing  impure  in  her  birth;  there  was 
nothing  to  be  cleansed,  for  the  child  itself  was  the  origin  of  all 
purity,  and  came  into  the  world  to  purify  it  from  sin.  Truly,  0 
happy  Virgin,  thou  didst  need  no  purification,  but  thou  wouldst 
pass  as  a  woman  among  women,  as  thy  Son  also  passed  for  a  child 
among  children." 

Why  did  Mary  fulfil  the  law  of  purification? 

She  did  this  in  order,  like  her  divine  Son,  to  give  us  an  example 
of  obedience  and  true  humility,  for  she  interiorly  thought  little  of 
herself  and  wished  externally  to  be  so  regarded;  to  teach  us  to 
thank  God  for  the  favors  He  has  shown  to  our  ancestors,  for  the 
law  of  the  Jews  was  given  them  to  encourage  to  gratitude  for  the 
preservation  of  the  first  born  of  their  ancestors  from  the  hands 
of  the  destroying  angel  (Lev.  xiii.  13.);  and  in  order  not  to  scan- 
dalize, by  omission  of  this  law,  those  who  did  not  know,  that  she 
was  not  required  to  observe  it. 

Learn,  0  Christian,  from  Mary's  example  to  be  truly  humble 
and  obedient,  to  be  grateful  to  God  for  the  benefits  which  your 
ancestors,  parents  have  received,  and  to  be  on  your  guard,  never 
to  give  scandal  by  failing  to  observe  the  commandments  of  God 
and  His  Church. 

Why  did  not  Mary  offer  a  lamb  as  did  the  rich  (Lev.  xii.  6.),  but 

merely,  like  the  poor,  a  pair  of  doves  ? 

Because  she  was  poor,  and  was  not  ashamed  to  appear  as  such 

before  the  world.    0  how  Mary  loved  humility  and  the  poverty 

connected  with  it!    Take  no  shame  to  thyself,  therefore,  if  thou 


OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.  597 

art  poor,  love  poverty  the  more;  but  if  rich,  be  poor  in  spirit,  and 

love  the  poor  and  the  distressed. 

How  did  it  come  to  pass,  that  Simeon  met  the  Saviour  in  the  temple? 

Because  he  was  a  pious  and  faithful  servant  of  God,  it,  had 
been  promised  him,  that  he  should  not  die,  until  he  had  seen  the 
Saviour.  When  Jesus  was  brought  into  the  temple,  Simeon  was 
inspired  by  God  to  go  there  also,  and  when  he  found  Jesus  there, 
he  by  divine  inspiration  knew  Him  to  be  the  Messiah  and  gave 
testimony  of  Him. 

See  how  God  rewards  those  who  sincerely  love  and  serve  Him, 
giving  Himself  to  them  to  be  known  always  more  and  more! 

Why  was  Simeon  ready  to  die,  when  he  had  held  Jesus  in  his  arms? 
Because  his  wish  was  perfectly  fulfilled;  for  since  he  had  not 
only  seen  with  his  own  eyes,  but  had  held  in  his  arms  the  Desired 
of  all  nations,  for  whom  the  patriarchs  had  so  vainly  longed, 
what  more  could  he  wish  than  to  leave  this  miserable  world,  and 
commend  his  spirit  to  the  hands  of  his  Saviour? 

Why  did  Simeon  call  Jesus  a  light  for  the  ret elation  of  the  gentiles? 
Because  Jesus  had  come  into  the  world  as  the  true  light 
(John  i.),  which  was  to  free  the  gentiles  from  the  darkness  of  su- 
perstition and  idolatry,  and  from  the  blindness  and  slavery  of 
Satan,  as  well  as  to  conduct  the  Jews  out  of  the  bondage  of  the 
Mosaic  Law  in  the  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  (Gal.  iv.) 

PRAYER.  Heavenly  Father!  look  down  from  Thy  throne 
of  mercy  upon  th'e  face  of  Thy  Anointed  in  whom  Thou  art 
well  pleased.  Behold,  He  is  this  day  offered  to  Thee  in  the 
temples  for  the  sins  of  His  brethren.  Let  this  offering  please 
Thee,  and  move  Thee  to  have  compassion  on  us  sinners.  In 
consideration  of  His  humility  and  obedience,  forgive  us  our 
pride  and  disobedience,  and  grant  us,  that  purified  by  His 
blood,  we  may  one  day,  having  like  Simeon  departed  this  life 
in  peace,  behold  Thee  as  the  eternal  light  which  shall  never 
be  extinguished  in  the  temple  of  Thy  glory,  be  presented  to 
Thee  by  Mary,  our  beloved  Mother,  and  love  and  praise  Thee 
forever.  Amen. 

INSTRUCTION  ON  CHILD  BIRTH. 

THe  law  of  purification  {Lev.  xii.),  by  which  the  Jewish  women 
for  forty  days  after  the  birth  of  a  boy,  and  for  eighty  after 
that  of  a  girl,  were  regarded  as  impure  and  kept  out  of  the 
temple,  and  required,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  to  bring  a  lamb 
and  a  dove  to  the  temple  as  an  offering  for  sin,  and  be  by  the 
prayer  of  the  priest  pronounced  pure,  does  not,  it  is  true,  apply 


598  INSTRUCTION  ON  CHILD  BIRTH. 

to  Christian  women,  because  the  Church  has  abolished  the  Jewish 
ceremonies:  but  the  Church,  nevertheless,  permits  them  to  remain 
absent  from  Church,  with  a  good  conscience,  for  six  weeks  or  so 
long  as  circumstances  may  require,  after  the  birth  of  a  child,  in 
order  to  take  care  of  their  health.  This  should  be  remembered 
by  husbands  who  should  see,  that  their  wives  have  the  necessary 
quiet  and  attendance  which  nature  requires  for  recovery  after 
the  birth  of  a  child.  The  Church  desires,  that  at  the  end  of  this 
time  the  mother  and  child,  following  Mary's  example,  should 
resort  to  the  Church  to  obtain  the  blessing  of  the  priest,  thank 
God  for  their  deliverance,  offer  the  child  to  God,  praying  with 
the  priest  for  the  grace  to  bring  up  the  child  in  sanctity  and  piety. 
This  comprises  the  Churching  of  women,  which  is  a  very  old 
and  praiseworthy  custom  and  should  not  be  neglected.  Never- 
theless there  is  no  necessity  for  a  woman  to  remain  constantly  in 
her  room  or  even  in  the  house  until  she  is  churched,  for  fear  of 
injury  from  evil  spirits.  This  is  a  most  foolish  fear;  for  evil  spi- 
rits will  not  and  cannot  harm  her,  if  she  does  not  injure  herself 
by  work,  improper  food,  or  by  neglecting  to  ask  God's  protection. 
The  delicate  health  of  women  and  of  children,  comes  generally 
from  the  proper  precautions  not  having  been  taken,  from  their 
not  having  been  rightly  attended  to,  and  so  having  hurt  them- 
selves. 

At  the  Churching  they  should  direct  their  prayers  to  the  ends 
already  mentioned,  gratefully  offer  to  God  the  divine  Lamb  Jesus 
Christ  by  hearing  Mass  or  receiving  holy  Communion,  give  an 
alms,  and  perhaps  say  the  following 

PRAYER.  Almighty  and  beneficent  God!  who  didst  im- 
pose upon  our  mother  Eve,  in  punishment  for  her  sin,  that 
she  should  give  birth  to  her  children  in  pain:  I  offer  to  Thee 
all  the  pains  which  I  have  thus  suffered  in  atonement  for 
my  sins,  and  thank  Thee,  that  I  have  safely  brought  a  child 
into  the  world,  whom  I  now  offer  to  Thee,  according  to  the 
example  of  the  Mother  of  Thine  only  begotten  Son,  for  Thy 
holy  service,  whom  I  shall  zealously  endeavor  to  educate  for 
Thy  honor.  Give  me  but  this  grace  through  the  intercession 
and  merits  of  this  most  blessed  Mother.  Bless  me  and  my 
child,  and  grant,  that  we  may  here  live  in  accordance  with 
Thy  divine  will,  and  receive  eternal  salvation  there.  Through 
Christ,  our  Lord,  &c.  Amen. 


599 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
BLASE,  BISHOP  AND  MARTYR. 

[February  3  J 

T.  Blase  was  born  at  Sebaste  in  Armenia.  In  his 
youth  he  gave  himself  with  great  zeal  to  the  study 
of  philosophy  and  medicine,  but  at  the  same  time 
did  not  forget  his  soul.  He  followed  Christ  in 
beautiful  virtues,  especially  in  meekness  and  hu- 
mility, and  kept  from  all  sinful  ways  of  the  world. 
-  Although  his  life  was  a  hidden  one,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Sebaste  knew  it  and  chose  him  for  their  bishop.  At  that 
time,  the  Christians,  especially  the  bishops  and  priests,  suffered 
many  persecutions  from  the  pagans,  persecutions  from  which  Se- 
baste did  not  escape.  That  his  life  might  be  saved  for  his  flock, 
Blase  withdrew  to  a  grotto  in  Mount  Agaeus,  where  he  led  a 
most  penitent  life,  and  entirely  destroyed  the  old  man  in  himself. 
If  one  puts  off  the  old  man  and  puts  on  Christ,  that  is,  if  one 
masters  his  corrupt  nature,  subdues  his  evil  inclinations,  and 
sweeps  out  everything  earthly  from  himself,  then  his  course  of 
life  becomes  a  heavenly  one,  and  he  becomes  master  over  the 
earthly,  the  material  life,  so  that  all  nature  is  his  friend  and  ser- 
vant. So  it  was  with  Blase.  The  animals  of  the  forests  became 
his  friends  and  served  him;  they  approached  him  with  confi- 
dence, permitted  themselves  to  be  carressed  by  him,  had  their 
wounds  healed  by  him,  received  his  blessing,  brought  him  food, 
and  obeyed  his  voice.  A  hunter  one  day  met  him  in  the  midst  of 
these  animals,  and  forthwith  reported  the  saintly  man  to  the 
governor,  who  sent  his  officers  to  apprehend  him.  Blase  went  cor- 
dially to  meet  them,  and  when  they  reached  the  door  of  his  cave, 
he  said:  "You  are  welcome,  for  now  I  see  that  God  has  not  for- 
gotten me."  When  they  were  returning  with  him,  the  animals 
followed,  and  the  officers  terrified  would  have  fled,  but  Blase  re- 
assured them:  "Be  not  afraid,"  he  said,  "they  will  do  you  no 
harm,"  and  ordered  the  animals  to  go  back.  They  obeyed,  but  for 
a  long  time  looked  sadly  after  him.  Many  people  came  on  the 
road  to  see  the  saint  and  to  ask  his  blessing;  among  them  a  woman 
who  held  in  her  arms  a  child  in  whose  throat  a  fishbone  was 
sticking.  She  was  inconsolable  and  cried  out  to  the  saint:  "0 
dearest  master,  help  my  child,  or  it  will  be  strangled !"  The  saint 
knelt  down,  prayed,  blessed  the  child  with  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
and  it  was  immediately  cured. 

When  the  saint  had  reached  the  city,  he  was  taken  before  the 
governor  who  ordered  him  to  worship  the  gods.  Refusing  to  do 
this,  he  was  struck  with  clubs;  while  thus  tortured,  he  said  to 
the  governor:  "Do  you  indeed  fancy,  that  by  torture  you  can  force 
me  to  forsake  my  Lord  and  my  God?  You  are  indeed  wrong,  no 


600  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MATTHIAS,  APOSTLE. 

pain  shall  separate  me  from  my  Jesus."  The  governor,  then,  was 
so  enraged,  that  he  had  him  bound  to  a  pillar  and  torn  into  pieces 
by  iron  claws.  Blase  calmly  looking  up  to  heaven,  suffered  all 
without  uttering  a  single  moan.  He  was  then  taken  to  prison, 
where  the  governor  let  him  remain  for  a  time.  Once  more  called 
to  the  judgment  seat,  the  saint  again  firmly  refused  to  offer 
to  idols,  and  the  governor  then  ordered,  that  he  should  be  be- 
headed. 

The  Church  venerates  his  memory  on  the  third  of  February, 
and  after  Mass  connects  with  it  the  custom  of  placing  two  burning 
candles  crosswise  and  touching  with  them  the  neck  of  the  faith- 
ful, while  the  priest  says :  "Through  the  intercession  of  the  holy 
bishop  and  martyr  Blase,  may  the  Lord  preserve  thee  from  every 
disease  of  the  throat,  in  the  name  f  of  the  Father,  f  of  the  Son, 
f  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen."  This  is  founded  in  the  very 
ancient  custom  of  invoking  and  venerating  St.  Blase  as  patron  in 
all  diseases  of  the  throat. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  by  the  yearly 
solemnity  of  blessed  Blase  Thy  Martyr  and  Bishop,  rejoicest 
the  hearts  of  Thy  faithful;  mercifully  grant  that  we  who  ce- 
lebrate his  martyrdom,  may  enjoy  his  protection.  Thro'. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
MATTHIAS,  APOSTLE. 

^^fej>>^-     n  [February  24.  or  25  J 

Atthias,  born  in  Bethlehem  of  Juda,  was  .at 
the  commencement  of  Christ's  preaching 
numbered  by  Him  among  the  seventy  two 
disciples,  and  everywhere  accompanied  our 
Saviour  and  witnessed  all  His  miracles  and 
His  resurrection.  After  Christ's  ascension, 
Matthias  was  chosen  apostle  in  place  of  the 
traitor  Judas,  as  is  detailed  in  the  Lesson  for  this  day,  and  after 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  announced  the  gospel  first  to  his 
own  people,  the  Jews,  and  then  in  Cappadocia  and  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Caspian  Sea.  After  having  preached  the  doctrine  of 
salvation  in  many  countries,  especially  urging,  as  St.  Clement  of 
Alexandria  relates,  abstinence  from  carnal  pleasures,  he  was  ston- 
ed by  the  Jews  in  Galilee  who  wished  not  to  hear  his  sermons,  and 
was  finally  beheaded  by  the  Roman  soldiers  about  the  year  63. 
[For  the  Introit  see  the  Feast  of  St.  Andrew  J 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  didst  add  bless- 
ed Matthias  to  the  number  of  Thy  Apostles,  grant,  we  be- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MATTHIAS,  APOSTLE.   601 

seech  thee,  that  by  his  prayers  we  may  be  ever  sensible  of 
the  effects  of  thy  mercy.  Thro'. 

LESSON.  (Actsi.  15 — 26.)  In  those  days:  Peter  rising  up 
in  the  midst  of  the  brethren,  said:  (now  the  number  of  persons 
together  was  about  an  hundred  and  twenty.)  Men  brethren, 
the  scripture  must  needs  be  fulfilled  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
spoke  before  by  the  mouth  of  David  concerning  Judas,  who 
was  the  leader  of  them  that  apprehended  Jesus:  who  was 
numbered  with  us,  and  had  obtained  part  of  this  ministry. 
And  he  indeed  hath  possessed  a  field  of  the  reward  of  ini- 
quity, and  being  hanged,  burst  asunder  in  the  midst:  and  all 
his  bowels  gushed  out.  And  it  became  known  to  all  the  in- 
habitants of  Jerusalem :  so  that  the  same  field  was  called  in 
their  tongue  Haceldama,  that  is  to  say,  the  field  of  blood. 
For  it  is  written  in  the  book  of  Psalms:  Let  their  habitation 
become  desolate,  and  let  there  be  none  to  dwell  therein.  And 
his  bishopric  let  another  take.  Wherefore  of  these  men  who 
have  companied  with  us,  all  the  time  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
came  in  and  went  out  among  us,  beginning  from  the  baptism 
of  John  until  the  day  wherein  he  was  taken  up  from  us,  one 
of  these  must  be  made  a  witness  with  us  of  his  resurrection. 
And  they  appointed  two,  Joseph,  called  Barsabas,  who  was 
surnamed  Justus,  and  Matthias.  And  praying  they  said : 
Thou,  Lord,  who  knowest  the  hearts  of  all  men,  shew  whe- 
ther of  these  two  thou  hast  chosen,  to  take  the  place  of  this 
ministry  and  apostleship,  from  which  Judas  hath  by  trans- 
gression fallen,  that  he  might  go  to  his  own  place.  And  they 
gave  them  lots,  and  the  lot  fell  upon  Matthias  and  he  was 
numbered  with  the  eleven  apostles. 

How  did  Judas  possess  a  field? 

By  the  reward  of  his  treason.  Repenting  of  his  crime  Judas 
threw  it  down  in  the  temple;  the  high  priests  Avould  not  accept 
it  for  the  treasury  of  the  temple,  because  it  was  the  price  of 
blood,  and  it  was,  therefore,  used  to  purchase  a  field  to  be  a  burial 
place  for  strangers  dying  in  Jerusalem,  and  received  the  name 
Haceldama,  the  field  of  the  blood.  {Matt,  xxvii.  3.) 

See  how  much  avarice  profited  Judas,  and  learn  from  his 
miserable  fate  the  danger  of  avarice  and  all  other  passions  which 
are  not  immediately  exterminated. 

INSTRUCTION.  Let  us  learn  from  the  apostles  who  prayed 
so  fervently  at  this  election,  the  necessity  of  prayer  in  the  election 


602   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MATTHIAS,  APOSTLE. 

of  priests  or  rulers  of  the  state,  that  God  may  so  direct  us,  that 
the  choice  may  fall  on  men  who  are  really  suitable  for  the  office. 
The  neglect  of  prayer,  and  the  carnal,  selfish  considerations  which 
move  many  electors,  often  cause  men  to  be  chosen  who  administer 
their  office  badly,  and  do  more  harm  than  good.  If  the  choice  is 
not  directed  by  God,  as  it  was  in  the  case  of  St.  Matthias,  but 
according  to  human  sentiments,  then,  generally,  instead  of  a 
Matthias  a  Judas  is  chosen.  From  this  that  no  one  of  the  disci- 
ples presented  himself  as  a  candidate  for  apostleship,  we  should 
learn  not  to  force  ourselves  into  spiritual  office  and  dignity,  but 
await  the  call  of  God,  because  we  dare  not  promise  ourselves  the 
grace  necessary  to  fulfil  its  duties.  All  who  are  about  choosing 
their  state  of  life,  must  remember  to  pray  fervently  for  light,  that 
they  may  know  the  state  for  which  God  designs  them ;  for  we  can 
be  saved  only  in  that  station  in  life  which  we  have  entered  in 
compliance  with  the  will  of  God,  and  not  from  the  promptings  of 
sinful  passions. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xi.  25  —  30.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  an- 
swered and  said:  I  confess  to  thee,  0  Father,  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth,  because  thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise 
and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  to  little  ones.  Yea, 
Father;  for  so  it  hath  seemed  good  in  thy  sight.  All  things 
are  delivered  to  me  by  my  Father.  And  no  one  knoweth  the 
Son,  but  the  Father;  neither  doth  any  one  know  the  Father 
but  the  Son,  and  he  to  whom  it  shall  please  the  Son  to  reveal 
him.  Come  to  me,  all  you  that  labour,  and  are  burdened, 
and  I  will  refresh  you.  Take  up  my  yoke  upon  you,  and 
learn  of  me,  because  I  am  meek,  and  humble  of  heart:  and 
you  shall  find  rest  to  your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  sweet,  and 
my  burden  light. 

Why  did  Christ  say:  I  confess  to  thee,  0  Father,  because 

thou  hadst  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 

and  hast  revealed  them  to  little  ones? 

By  this  He  means  to  give  thanks  to  His  Heavenly  Father  for 
having  revealed  the  mysteries  of  His  incarnation  and  humiliation 
in  life,  not  to  those  who  wish  in  their  pride  to  penetrate  every- 
thing with  their  short  sighted  human  reason  and  therefore  des- 
pise the  mysterious  works  of  God,  but  to  the  little,  that  is,  the 
humble  ones,  who,  like  the  apostles,  make  their  reasoning  obe- 
dient to  the  service  of  Christ  and  the  faith,  and  so  become  worthy 
to  be  interiorly  enlightened  by  God,  like  the  apostles,  and  to 
understand  His  mysteries. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MATTHIAS,  APOSTLE.  (J03 

How  were  all  things  delivered  by  the  Father  to  Christ? 
By  making  Christ,  since  He  sent  Him  into  the  world,  the 
Teacher  and  Model  of  kings  and  rulers,  the  Redeemer  and  the 
Judge  of  all  men,  and  giving  Him  all  power  in  heaven  and  on 
earth.  {Matt,  xxviii.  18.) 

Why  is  it,  that  no  one  knows  the  Father  but  the  Son  and  he 
to  whom  it  shall  please  the  So?i  to  reveal  him? 

Because  no  one  but  the  God-Man,  Christ,  knows  perfectly  the 
incomprehensible  mystery  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity,  and  no  one 
can  acquire  the  knowledge  of  God  and  the  true  faith,  except 
through  Christ. 

Why  does  no  one  know  the  Son  but  the  Father? 

Because  only  God  can  comprehend  the  eternal  birth  and  the 
origin  of  Christ,  as  regards  His  divinity,  His  divine  perfections 
ana  attributes,  and  the  mystery  of  the  redemption. 

Who  are  those  who  labor  and  are  burdened? 

They  are :  all  who  labor  for  justice  and  strive  to  attain  per- 
fection; who  are  obliged  to  endure  persecution  and  annoyance, 
and  those  who  are  weighed  down  with  the  burden  of  grievous  sins. 
How  does  Christ  refresh  them? 
By  His  grace  He.  refreshes  the  first,  that  they  may  attain  jus- 
tice; the  second  He  consoles  and  strengthens,  that  they  may  not 
become  faint-hearted ;  the  last  He  forgives  (if  they  do  penance), 
remits  their  punishment,  and  so  relieves  them  of  their  burden. 
What  is  the  yoke  of  Christ? 

It  is  the  light  yoke  of  the  commandment  to  love  God  and  our 
neighbor. 

What  have  ice  principally  to  learn  of  Christ? 
To  be  meek  and  humble  of  heart.  We  are  meek,  when,  after 
Christ's  example,  we  bear  injuries  patiently,  and  do  not  avenge 
them ;  and  humble  of  heart,  if  we  acknowledge  our  weakness  and 
unworthiness,  have  a  poor  opinion  of  ourselves,  and  seek  not  to 
be  esteemed  by  others,  as  St.  Bonaventura  says,  "if  we  despise 
ourselves  and  the  world,  but  no  person  in  it,  and  are  glad  to  be 
ourselves  disregarded."  This,  Christ  tells  us,  is  the  only  way  to 
true  peace  of  mind,  and  to  temporal  and  eternal  happiness;  to 
leave  this  path  for  one  of  anger  and  pride,  is  to  lose  the  road 
to  heaven. 

PRAYER.  0  most  meek  and  humble  Jesus!  we  thank  Thee 
for  Thy  loving  invitation  to  us  who  labor  and  are  burdened, 
promising  us  rest  and  refreshment,  and  we  beseech  Thee  to 
grant,  that  in  all  trials  and  difficulties  we  may  shelter  our- 
selves with  Thee,  and  become  by  meekness  and  humility  less 
unworthy  of  Thy  refreshing  consolation. 


604 

ON  THE  OBSERVANCE  OF  THE  COMMANDMENTS. 
My  yoke  is  sweet  and  my  burden  light.  (Matt.  xi.  30.) 

A  Can  we  keep  the  commandments? 

Ssuredly,  with  God's  grace  which  Christ  has  obtained  for 
us  and  continually  offers  us,  we  can  keep  the  command- 
ments. If  we  could  not,  the  yoke  of  Christ  would  be  not  sweet, 
but  inendurable,  and  St.  John  could  not  with  truth  have  said: 
The  commandments  of  God  are  not  hard.  (John  v.  3.)  If 
the  commandments  were  really  as  hard  to  keep  as  some  sacrile- 
giously declare,  then  God  would  have  been  unjust  and  unwise, 
for  He  would  have  imposed  upon  men  laws  that  could  not  be  ful- 
filled, and  for  the  non-fulfilment  of  which  He  threatens  to  punish 
them.  But  God  requires  nothing  that  is  impossible.  "The  law," 
writes  St.  Augustine,  "is  given  us,  that  we  may  seek  for  grace, 
and  grace  is  given  us,  that  we  may  fulfil  the  law,  and  whatever 
God  demands  He  gives  grace  to  perform,"  because  "He  encoura- 
ges us,  by  His  commands,  to  do  what  we  can  and  pray  for  that 
which  we  cannot  do,  for  because  He  helps  us,  we  can."  {Cone. 
7 rid.  Sess.  6.  c.  11.) 

Can  we  not  be  saved  without  observing  the  commandments? 

No,  for  Christ  expressly  says:  If  thou  wilt  enter  into 
life,  keep  the  commandments.  (Matt.xix.  17.)  It  is  to  be  ob- 
served, that  Christ  says:  If  thou  wilt,  He  wishes  not  to  force 
any  one*  He  requires,  that  we  come  voluntarily;  he  shows  us  the 
way  and  gives  us  help  to  follow  it.  So  He  says:  "Take  my  yoke 
upon  you!  I  impose  it  not  against  your  will.  Take  it  for  your- 
self, but  otherwise  you  will  find  not  rest  for  your  soul,  but 
misery." 

PRAYER  TO  ST.  MATTHIAS.  0  saint  Matthias,  glorious 
Apostle  and  Martyr  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  so  urged  to  absti- 
nence and  the  keeping  of  the  commandments,  I  beseech  thee 
who  wast  chosen  by  God  from  all  eternity  to  obtain  from 
Him  the  grace  for  us,  that  by  the  keeping  of  the  command- 
ments, by  mortification,2  and  good  works,  we  may  be  num- 
bered among  the  chosen  ones.  Through  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Lord,  &c.  Amen. 


605 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF 
ST.  PATRICK, 

BISHOP  AND  APOSTLE  OF  IRELAND. 
[March  17.] 

T.  Patrick  was  born  about  the  year  415  at  Bon a- 
ven  Taberniae,  a  village  of  Britain,  probably 
the  present  Kilpatrick  in  Scotland.  His  father 
Calpurnius  was  of  a  noble  Roman  family,  his  mo- 
ther Concessa  was  a  relation  of  St.  Martin,  Bishop 
of  Tours.  Patrick  remained  until  his  fifteenth  year 
M>  in  his  father's  house  and  then,  as  he  says  himself 
in  a  book  entitled  Confession,  and  written  towards  the  end  of  his 
life,  God  was  pleased  to  lead  him  to  his  high  vocation  through  a 
very  p'ainful  and  laborious  preparatory  school. 

In  those  remote  times  Ireland  was  a  mountainous,  inhospitable 
country,  covered  all  over  with  forests,  bogs  and  morasses.  Her 
inhabitants  were  wild  and  unpolished,  lived  by  war  and  robbery; 
only  a  few  of  them  had  some  little  knowledge  of  the  true  God. 
The  Britons,  on  the  contrary,  under  the  sway  of  the  Romans  were 
already  imbued  with  a  certain  degree  of  culture  and  had  adopted 
the  Christian  Faith.  The  Irish,  however,  were  hardier  warriors 
than  the  effemminate  Britons ;  in  their  naval  expeditions  they 
visited  the  shores  of  England,  landed  here  and  there,  attacked 
villages  and  unfortified  towns,  sacked  them,  and  carried  the 
inhabitants  into  slavery.  A  swarm  of  rapacious  Irish,  assailed 
a  manor  belonging  to  Calphurnius,  and  cut  down  the  domestics 
who  attempted  to  resist.  The  parents  were  absent,  but  young 
Patrick  and  a  number  of  the  male  servants  were  made  prisoners 
and  carried  over  to  Ireland.  From  this  day  the  son  of  Calphur- 
nius, hitherto  accustomed  to  every  comfort  of  a  wealthy  home, 
entered  upon  a  long  and  severe  noviciate  of  six  years.  Slave  to 
a  coarse  barbarian  he  had  to  drive  his  master's  cattle  into  the 
woods,  to  guard  and  feed  them ;  not  seldom  he  must  spend,  un- 
sheltered, whole  nights  among  bogs  and  marshes;  he  was  often 
cruelly  beaten.  Thus  engaged  in  an  endless  struggle  against  hun- 
ger and  thirst,  heat  and  frost,  deprived  of  every  earthly  conso- 
lation, and  of  every  hope  of  deliverance,  St.  Patrick  was  taught 
by  his  misfortunes,  to  turn  his  eyes  towards  heaven,  and  in  fervent 
prayers  to  have  recourse  to  God  and  His  blessed  Providence, 
which  always  knows  and  possesses  the  means  to  console  those, 
who  lovingly  confide  in  it.  St. Patrick  now  commenced  anew  life; 
a  celestial  light  now  illumined  his  soul,  and  warmed  his  heart.  He 
now  examined  his  past  life;  the  sorrow  for  having  squandered  so 
many  years  by  not  perfectly  loving  God,  drew  the  most  bitter 
tears  from  his  eyes.  Even  towards  the  end  of  his  pilgrimage,  as 
the  Saint  himself  avows  in  his  book  of  Confession,  every  day  he 


606  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  PATRICK, 

still  bewailed  that  time  of  his  youth  not  devoted  to  God.  Humble 
and  resigned  he  henceforth  suffered  all  in  a  spirit  of  penance, 
and  with  confidence  in  the  goodness  of  God  awaited  the  hour  of 
his  delivery. 

At  length,  after  a  severe  trial  of  six  years,  this  hour  struck  for 
Patrick.  In  a  dream  he  was  ordered  to  leave  his  master's  house 
and  go  to  the  sea  shore ;  there  he  would  find  a  vessel  ready  to  take 
him  on  board.  Patrick  obeyed;  after  a  travel  of  several  days  he 
arrived  at  the  very  spot  on  the  shore  shown  him  in  the  dream, 
and  there  found  a  vessel  going  to  start.  But,  unfortunately,  Pa- 
trick had  no  money  to  pay  for  his  passage,  and  in  spite  of  all 
prayers  the  master  of  the  ship  refused  to  take  him.  Deeply  afflicted 
Patrick  was  about  to  return  to  his  master,  but  he  had  scarcely  made 
several  steps,  when  the  owner  became  good-humored',  recalled 
Patrick  and  took  him  on  board. 

After  a  favorable  voyage  they  landed  on  the  shore  of  Northern 
Scotland,  a  desert  wilderness  in  which  they  wandered  about,  dis- 
covering nowhere  a  human  abode.  Their  provisions  had  all  gone 
out,  Patrick's  companions  were  yet  heathens;  already  on  board  he 
had  told  them  of  the  God  of  the  Christians  and  of  His  infinite  love. 
Almost  starving,  they  now,  reminded  Patrick  of  his  words  and 
besought  him  to  implore  his  God.  For  if  the  Christians  God,  they 
said,  is  really  almighty  and  merciful,  he  both  can  and  will  save  us 
from  starvation.  Patrick  penetrated  by  a  lively  faith,  resolutely 
promised  them  the  approach  of  delivery  within  an  hour,  in  case 
of  their  sincere  conversion  to  the  true  God.  He  was  immediately 
absorbed  in  silent  prayer,  and  no  sooner  had  this  hour  elapsed, 
than  they  encountered  a  considerable  number  of  wild  hogs;  some 
of  these  being  hunted  gave  them  sufficient  meat  to  complete  their 
travel  of  24  days. 

Patrick's  patience  however  was  subjected  to  another  hard  trial. 
Though  his  pagan  companions  had  witnessed,  how  soon  Patrick's 
prayer  was  heard,  yet  before  eating  they  sacrificed  all  the  flesh 
to  their  idols;  this  forced  Patrick  to  abhor  all  such  meat  and  rath- 
er to  suffer  the  most  fearful  hunger  than  defile  himself.  He  was 
afflicted  less  by  his  own  hunger  and  thirst  than  at  the  incompre- 
hensible spiritual  blindness  of  these  heathens,  who  in  spite  of  an 
evident  miracle  would  not  desist  from  their  idolatry.  Finally,  after 
many  days  of  suffering  Patrick  happily  came  to  his  home;  where, 
however,  he  enjoyed  only  a  short  repose.  He  was  for  a  second 
and  third  made  prisoner,  but  these  times  he  was  soon  delivered. 

After  God  had  by  this  long  course  of  sufferings  prepared  His 
servant  for  the  high  vocation  of  being  Ireland's  guide  to  the  only 
saving  faith,  He  now  called  Patrick  to  the  priesthood.  Being  once 
absorbed  in  prayer  Patrick,  in  a  vision,  saw  himself  carried  over 
to  Ireland  and  there  beheld  a  numberless  crowd  of  children,  who 
with  lamentable  cries  came  forth  from  the  maternal  wombs  and 
stretched  out  their  hands  for  help.     In  another  vision  he  heard 


BISHOP  AND  APOSTLE  OF  IRELAND.  607 

voices  from  the  western  shore,  which  cried  out  to  him :  "Come,  we 
beseech  thee,  walk  among  us." 

Patrick  resolved  to  obey  this  heavenly  call;  but  he  had  no 
more  than  uttered  his  purpose,  when  he  was  opposed  from  all 
sides,  and  above  all  by  his  parents,  who  almost  persuaded  him  to 
give  up  his  pious  project.  Then,  however  God  Himself,  in  a  series 
of  wonderful  apparitions  revealed  to  Patrick  His  unmistakable  and 
adorable  will.  These  strenghtened  Patrick's  resolution,  so  that 
he  would  not  be  kept  back  by  any  obstacle ;  he  became  firmly 
determined  to  go  to  Ireland  in  order  to  bear  salvation  to  her 
people.  Not  one  would  accompany  him  to  the  work  of  saving 
those  poor,  neglected  souls;  he  caused  therefore  himself  to  be 
consecrated  bishop,  that  he  might  afterwards  ordain  such  Irish 
converts,  as  by  zeal  and  science  should  be  qualified  to  be  his  fellow- 
laborers.  After  overcoming  many  hindrances  Patrick  was  at  length 
consecrated  bishop;  now  he  left  all,  his  native  country,  his  parents 
and  relations,  to  embark  for  the  northernmost  border  of  the  then 
known  wrorld,  to  spread  the  light  of  the  Gospel.  With  the  zeal  of 
an  Apostle  he  was  ready  to  undergo  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  all  sorts 
of  dangers,  even  tortures  and  martyrdom,  most  fervently  thank- 
ing God  for  having  enabled  him  during  a  six  years  captivity  to 
acquire  the  Irish  language,  as  he  thus  could  preach  to  them  the 
Doctrine  of  the  Cross  in  their  own  mother-tongue. 

Indeed  the  blessings  which  followed  every  step  of  St.  Patrick 
were  exceeding  and  inexpressible.  Whithersoever  he  came,  the 
people  flocked  together  and,  as  it  were,  clung  to  the  lips  of  the 
saintly  preacher;  hunters  and  warriors,  at  other  times  untamed 
and  cold  of  sentiment,  were  changed  into  tame,  calm  and  obedient 
lambs,  and  at  the  close  of  each  sermon  all  would  stretch  forth 
their  arms  towards  him,  beseeching  him  for  the  holy  Sacrament 
of  Baptism.  But  St.  Patrick  would  by  no  means  baptize  them  be- 
fore they  were  sufficiently  instructed  in  every  article  of  the  Faith; 
and  now  the  Irish  proved  how  eager  they  were  to  learn  the  true 
Faith,  as  they  were  ever  unwearied  in  listening  to  him.  Like  unto 
a  second  St.  Paul  did  also  St.  Patrick  preach  from  morning  to  the 
very  dark. 

The  Saint,  however,  upon  seeing  the  great  success  of  his  apos- 
tolic sermons,  so  evidently  assisted  by  Heaven,  now  determined 
to  provide  this  Vineyard  of  Christ  with  its  necessary  laborers.  To 
this  purpose  he  selected  such  converts  of  each  district,  as  shewed 
themselves  sufficiently  zealous  and  educated,  and  by  the  imposi- 
tion of  his  episcopal  hands  ordained  them  acolyths,  deacons  and 
priests. 

To  this  young  Irish  clergy,  as  also  to  the  prospering  parishes 
St.  Patrick  carefully  imparted  all  good  counsel  and  directed  them 
wisely,  at  the  same  time  erecting  churches  in  all  parts  of  the 
country.  After  St.  Patrick  had  already  labored  upon  this  Island, 
Britain  at  length  remembered  him,  and  sent  to  him  two  fellow- 


(508       INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  PATRICK, 

laborers,  the  bishops  Auxentius  and  Iserinus,  whose  aid  the  saint 
most  joyfully  accepted.  He  immediately  went  about  erecting  a 
number  of  Irish  Episcopal  seats,  to  which  he  gave  intelligent  and 
pious  bishops. 

Nor  even  did  it  suifice  the  Apostle  of  Ireland  to  strengthen  and 
fortify  those  already  converted  in  their  faith ;  nay,  he  moreover 
wished  to  lead  them  upon  the  very  path  of  christian  perfection. 
Thus  he  taught  young  widows  to  devote  their  lives  to  abstinence; 
he  persuaded  young,  tender  maids  to  transform  their  bodies  into 
living  temples  of  God  by  preserving  their  precious  purity  un- 
sullied; he  moreover  encouraged  wealthy  youths  to  lavish  their 
riches  upon  the  needy  and  to  follow  Jesus  with  free  and  undivided 
hearts.  No  sooner  had  the  Saint  commenced  to  guide  people 
on  this  way  of  perfection,  than  he  experienced  the  exceeding  con- 
solation of  seeing  those,  who  embraced  this  seemingly  rough,  but 
actually  delightiul  state,  increase  to  such  a  number,  as  allowed 
him  to  erect  monasteries  for  both  sexes.  One  day  he  baptized  a 
young  girl  of  exceedingly  beautiful  form,  and  scarcely  sixteen 
years  ot  age.  A  few  days  after,  the  girl  returned  to  St.  Patrick 
indicating  to  him  an  apparition  to  her  (probably  of  her  guardian 
angel)  in  which  she  was  taught,  that  it  would  be  agreeable  to  God, 
if  she  would  devote  her  life  exclusively  to  Him.  The  Saint  saw  her 
heart  and  recognized  this  to  be  her  very  vocation,—  she  thus  as  a 
bride  to  Jesus  obtained  the  sacred  veil  at  the  hands  of  St.  Patrick. 

Our  Saint  had  already  reached  an  advanced  age;  at  the  close 
of  his  life  he  had  the  soothing  consolation  to  see  nearly  all  Ire- 
land adoring  the  Crucified,  whom  he  incessantly  preached  to  them. 
Indeed  he  knew  no  treasure  on  earth  more  precious  and  dear  to 
him,  than  his  flock,  which  he  had  purchased  with  so  many  suf- 
ferings and  grievances.  Day  and  night  did  he  then  watch  over  this 
cherised  flock,  never  ceasing  to  pray  for  the  grace  of  perseverance 
on  the  part  of  his  converts.  And  truly,  no  other  country  ever 
after  manifested  the  blessed  influence  of  Holy  Religion  more  per- 
severingly  than  Ireland.  For,  before  St.  Patrick  had  there  preach- 
ed the  Gospel,  the  whole  nation  was  sunk  into  a  deplorable  bar- 
barism, grovelling  in  a  miserable  state  of  life,  whilst  the  selfsame 
people  half  a  century  after  its  saintly  Apostle's  death  rivalled 
every  civilized  nation.  Every  church  and  monastery  he  provided 
with  excellent  schools;  their  great  and  celebrated  masters  reared 
scholars  equally  great  and  celebrated,  so  that  in  the  course  of  se- 
veral centuries  men  flocked  to  Ireland  from  all  parts,  there  to  still 
their  thirst  for  knowledge,  there  to  cultivate  their  minds  and  to 
receive  the  Doctrines  of  Salvation  at  a  font,  which  they  well  knew 
to  be  pure  and  unstained.  In  fact  Ireland  became  the  school  of 
Saints,  so  that  she  even  deserved  to  be  styled  uIsle  of  the  Saints". 
Numerous  Irish,  as  for  instance  Sts.  Columban,  Gallus,  Fridolin, 
Chilian  and  others  started  out  for  France  and  Germany,  there 
also  to  propagate  the  true  Faith. 


,  BISHOP  AND  APOSTLE  OF  IRELAND.  609 

St.  Patrick  died  at  a  very  high  age.  His  body,  originally  de- 
posited in  a  church  at  Down,  which  was  at  a  later  period  dedi- 
cated to  the  Saint  himself,  was  discovered  in  the  year  1185.  The 
Irish,  whose  ancestors  were  gained  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Isle 
itself,  where  he  overturned  and  abolished  the  low  worship  of 
idols,  thenceforth  remained  signally  under  the  happy,  blessed  in- 
fluence of  the  Saint;  for  although  Luther's  unhappy  heresy  enter- 
ed into  Great  Britain,  causing  a  great  havoc  among  its  people 
deluded  by  the  false  gospel,  yet  Ireland,  despite  all  persecution^ 
and  oppressions,  stood  faithful  and  undaunted  to  the  banner  of 
the  Old  Catholic  Church.  Down  to  the  present  day,  every  Irish 
heart  remembers  St.  Patrick,  its  champion  and  patron,  with  sen- 
timents of  singular  gratitude  and  devotedness. 

At  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  the  Church  says:  The  Lord 
made  to  him  a  covenant  of  peace,  and  made  him  a  prince, 
that  the  dignity  of  the  priesthood  should  be  to  him  for- 
ever. {Eccl.  xlv.)  0  Lord,  remember  David  .and  all  his 
meekness.  {Ps.  cxxxi.)   Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  hast  vouch- 
safed to  send  Thy  Confessor  and  Bishop,  the  blessed  Patrick; 
to  announce  Thy  glory  to  the  nations,  grant  us  through  his 
merits  and  intercession,  that  with  Thy  mercy  we  be  enabled 
to  perform,  what  Thou  commandest  us  to  do.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  {Eccl.  xliv.  xlv.)  Behold,  a  great  priest,  who 
in  his  days  pleased  God  and  was  found  just,  and  in  the  time 
of  wrath  he  was  made  a  reconciliation.  There  was  not  found 
the  like  to  him  who  preserved  the  law  of  the  Most  High. 
Therefore  by  an  oath  the  Lord  gave  him  glory  in  his  pos- 
terity. He  gave  him  the  blessing  of  all  nations,  and  con- 
firmed his  covenant  upon  his  head.  He  acknowledged  him 
in  his  blessings,  he  preserved  for  him  his  mercy:  and  he 
found  grace  before  the  eyes  of  the  Lord.  He  glorified  him  in 
the  sight  of  kings,  and  gave  him  a  crown  of  glory.  He  made 
an  everlasting  covenant  with  him,  and  gave  him  the  great 
priesthood,  and  made  him  blessed  in  glory.  To  execute  the 
office  of  the  priesthood,  and  to  have  praise  in  his  name,  and 
to  offer  him  due  incense  for  an  odor  of  sweetness. 

EXPLANATION.  The  text  of  this  instruction  or  lesson 
refers  to  the  great  and  holy  men  of  the  Old  Law,  as  to  Enoch, 
Noe,  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Moses,  Aaron.  They  merit  to  be 
taken  as  models  of  christian  perfection,  and  actually  were  imi- 
tated as  such  by  the  holy  bishops  of  our  mother  the  Church, 
wherefore  God  in  His  mercy  showered  upon  them  His  graces 


610 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  JOSEPH. 


and  exalted  them  above  the  powerful  of  this  earth,  as  we  see  in 
St.  Patrick,  and  crowned  them  with  the  diadem  of  eternal  glory. 
The  praise  of  the  Almighty  was  continually  on  the  lips  of  St. 
Patrick  and  the  incense  of  prayer  and  good  work  daily  ascended 
to  His  throne,  wherefore  God  also  in  return  blessed  him  with 
honors  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 

[Gospel  according  to  St.  Matthew.  See  the  Feast  of  St.  Nicholas, 
December  6.J 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF 
ST.  JOSEPH. 

[March  19.] 

T.  Joseph  who,  was  of  the  royal  blood  of  David, 
was  a  carpenter  in  Nazareth  of  Galilee,  where 
he  was  espoused  to  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary. 
His  greatest  praise  is  this,  that  the  gospel  calls 
him  a  just  man,  that  he  was  chosen  by  God 
H*  from  all  men  of  his  time  to  be  the  fosterfather  of 
ilis  Son,  and  that  Jesus  until  His  thirtieth  year  was  subject  to 
him.  The  history  of  his  childhood  and  youth,  has  not  been  pre- 
served, and  of  it,  as  of  the  rest  of  his  life,  we  know  only  that 
which  is  related  by  the  evangelists.  As  we  do  not  read,  that  he 
was  present  at  the  marriage  in  Cana,  it  is  supposed,  that  before 
the  commencement  of  Christ's  ministry  he  died  a  happy  death  in 
the  arms  of  Jesus  and  Mary. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  reads:  The  just  shall  flourish 
like  the  palm-tree:  he  shall  grow  up  like  the  cedar  of 
Libanus,  planted  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  in  the 
courts  of  the  house  of  our  God.  It  is  good  to  give  praise 
to  the  Lord:  and  to  sing  to  thy  praise,  0  Most  High! 
{Ps.  xli.)    Glory,*&c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  0 
Lord,  that  we  may  be  assisted  bv  the  merits  of  the  spouse 
of  Thy  most  Holy  Virgin  Mother,  and  that  what  we  cannot 
obtain  through  onr  own  weakness,  may  be  granted  us  by  his 
prayers.  Who. 

LESSON.  (Eccl.  xlv.  1  —  6.)  This  saint  was  beloved  of 
God  and  men:  whose  memory  is  in  benediction.  He  made 
him  like  the  saints  in  glory,  and  magnified  him  in  the  fear 
of  his  enemies.  And  with  his  words  he  made  prodigies  to 
cease.  He  glorified  him  in  the  sight  of  kings,  and  gave  him 
commandments  in  the  sight  of  his  people,  and  shewed  him 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  JOSEPH. 


611 


his  glory.  He  sanctified  him  in  his  faith  and  meekness,  and 
chose  him  out  of  all  flesh.  For  he  heard  him  and  his  voice, 
and  brought  him  into  a  cloud.  And  he  gave  him  command- 
ments before  his  face,  and  a  law  of  life  and  instruction. 

APPLICATION.  What  is  here  said  of  Moses,  may  be  justly 
applied  to  St.  Joseph,  for  which  reason  the  Church  chooses 
this  lesson  for  his  festival  day.  That  St.  Joseph  was  beloved 
of  God,  is  shown  by  his  being  chosen  the  fosterfather  of  the 


R9* 


612        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  JOSEPH. 

Son  of  God,  Jesus  Christ;  his  memory  is  in  benediction,  and  how 
could  his  memory  but  be  blessed,  who  was  the  fosterfather  of 
Him  who  from  the  commencement  of  the  world,  as  its  Creator, 
blessed  all  creatures,  and  who,  by  His  death,  as  Redeemer,  pro- 
cured blessings  and  graces  for  us  who,  on  account  of  our  sins, 
deserved  the  curse  of  God?  God  has  placed  St.  Joseph  with  the 
saints,  and  glorified  him  before  all  kings,  for  he  was  not  only  of 
royal  blood,  but  he  was  fosterfather  to  the  King  of  kings.  His 
humility,  his  purity,  and  his  faithful  love  of  Mary  enabled  him  to 
hear  for  thirty  years  the  tender  voice  of  Jesus;  God  has  also 
brought  him  into  a  cloud,  that  is,  taken  him  up  to  heaven,  where 
he  now  sees  Him  face  to  face,  and  is  a  most  powerful  intercessor 
for  man. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  i.  18—21.)  When  Mary,  the  mother 
of  Jesus,  was  espoused  to  Joseph,  before  they  came  together, 
she  was  found  with  child  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Whereupon  Jo- 
seph her  husband,  being  a  just  man,  and  not  willing  publicly 
to  expose  her,  was  minded  to  put  her  away  privately.  But 
while  he  thought  on  these  things,  behold  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  appeared  to  him  in  his  sleep,  saying:  Joseph,  son  of 
David,  fear  not  to  take  unto  thee  Mary  thy  wife,  for  that 
which  is  conceived  in  her,  is  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  she 
shall  bring  forth  a  Son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus. 
For  he  shall  save  his  people  from  their  sins. 

Why  was  the  blessed  Virgin  espoused  to  St.  Joseph  ? 

St.  Jerome  gives  these  answers  to  this  question:  that  by  Jo- 
seph's descent  from  David  the  descent  of  Mary  and  Jesus  might 
be  proved,  for  in  the  Old  Law  a  woman  was  not  permitted,  to 
marry  out  of  her  own  tribe,  when  there  were  no  male  heirs;  that 
Mary  might  not  be  stoned  as  she  would  have  been,  if  found  un- 
married with  child;  that  Christ  should  not  be  regarded  as  an 
illegitimate  child  and  be,  therefore;  abused  and  repudiated ;  and 
that,  as  St.  Ignatius,  theMartyr,  says,  the  birth  of  Christ  thus  might 
remain  concealed  from  the  devil  who  believed,  that  Christ  was 
not  to  be  born  from  a  virgin  but  from  a  wife;  finally,  that  Mary 
might  have  consolation  and  assistance,  as  at  the  time  of  the  flight 
with  Jesus  into  Egypt. 

Why  did  St.  Joseph  wish  to  leave  Mary  privately? 

Because  he  was  not  instructed  concerning  the  divine  myste- 
ries, and  could  not  from  her  pure,  blameless  life  understand 
Mary's  condition,  and  was  too  full  of  love  to  think  or  assert  evil 
of  her,  or  put  her  to  shame. 


ON  THE  VENERATION  OF  ST.  JOSEPH.  (513 

Why  did  Mary  not  reveal  these  mysteries  to  him  ? 

Because  of  the  humility  which  she  loved  so  much,  that  she 
would  rather  suffer  evil  suspicions  than  reveal  the  great  grace 
which  God  had  shown  her,  besides  which  she  also  trusted,  that 
God  Himself  would  care  for  her  and  make  her  innocence  manifest. 

ON  THE  VENERATION  OF  ST.  JOSEPH. 

"  I  He  example  of  Christ,"  as  St.  Alphonsus  of  Ligouri  writes, 
JL  "  who  so  highly  venerated  St.  Joseph  while  on  earth,  and 
who  was  during  His  whole  life  obedient  to  him,  should  suffice  to 
inspire  all  hearts  with  devotion  to  this  great  saint;"  and  he  whom 
the  King  of  kings  placed  so  high,  indeed  deserves  especial  vene- 
ration from  man.  To  encourage  this  veneration,  St.  Theresa  wrote : 
"I  do  not  remember,  that  I  ever  prayed  to  St.  Joseph  for  any- 
thing which  he  did  not  procure  for  me;  the  great  graces  God  has 
given  me  through  him,  and  the  many  dangers  of  body  and  soul 
from  which  he  has  preserved  me,  are  indeed  truly  wonderful.  It 
seems  as  if  God  has  given  to 'other  saints  the  grace  to  assist  in 
some  special  manner  those  who  seek  their  intercession;  but  of 
this  glorious  saint  my  experience  is,  that  he  assists  in  every  need. 
The  Lord  appears  to  show  by  this,  that  as  He  was  subject  to  him 
on  earth,  so  in  heaven  He  does  every  thing  which  St.  Joseph  re- 
quests of  Him.  Others,  whom  I  have  advised  to  have  recourse  to 
him,  have  experienced  the  same  thing.  I  would  gladly  so  advise 
every  one."  "  1  have  a  great  devotion  to  this  saint,"  continues  St. 
Alphonsus,  "because  I  have  so  often  experienced,  that  he  can  ob- 
tain so  much  from  God.  For  many  years  I  have  been  accustomed 
to  ask  a  special  grace  on  his  festival,  and  my  prayer  is  always 
answered.  As  we  must  all  die,  we  should  all  have  a  special  de- 
votion to  St.  Joseph,  for  all  Catholics  consider  him  as  the  patron 
of  the  dying,  who  assists,  in  the  hour  of  death,  those  who  have 
venerated  him,  and  this  for  three  reason:  because  Jesus  loves  him, 
not  only  as  a  friend,  but  as  His  father,  on  which  account  he  is  a  more 
powerful  intercessor  than  any  other  saint;  because  St.  Joseph  has 
a  special  power  against  evil  spirits  who  attack  us  in  the  hour  of 
death;  for  since  he  freed  our  Saviour  from  the  snares  of  Herod, 
God  has  given  him  the  power  to  guard  the  dying  from  the  attacks 
of  the  devil;  lastly  the  assistance  which  Jesus  and  Mary  rendered 
him  in  the  hour  of  his  death,  gives  him  the  right  to  procure  a 
sweet  and  holy  death  for  his  servants.  If  they,  therefore,  invoke 
him  in  the  hour  of  death,  he  will  not  only  aid  them  himself,  but 
procure  aid  for  them  from  Jesus  and  Mary."  Should  not  these 
words  of  so  great  a  saint  encourage  thee  daily  to  honor  St.'Joseph? 
Should  not  this  hope  of  being  assisted  in  the  hour  of  death  by 
Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  move  thee  to  devotion  to  the  fosterfather 
of  Christ? 


614 


THE  HOLY  ABBOT  BENEDICT. 


PRAYER  TO  ST.  JOSEPH.  0  St.  Joseph,  Mary's  pure 
bridegroom ,  who  because  of  thy  purity  and  love  of  justice 
wast  chosen  for  the  fosterfaster  of  Jesus  Christ,  do  not  leave 
me,  I  beseech  thee,  in  my  necessities  and  cares;  ask  for  me 
the  grace  to  live  a  just  and  pure  life  like  thine,  and  grant, 
that  I  may  obtain  the  happiness  of  dying,  like  thee,  in  the 
arms  of  Jesus  and  Mary.  Amen. 


THE  HOLY  ABBOT  BENEDICT. 

/March  21.] 

Hat  which  our  farmers  and  especially  the  first 
settlers  do  in  our  wild  and  uncultivated  wes- 
tern regions,  was  once  performed  by  the  monks 
of  St.  Benedict  within  the  domains  of  Nor- 
thern Europe.-  They  cleared  the  mighty  for- 
ests which  at  that  time  afforded  protection  to 
the  buffalo  and  the  bear,  they  laid  dry  the 
marshes,  changed  wild  plains  into  fruitful  fields,  they  planted  the 
vine  and  the  noble  fruittrees.  They  preserved  the  sciences  which 
had  fallen  into  disrepute ;  they  stored  up  in  their  cloisters  libraries  of 
the  ancient  classics,  which  without  the  sons  of  St.  Benedict  would 
not  only  be  lost  to  succeeding  generations,  but  not  even  known 
as  having  once  existed.  They  preserved  the  arts  which  were  at 
the  brink  of  perdition,  erecting  and  impellishing  those  great  piles 
scattered  in  so  large  a  number  over  all  Europe.  They  performed 
a  still  greater  work :  they  subjected  the  Goths,  the  Saxons,  the 
Marcomanni,  the  Alemanni  &c.  to  the  sweet  yoke  of  the  cross. 
Their  value  can  never  be  sufficiently  appreciated.  Also  in  Ame- 
rica the  children  of  St.  Benedict  have  established  themselves,  in 
order  to  diffuse  also  in  that  vast  country  the  blessings  of  their  holy 
founder. 

Truly,  St.  Benedict  was  as  his  name  indicates,  a  child  of 
blessing. 

He  was  born  about  the  year  480  at  Nursia  in  Italy.  His  pa- 
rents sent  him,  when  growing  up,  to  Rome,  that  there  he  might 
be  instructed  in  all  the  fine  sciences.  Benedict  soon  perceived  the 
moral  corruption  of  the  Romans,  and  was  seized  by  fear  concern- 
ing his  own  innocence.  In  order  to  escape  the  enticements,  he  left 
Rome  and  sought  his  way  into  the  mountains;  thence  he  went 
to  Subiaco,  a  day's  journey  distant  from  Rome,  where  he  found  a 
desert  with  inhospitable  caverns  in  the  mountain-cliffs.  He  had 
resolved  to  serve  his  God  in  solitude  and  retirement,  and  to  ac- 
quire such  virtues  as  would  enable  him  to  perform  and  undergo 
great  labor  for  the  Church  and  the  welfare  of  his  fellowbrethren. 


THE  HOLY  ABBOT  BENEDICT.  (315 

On  his  way  to  the  desert  he  met  with  a  holy  monk,  named 
Romanus,  to  whom  he  revealed  his  intention.  Romanus  gladly 
approved  of  the  design,  promising  him  to  keep  his  secret,  and  gave 
him  a  monk's  garment.  Benedict  now  chose  for  his  dwelling-place 
an  almost  inaccessible  narrow  grotto  at  the  foot  of  one  of  the 
mountain- cliffs.  Romanus  daily  laid  aside  a  portion  of  his  bread, 
and  secretly  brought  it  to  the  young  hermit,  lowering  it  by  means 
of  a  rope.  The  sound  of  a  bell  attached  to  the  rope  was  to  an- 
nounce the  arrival  of  the  bread. 

Benedict  spent  his  whole  time  in  prayer,  until  God  who  was 
with  him,  made  manifest  his  chosen  instrument.  Shepherds,  feed- 
ing their  flocks  in  the  vicinity,  one  day  discovered  him.  At  first 
they  believed  him  to  be  a  beast,  because  he  was  clad  with  the 
skin  of  a  brute  animal,  also  because  he  hid  in  the  shrubs,  when 
perceiving  himself  discovered.  They  approached  him  and  found 
to  their  astonishment  that  he  was  a  human  being.  Our  saint 
addressed  them  in  a  friendly  manner,  and  availed  himself  of  the 
opportunity  to  impress  upon  their  minds  the  important  and  holy 
doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  thus  effected  in  many  of 
them  an  entire  change  of  life 

In  this  way  the  holy  man  became  known.  In  a  very  short  time 
the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  countries  flocked  around  him, 
eager  for  their  salvation.  They  listened  with  great  attention  to  the 
saint's  pious  instructions,  and  were  so  moved  and  edified  by  them, 
that  many  relinquished  the  world  and  all  its  glory  and  confided 
themselves  to  his  care.  About  this  time  it  pleased  God  to  visit  our 
saint  with  a  severe  trial.  Base  phantoms  and  representations  as 
also  obscene  emotions  tormented  him  day  and  night.  He,  how- 
ever overcame  them  by  pious  and  fervent  prayer  and  by  an  heroic 
act  of  selfcommand  which  was  and  will  always  be  admired  in  him 
by  all  following  generations;  for  when  the  demons  already  thought 
themselves  victors,  our  saint  undressed,  threw  himself  into  a  bush 
of  briars  near  his  grotto,  and  rolled  himself  most  vehemently, 
until  his  wrhole  body  was  dilacerated  and  formed  but  one  wound. 
Thus  he  extinguished  the  flame  of  lust. 

The  fame  of  his  sanctity  daily  increased  and  spread  through- 
out the  country.  It  also  penetrated  into  a  monastery,  the  monks 
of  which  entreated  him  to  come  and  be  their  director.  The 
holy  man  reluctantly  consented.  But  some  of  the  monks  who 
were  accustomed  to  an  easy  and  free  life,  would  not  comply  with 
the  pious  rules  and  regulations  which  Benedict  introduced.  To 
rid  themselves  of  him,  they  resolved  to  mingle  poison  with  his 
wine.  Benedict  never  ate  nor  drank  without  first  blessing  the 
victuals.  But  when  he  came  to  bless  the  wine  in  the  chalice,  the 
latter  bursted  asunder  and  the  mystery  of  their  malice  was  un- 
veiled. Benedict  rose  calmly,  saying:  "Brethren,  may  God  be 
merciful  unto  you!   Why  have  you  done  this  to  me?   Did  I  not 


^16  THE  HOLY  ABBOT  BENEDICT. 

already  tell  you,  that  my  habit  of  life  could  never  be  reconciled 
to  yours.  Find  another  guide  for  yourselves,  since  you  can  no 
longer  have  me  as  such."  Saying  this,  Benedict  returned  to  his 
beloved  desert  with  the  intention,  to  live  there  in  the  happy  com- 
munion with  God  still  more  retired  than  ever. 

The  Almighty  however  wished  that  the  light  which  he  had 
kindled  in  Benedict,  should  no  longer  be  hidden.  The  more  the 
saint  endeavored  to  withdraw  from  the  society  of  men,  so  much 
the  more  disciples  nocked  around  him.  Their  number  daily  in- 
creased, since  they  not  appeared  one  by  one  but  in  large  troops, 
and  demanded  that  they  should  all  live  together  and  form  a  com- 
munity of  which  Benedict  should  be  the  abbot.  The  means  for 
erecting  the  necessary  edifices  and  procuring  real  estates,  were 
not  wanting,  because  the  benefactors  were  numerous.  Thus  within 
the  course  of  some  years  arose  twelve  monasteries  to  each  of 
which  the  saint  gave  an  abbot.  He  himself  lived  in  his  cell  on 
Mount  Cavo,  and  retained  with  him  only  few  disciples  to  whom 
he  was  a  kind  teacher,  abbot,  and  instructor.  The  saint  also 
wrote  a  rule  for  the  monks  of  these  monasteries,  according  to 
which  they  were  to  model  the  lives.  This  rule  is  this  very  day  yet 
the  principle  of  spiritual  life  of  the  Benedictines,  blessed  by  God 
for  all  ages.  The  holy  life  of  St.  Benedict  and  of  his  disciples 
was  not  only  known  in  the  surrounding  country,  but  the  fame 
of  it  reached  even  Borne.  The  hearts  of  many  young  men  burned 
with  the  desire  of  entering  this  holy  community,  and  parents  felt 
greatly  consoled  at  having  found  a  place  of  refuge,  in  which  they 
could  preserve  their  children  from  the  allurements  of  the  world. 
Many  came  to  the  saint,  entreating  him  to  accept  the  tutorship 
of  their  young  sons.  Among  these  were  also  two  Roman  senators 
who  begged  admission  for  their  sons,  named  Maurus  and  Placi- 
dus.  Maurus  was  twelve  years  of  age,  and  brought  the  baptismal 
robe  unstained  into  the  monastery.  He  was  loved  very  much  by 
St.  Benedict  on  account  of  his  unfeigned  humility,  minute  obe- 
dience and  his  purity  of  heart. 

One  day  when  St.  Benedict  was  in  his  cell,  Placidus  whom  he 
no  less,  loved  for  his  pure  soul,  went  to  the  neighboring  sea  in 
order  to  get  some  water.  Dipping  his  bucket  too  hastily  into 
the  water,  he  lost  his  balance  and  fell  into  the  sea.  Benedict 
perceiving  the  danger  of  the  boy,  immediately  called  Maurus. 
"Maurus,"  he  exclaims,  "quick,  hasten  for  the  youth  that  was 
sent  for  water,  for  he  has  fallen  into  the  sea,  and  the  waves 
are  already  carrying  him  off!"  Maurus  instantly  begged  the 
saint's  blessing  and  hastened  in  full  speed  to  the  sea.  He  looked 
at  the  boy,  and  thinking  of  nothing  else  but  the  command  of  sav- 
ing him,  jumped  into  the  water,  and,  behold  the  miracle!  he  runs 
on  the  surface  of  the  water  as  if  it  were  ice.  Thus  he  reached  the 
boy,  seized  him  by  the  hair  and  pulled  him  along  with  himself. 
Not  until  he  had  reached  the  shores  he  became  aware  that  he  had 


THE  HOLY  ABBOT  BENEDICT.  617 

been  walking  on  the  waters,  when  he  almost  fainted  from  fear  and 
admiration.  As  soon  as  he  had  returned  to  the  house,  he  narrated 
to  St.  Benedict  what  had  taken  place.  The  holy  abbot  replied  that 
that  was  the  reward  of  obedience.  But  Maurus  answered  that  he 
had  only  done,  what  he  had  been  ordered  to  do,  and  that  on  his 
own  part  he  could  not  perceive  any  virtuous  act  in  complying 
with  the  command  of  his  father.  But  behold,  when  they  were 
thus  engaged  in  holy  contest,  Placidus  entered  and  acted  as  the 
deciding  judge,  by  saying:  "I  saw  when  I  was  drawn  out  of  the 
water  above  my  head  the  cloak  of  the  abbot  and  perceived  that 
it  was  he  who  dragged  me  to  the  shore." 

More  than  thirty  years  Benedict's  light  had  sent  its  rays  over 
the  Sabine  Mountains.  Every  one  pronounced  his  name  with  rev- 
erence, and  saw  in  him  the  universal  spiritual  benefactor,  pastor 
and  teacher.  Whoever  was  in  need  of  counsel,  came  to  him;  and 
those  that  sought  instruction,  asked  it  of  him;  those  that  felt 
the  necessity  of  prayer,  recommended  themselves  to  him;  in 
short,  all  had  recourse  to  him  in  their  troubles  and  anxieties,  and 
St.  Benedict  in  this  way  gained  the  hearts  of  all  for  the  love  of 
their  crucified  Redeemer.  Many  renounced  the  world  and  offer- 
ed their  necks  to  the  sweet  yoke  of  Him  who  once  said,  that  His 
yoke  was  easy  and  His  burden  light.  Nevertheless, x  to  the  vir- 
tues of  this  great  man  the  crown  was  wanting.  Seven  beatitudes 
he  had  already  acquired,  only  the  eighth  was  missing,  namely: 
"To  suffer  persecution  for  justice  sake;"  but  also  that  he  should 
obtain. 

There  lived  in  the  neighborhood  a  priest,  named  Florentius. 
This  priest  could  not  bear  to  see  the  confidence  placed  by  every 
one  in  our  saint,  and  sought  by  all  means  to  avert  the  people's 
hearts  from  him.  Not  succeeding  in  this,  Florentius  was  greatly 
enraged,  and  becoming  daily  more  embrittered  by  jealousy  resolved 
to  kill  the  saint.  In  those  times  it  was  yet  a  pious  custom  in  the 
Church  to  send  each  other  in  token  of  holy  love  a  loaf  of  blessed 
bread,  called  Eulogia.  Florentius  poisoned  one  these  loafs,  and 
sent  it  to  the  holy  man  who  accepted  it  with  thanks.  St.  Benedict 
immediately  discovered  what  was  wrong  with  it,  and  had  it  carried 
by  a  raven  who  daily  received  his  food  at  the  hand  of  the  saint, 
to  a  place  where  it  could  not  injure  anybody.  Florentius  being 
aware  that  he  was  also  foiled  in  his  infernal  attempt,  meditated 
revenge  on  the  souls  of  the  saint's  holy  community.  When  they 
were  laboring  in  the  garden,  in  which  also  the  holy  abbot  was 
with  them,  he  sent  seven  unchaste  women  into  the  neighborhood 
of  it,  and  ordered  them  to  dance  in  a  circle  taking  each  other  by 
the  hand,  that  thus  they  might  inflame  the  hearts  of  the  young 
men  with  impurity.  When  St.  Benedict  saw  this,  he  also  frus- 
trated this  devilish  trick  of  Florentius.  Seized,  however,  by  fear 
and  pain  as  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  his  children,  Benedict  re- 
solved to  leave  the  country,  where  eternal  perdition  was  threat- 


61 8  TIIE  HOLY  ABBOT  BENEDICT. 

ening  them.  Having  entrusted  the  different  monasteries  to  the 
care  of  some  of  the  elder  monks,  he  left  with  the  rest  for  Mount 
Cassino,  which  is  situated  between  Rome  and  Naples.  Florentius 
was  almost  in  a  transport  of  joy,  when  he  perceived  his  ardent 
desire  at  last  fulfilled ;  but  the  joy  was  of  short  duration.  Sud- 
denly his  dwellinghouse  fell  in  joy",  burying  him  below  its  ruins. 

St.  Benedict  found  on  Mount  Cassino  many  remains  of  idola- 
try, as  temples  and  altars,  which  were  visited  during  the  night 
by  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighborhood.  The  saint  however  was 
determined  on  here  making  an  end  to.  heathenism.  He  tore  down 
the  temples  and  altars  of  the  pagans,  and  in  their  places  erect- 
ed two  chapels,  one  in  honor  of  Martin  of  Tours,  the  other  in 
honor  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  adjacent  to  which  he  also  built  a 
large  monastery.  While  this  was  done,  he  did  not  omit  to  open 
the  eyes  of  these  blind  idolators,  and  to  win  them  over  to  the  only 
true  faith. 

Unceasingly  he  preached  on  the  streets  and  even  pene- 
trated into  their  houses.  Incessant  were  his  prayers  to  God  in 
their  behalf.  Gradually  he  succeeded  in  gaining  them  over.  At 
first  only  some  demanded  holy  baptism,  but  by  and  by  they  all 
flocked  to  him,  earnestly  beseeching  him,  not  to  deprive  them  of 
the  grace  of  this  holy  sacrament.  But  Satan,  the  father  of  false- 
hood and. prince  of  darkness,  could  not  suffer  to  see  himself  de- 
feated by  our  saint,  and  tried  in  every  way  to  impede  the  con- 
version of  these  souls.  He  appeared  to  Benedict  in  the  most 
hideous  fyrms,  raising  hellish  shouts  and  yells.  The  other  monks 
heard  his  horrible  clamors,  although  they  could  not  see  the  hide- 
ous forms.  Benedict's  zeal  was  by  no  means  impaired  by  these 
terrific  spectacles,  but  he  continued  to  propagate  the  holy  faith 
over  the  whole  country. 

Whilst  the  monastery  was  being  erected,  Satan  appeared  in  the 
saint's  cell,  mocking  and  deriding  him,  saying,  that  he  had  come 
to  visit  the  workmen.  The  holy  man  immediately  informed  the 
monks  by  a  messenger,  saying:  Brethren,  be  on  your  guard,  for 
in  this  hour  Satan  will  come  to  you.  Hardly  had  the  messenger 
pronounced  these  words,  when  the  wall  which  they  were  then 
erecting,  fell  into  ruins,  killing  a  boy  who  already  wore  the  habit 
of  the  order.  The  monks  greatly  afflicted,  informed  the  saint  of 
what  had  occured,  who  ordered  the  dead  boy  to  be  brought  to 
him.  Since,  however,  not  only  all  the  limbs  of  the  body  were 
broken,  but  even  all  the  bones  of  it  crushed,  they  picked  up  the 
pieces  of  it  into  a  bedsheet,  and  thus  carried  them  to  the  holy 
abbot.  The  saint  had  the  body  laid  upon  a  matrass  in  his  cell,  on 
which  he  was  wont  to  say  his  prayers.  Having  ordered  the 
monks  to  leave  him,  he  locked  himself  up,  and  began  to  pray  most 
fervently  to  God;  when  lo!  even  in  that  hour  the  boy  was  sent 
back  to  resume  his  work. 


THE  HOLY  ABBOT  BENEDICT.  619 

Already  while  the  erection  of  the  new  monasteries  was  going 
on,  and  especially  after  they  were  completed,  the  number  of 
monks  rapidly  increased.  The  saint  was  most  vigilant  that  the 
rule,  which  he  had  given  them,  should  be  observed.  He  prayed 
incessantly  to  God  for  illumination  in  order  to  guide  his  commu- 
nity in  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  mortification.  God  granted  to  him 
what  he  had  demanded,  nay  more,  for  he  had  the  gift  to  under- 
stand things  hidden,  as  also  to  foresee  future  events. 

One  day  while  our  saint  took  his  evening  repast,  a  monk,  who 
was  a  lawyer's  son,  held  the  lamp  for  him,  in  whose  heart  arose, 
while  performing  this  charitable  act,  thoughts  of  pride;  for  he 
thought  by  himself,  "Who  is  he  whom  I  have  to  serve  at  table  thus 
holding  the  lamp  for  him,  and  who  am  I,  that  I  tolerate  this  wil- 
lingly, and  execute  so  degrading  a  work?"  Benedict's  spirit  pene- 
trated into  the  heart  of  the  culprit,  and  soon  rebuked  him  severely 
in  the  following  terms:  "Brother,  cross  thy  breast!  What  are  you 
speaking  in  your  heart?  Cross  thy  breast !"  Seeing  that  his  reproach 
was  to  no  effect,  he  called  the  other  monks,  had  the  lamp  taken 
out  of  his  hand,  dismissed  him  from  his  occupation,  and  ordered 
that  he  should  remain  alone  for  that  hour.  The  haughty  monk 
was  bettered  by  this  chastisement,  and  afterwards  humbly  con- 
fessed his  fault  to  his  fellowbrethren  who  thereby  were  greatly 
edified.  — 

The  wicked  and  haughty  king  of  the  Goths,  Totila,  who  in  his 
arrogance  acknowledged  no  superior  on  earth,  saw  himself  never- 
theless impelled  to  bow  before  the  spirit  that  dwelled  in  St.  Be- 
nedict. He  had  been  informed  of  the  prophetic  spirit  of  Benedict, 
and  not  believing  in  this  divine  gift,  he  wished  to  try  the  holy 
man.  He,  therefore,  came  to  Mount  Cassino  with  his  servant 
Riggo  who*i  he  ordered  to  vest  in  his  royal  robes  and  thus  appear 
before  the  saint.  The  saint,  however,  as  soon  as  he  saw  him 
approaching,  addressed  him  at  a  distance:  "My  son!  depose  the 
vestments  you  have  on,  they  are  not  yours ! "  Riggo  and  all  who 
accompanied  him,  were  terrorstricken  at  these  words.  At  the 
thought  of  having  intended  to  deceive  so  holy  a  man,  Riggo  fell 
prostrate  on  the  ground,  after  which  he  hastened  to  king  Totila, 
informing  him  of  all  that  had  taken  place.  Totila  struck  with  con- 
sternation, did  not  hesitate  himself  to  come  to  the  saint.  He  threw 
himself  at  his  feet,  and  did  not  venture  to  rise,  until  the  saint 
approached  him,  and  taking  him  by  the  hand  raised  him  up.  St. 
Benedict  now  reproved  the  penitent  king  for  his  conduct,  saying : 
"You  perpetrate  many  crimes,  you  have  perpetrated  many  al- 
ready; forsake  at  last  the  ways  of  injustice.  You  will  enter  Rome, 
will  cross  the  ocean,  and  will  reign  nine  years  hence,  but  in  the 
tenth  you  will  die!"  What  St.  Benedict  here  predicted,  was 
minutely  fulfilled. 

Not  long  afterwards  when  Totila  was  about  to  besiege  Rome, 
the  bishop  of  Canosa  was  with  the  saint,  and  remarked  to  him : 


620  THE  HOLY  ABBOT  BENEDICT. 

the  city  would  be  destroyed  by  this  king*  and  henceforward  it 
would  remain  uninhabitated.  The  saint,  however,  replied,  that 
through  these  wandering  tribes  the  city  would  not  be  destroyed, 
but  that  it  would  be  molested  by  storms,  hurricanes  and  earth- 
quakes in  such  a  manner  as  finally  to  dissolve  in  itself.  St.  Gre- 
gory the  great,  who  afterwards  wrote  the  life  of  our  saint,  remarks 
in  relation  to  this:  "The  mystery  of  this  prophecy  is  at  hand; 
it  is  manifest  to  us  all  who  witness  the  downfall  of  the  city- 
walls,  churches  and  houses  by  storm  and  the  ruin. of  its  edifices 
by  age." 

A  noble  man  Theoprobus,  who  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the 
holy  man,  one  day  entered  his  cell  and  found  him  weeping  bit- 
terly. For  some  time  he  remained  at  a  distance,  thinking  that 
the  saint  was  absorbed  in  prayer  and  was  shedding  tears  as  he 
was  wont  to  do.  Seeing,  however,  that  Benedict  was  not  engaged 
in  prayer,  he  approached  him,  enquiring  for  the  reason  of  his 
affliction.  Immediately  the  holy  man  replied :  "  This  entire  mo- 
nastery which  I  have  erected  and  all  that  I  with  my  brethren 
have  brought  in  order,  is  by  decree  of  the  Almighty  delivered 
unto  the  heathens;  hardly  could  I  obtain  from  His  majesty  the 
salvation  of  the  souls  (that  is,  the  lives)  of  the  monks."  Forty 
years  after  this  prediction,  the  monastery  was  destroyed  by  the 
Longobardi  who  invaded  it  during  the  night,  yet  none  of  the 
monks  was  killed.  Like  all  friends  of  God,  so  also  St.  Benedict 
had  compassion  with  all  who  were  afflicted,  and  an  unshaken  con- 
fidence in  God.  During  a  famine  which  at  that  time  ravaged  the 
country,  the  saint  distributed  among  the  poor  all  that  he  pos- 
sessed of  eatables.  Nothing  was  left  save  a  little  oil,  when  a  sub- 
deacon,  named  Agapitus,  came  asking  for  a  little  of  it.  The  saint 
ordered  that  the  scanty  remnant  should  immediately  be  given  him. 
The  steward  of  the  monastery,  however,  refused  it.  When  St. 
Benedict  asked  him  whether  he  had  given  the  oil  to  the  poor 
subdeacon,  the  brother  steward  apologized  that  if  he  had  given  it 
to  him,  nothing  would  have  remained  for  the  monks.  The  saint  in- 
flamed with  holy  anger,  ordered  him  to  fling  the  oilvessel  out  the 
window.  It  was  done.  Outside  of  the  window  was  a  precipice,  from 
which  rocks  and  cliffs  projected.  Every  one  thought,  that  the 
vessel  wrould  be  dashed  in  a  thousand  pieces.  But  it  wras  well  pre- 
served, not  even  a  drop  of  oil  having  been  spilled.  The  saint 
then  gave  it  to  the  petitioner.  The  monastery  was  now  totally 
destitute  of  provisions.  To  whom  should  the  monks  have  re- 
course in  order  to  appease  their  hunger?  The  saint,  however,  was 
not  in  the  least  embarassment  concerning  the  imminent  danger. 
They  all  had  recourse  to  prayer.  In  the  place  where  they  prayed 
there  was  a  large  oil-vessel  with  a  heavy  cover.  They  prayed  for 
a  long  time.  But  behold !  the  cover  of  the  vessel  began  to  rise 
and  the  oil  rushed  forth  in  abundance  from  the  vessel.  Now  St. 
Benedict  terminated  his  prayer  and  the  oil  seized  flowing.    The 


THE  HOLY  ABBOT  BENEDICT. 


621 


saint  availed  himself  of  this  wonderful  event  to  admonish  the  dif- 
fident steward  to  be  more  confident  in  the  goodness  of  God.  The 
saint  also  by  his  faithful  prayers  raised  the  dead  to  life.  Thus  he 
restored  to  life  the  son  of  a  peasant,  who  had  been  most  ardently 
entreating  him. 

Endowed  with  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  decorated  with  the 
power  of  miracles,  also  ornamented  with  every  virtue,  especially 
that  of  prayer,  our  saint  broadly  diffused  heavenly  blessings, 
especially  by  the  erection  of  so  many  monasteries,  even  in  far 
distant  countries  in  which  his  spirit  continued  to  live  among  his 
children.  Thousands  of  youths  received  in  them  a  religious  train- 
ing and  an  educational  instruction.  Popes,  bishops,  and  a  host  of 
learned  and  pious  men,  went  forth  from  these  monasteries. 

The  saint  had  a  dear  and  pious  sister,  named  Scholastica, 
whose  feast  the  Church  celebrates  on  the  10th  of  February.  She 
together  with  other  holy  virgins  led  a  most  holy  life  in  a  convent 
about  three  miles  distant  from  Mount  Cassino.  This  sister  God 
had  taken  to  Himself.  Benedict  saw  her  soul  soaring  towards 
heaven  in  the  shape  of  a  dove.  He  was  seized  with  a  longing  to 
be  united  to  his  beloved  sister  in  heaven,  there  to  praise  God  for- 
ever. He  ardently  desired  death  and  foretold  the  hour  of  it  to 
his  children.  On  the  15th  of  March  543,  he  ordered  his  grave  to 
be  opened.  He  soon  was  attacked  by  a  fever  and  in  defiance  of 
the  precaution  taken  in  administering  him,  the  illness  increased. 
On  the  21st  of  March  he  ordered  his  monks  to  carry  him.  into  the 
oratory,  where  he  received  the  holy  viaticum  to  strengthen  him- 
self for  the  last  struggle,  and  standing  upright,  supported  by  his 
beloved  children,  with  hands  raised  in  prayers  towards  heaven, 
he  yielded  his  pure  soul  into  the  hands  of  its  creator. 

[For  prayer  of  the  Church,  Epistle  and  Gospel  see  feast 
of  St.  Anthony.] 


INSTRUCTION 

FORTHEFESTIVALOFTHEANNUNCIATION 

OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 

[March  25  J 

His  festival  is  thus  named,  because  the  Church 
on  this  day  celebrates  the  commemoration  of 
the  day  ever  memorable  in  the  Book  of  Life, 
upon  which  the  holy,  angelically  pure  Virgin 
Mary  received  the  glorious  announcement, 
that  she  was  chosen  to  be  the  Mother  of  the 
^  Redeemer. 

The  Church  in  the  Introit  exclaims:  All  the  rich  among 
the  people  shall   entreat  thy   countenance:    after  her 


622  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL 

shall  virgins  be  brought  to  the  king:  her  neighbors 
shall  be  brought  to  thee  in  joy  and  gladness.  My  heart 
hath  uttered  a  good  word:  I  speak  my  words  to  the 
king.    Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &e. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  wast  pleased 
that  Thy  Word,  when  the  angel  delivered  his  message,  should 
take  flesh  in  the  womb  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary:  give  ear 
to  our  humble  petitions ;  and  grant,  that  we,  who  believe 
her  to  be  truly  the  Mother  of  God,  may  be  helped  by  her 
prayers. 

[The  Lesson  and  Explanation  as  on  Ember -Wednesday  in 
Advent.] 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  i.  26—38.)  At  that  time:  The  angel 
Gabriel  was  sent  from  God  into  a  city  of  Galilee,  called  Na- 
zareth, to  a  virgin  espoused  to  a  man  whose  name  was  Jo- 
seph, of  the  house  of  David ;  and  the  virgin's  name  was  Mary. 
And  the  angel  being  come  in,  said  unto  her:  Hail  Mary,  full 
of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee :  blessed  art  thou  among  wo- 
men. Who  having  heard,  was  troubled  at  his  saying,  and 
thought  with  herself  what  manner  of  salutation  this  should 
be.  And  the  angel  said  to  her:  Fear  not,  Mary,  for  thou  hast 
found  grace  with  God.  Behold,  thou  shalt  conceive  in  thy 
womb,  and  shalt  bring  forth  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his 
name  Jesus.  He  shall  be  great,  and  shall  be  called  the  Son 
of  the  Most  High,  and  the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him  the 
throne  of  David  his  father :  and  he  shall  reign  in  the  house 
of  Jacob  for  ever,  and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end. 
And  Mary  said  to  the  angel:  How  shall  this  be  done,  because 
I  know  not  man?  And  the  angel  answering,  said  to  her: 
The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the 
Most  High  shall  overshadow  thee.  And  therefore  also  the 
Holy  which  shall  be  born  of  thee,  shall  be  called  the  Son  of 
God.  And  behold,  thy  cousin  Elizabeth  she  also  hath  con- 
ceived a  son  in  her  old  age;  and  this  is  the  sixth  month  with 
her  that  is  called  barren :  because  no  word  shall  be  impos- 
sible with  God.  And  Mary  said :  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the 
Lord,  be  it  done  to  me  according  to  thy  word. 


OF  THE  ANNUNCIATION  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.         ^'23 


Why  does  the  Evangelist  so  minutely  detail  the  announcement  of 
the  Incarnation? 
That  we  may  clearly  take  into  our  thoughts,  believe  in,  and 
meditate  upon  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  upon  which  de- 
pends our  eternal  salvation. 

Why  was  an  any  el  sent  to  Mary? 
To  announce  to  her,  that  it  was  God's  will,  that  His  divine 
Son,  in  order  to  redeem  the  human  race  by  His  sufferings  and 
death,  should  take  human  nature  from  her,  and  because  from  the 
human  race,  redeemed  by  Christ,  the  number  of  angels  was  to  be 
replaced. 

Was  the  Incarnation  necessary  for  our  redemption? 
Yes;  for,  as  God,  Christ  could  not  suffer,  and  without  an  in- 
finitely meritorious  suffering  which  no  one  but  God  could  give, 


624  1NSTRU  UTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL 

sufficient  satisfaction  could  not  have  been  rendered,  and,  there- 
fore, God  the  Son  must  humble  Himself  before  God  and  suffer, 
which  could  only  be  by  His  becoming  incarnate.  This  shows  the 
enormity  of  sin,  for  which  no  man  however  pure,  no,  not  even  an 
angel,  but  only  a  God-Man  could  atone. 

Why  did  God  require  Mary's  consent  for  the  Incarnation  of 

His  Son? 

To  show  us  that  God  forces  no  one  to  good,  much  less  to  evil; 
that  we  might  learn,  that  even  to  good  works  our  good  intention 
and  assent  are  necessary,  if  we  wish  them  to  be  meritorious;  in 
order,  as  St.  Bede  says,  that  Mary  because  of  her  consent  should 
have  imparted  to  her  all,  even  the  highest  graces,  which  all  crea- 
tures as  well  as  all  angels  and  men  have  ever  by  their  thoughts, 
words,  and  deeds  deserved. 

Why  was  Mary  troubled  at  the  angel's  message  ? 
Partly  from  humility,  partly  from  modesty.  She  was  so  humble, 
that  she  regarded  herself  as  the  least  of  all  creatures,  and  could 
not  comprehend,  how  such  an  honor  could  be  hers.  She  was  so 
modest,  and  so  loved  virginal  purity,  that  the  presence  of  the 
angel  and  his  message  troubled  her.  From  this  all  maidens  should 
see,  that  their  loveliest  adornments  and  most  necessary  virtues  are 
modesty,  and  humility,  and  love  of  purity,  which  Mary  so  valued, 
that  she  would  not  lose  them  even  to  become  Mother  of  God. 

What  is  meant  by  the  throne  of  David? 
The  kingdom  of  Christ,  of  which  David's  government  was  a 
representation.  (Ps.  cxxxi.) 

Why  is  David  called  the  father  of  Christ? 
Because  Christ's  Mother,  Mary,  descended  from  the  house  of 
David,  and,  therefore,  David  according  to  nature  was  the  fore- 
father of  Christ. 

Who  was  the  real  father  of  Christ? 
Properly  to  answer  this,  we  must  observe  that  in  Christ  there 
are  two  natures,  the  divine  and  the  human.  In  His  human  nature 
He  had  indeed  a  mother,  but  no  father,  for  Joseph  was  only  His 
fosterfather ;  in  His  divine  nature  He  had  no  mother,  but  only  a 
father,  the  Heavenly  Father. 

How,  then,  was  Christ  conceived? 
By  the  overshadowing  and  power  oi^ithe  Holy  Ghost,  who  by 
His  divine  omnipotence  effected  the  conception  of  Him  whom  Mary 
was  to  bring  forth. 

How  should  we  be  encouraged  by  the  words:  No  word  shall 
be  impossible  with  God? 
We  should  be  encouraged  by  them  to  a  great  confidence  in 
God,  who  can  readily  help  us  in  the  most  difficult  circumstances, 


OF  THE  ANNUNCIATION  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.         (J25 

even  when  help  seems  impossible,  and  who  will  also  help  us,  if 
it  is  beneficial  for  us,  and  we  ask  Him.  This  words  moreover  ad- 
monish us  to  a  firm  faith  which  cannot  be  shaken  by  the  most 
incomprehensible  mystery  in  matters  of  faith. 

Why  does  Mary  call  herself  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord? 

From  humility,  which  next  to  her  maidenly  modesty  was  her 
most  remarkable  virtue,  which  causes  St.  Bernard  to  say:  "By 
her  purity  she  pleased  God,  and  by  her  humility  she  received 
Him." 

EXPLANATION  OF  THE  "HAIL  MARY"  OR  THE 
ANGELIC  SALUTATION. 

BWhy  is  the  "Hail  Mary"  called  the  Angelic  Salutation? 
Ecause  it  commences  with  the  words  addressed  to  Mary  by 
the  Angel  Gabriel,  when  he  brought  her  the  message,  that 
she  was  to  be  the  Mother  of  God. 

In  what  does  the  Hail  Mary  consist? 
Of  the  words  of  the  Angel  Gabriel ;  of  St.  Elisabeth's  saluta- 
tion, when  she  was  visited  by  Mary;  of  words,  added  by  the  Ca- 
tholic Church. 

What  words  did  the  angel  say  to  Mary? 
Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee, 
blessed  art  thou  amongst  women! 

What  is  meant  by  these  words? 
The  word  Hail,  that  is,  Salutation  to  thee!  Peace  with  thee! 
or,  Joy  to  thee !  also  expresses  the  reverence  which  the  angel  had 
for  the  blessed  Virgin,  and  which  we  should  have  for  her.  Mary 
was  the  maiden's  name,  great  and  mysterious,  for  Mary  means 
Virgin.  Christ  is  "Our  Lord",  Mary  "Our  Virgin".  Mary  means 
also  "the  enlightened",  and  Christ  is  the  sun  of  justice,  Mary  is 
beautiful  as  the  moon,  she  has  her  radiance  from  the  sun,  and  is  a 
light  for  us  poor  sinners.  Mary  means  again  "Star  of  the  Sea",  and 
she  it  is  who  shines  for  us  voyagers  on  the  stormy  ocean  of  life  to 
the  heavenly  fatherland.  The  words:  full  of  grace,  show  us 
that  God  had  given  more  grace  to  her  than  to  all  men  and  angels 
together.  As  there  may  be  many  vessels  filled  with  a  precious  cor- 
dial, but  the  largest  vessel  contains  the  greatest  quantity,  so  there 
are  many  saints  who  are  full  of  grace,  but  Mary  has  more  grace 
than  any.  We  should  for  this  reason  always  pray  with  confidence 
to  her  to  obtain  for  us,  by  her  powerful  intercession,  those  graces 
which  are  most  necessary  for  our  salvation.  By  the  words:  the 
Lord  is  with  thee,  the  angel  intended  to  express,  that  the 
Lord  was  with  this  maiden  in  every  way,  that  He  is  with  His  pure 
creatures,  not  only  in  His  reality,  presence,  and  omnipotence  as 
with  all  men,  not  only  in  His  grace  as  with  the  just,  but  with  the 


40 


626  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  HAIL  MARY  OR  THE  ANGELIC  SALUTATION. 

greatest  and  most  extraordinary  grace,  love,  and  familiarity.  St. 
Augustine  observes:  "The  angel  wished  to  say:  The  Lord  is  with 
thee  more  than  with  me;  the  Lord  is  with  thee,  so  that  He  may 
be  in  thy  heart,  in  thy  body,  may  fill  thy  spirit,  fill  thy  flesh." 
"Could  God  raise  her  higher!"  St.  Bernard  here  exclaims.  Ah, 
that  the  Lord  might  be  with  us  also,  and  Mary  by  her  interces- 
sion obtain  graces  for  us!  Finally,  the  words:  Blessed  art 
thou  amongst  women,  mean:  thou  art  the  most  blessed,  the 
happiest  of  women,  for  thou  of  all  thy  sex  art  chosen  to  be  the 
Mother  of  God,  at  the  same  time  Mother  and  Maid.  Maid  and 
Mother !  How  much  is  contained  in  the  salutation  which  one  of 
the  highest  spirits  surrounding  the  throne  of  God,  addressed  to 
Mary,  and  how  much  it  requires  us  to  love  and  daily  salute  Mary, 
our  most  tender  Mother! 

What  are  the  words  used  by  St.  Elisabeth,  and  what  is  their 
signification  ? 

Elisabeth  repeated  the  angel's  words:  Blessed  art  thou 
amongst  women,  adding  "and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb," 
which  signified,  that  Jesus  should  be  praised,  because  through  Him 
God  would  bestow  all  spiritual  and  heavenly  blessings  upon  us. 

Which  are  the  words  added  by  the  Church? 
Those  which  follow  the  words:  "and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of 
thy  womb,"  explaining  them:  Jesus,  by  which  she  wishes  us  to 
see,  that  we  are  to  offer  this  prayer  to  God  in  the  name  of  Christ; 
and  then  the  invocation  to  Mary:  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of 
God,  pray  for  us  sinners,  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our 
death.  Amen. 

What  do  these  words  mean  ? 

When  we  say  Holy  Mary,  we  mean  to  express,  that  Mary 
is  God's  holy  and  wonderful  work,  Daughter  of  the  Heavenly 
Father,  Mother  of  the  Son,  and  Bride  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
has  all  her  sanctity,  beauty,  and  veneration  from  the  fruit  of 
her  womb,  Jesus  Christ.  The  glorious  title  of  Mother  of  God 
is  given  her,  because  Mary  bore  not  an  ordinary  man,  but  Jesus 
Christ  who  is  both  God  and  Man.  Therefore  from  her  was  born 
the  Son  of  God,  the  incarnate  God,  not  a  man  who  appeared  like 
God,  but  God  in  flesh.  She  is,  then,  really  and  truly  the  Mother 
of  God,  our  Lord's  Mother.  The  fathers  who  had  assembled  in 
the  holy  Council  of  Chalcedon,  to  refute  the  heresy  of  Nesto- 
rius,  who  sought  to  deprive  Mary  of  the  title  of  Mother  of  God, 
called  her  "Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God:  the  Virgin  Mary  is 
the  Mother  of  God!"  As  of  herself  Mary  is  not  holy,  and  cannot 
of  herself  help  us,  we  add:  pray  for  us,  by  which  we  ask  for 
her  powerful  intercession;  and  conscious  of  our  poverty  and  sin- 
fulness, call  ourselves  poor  sinners,  whose  only  mediator  is 
Christ,  it  is  true,  but  who  turn  to  Mary,  the  Mother  of  mercy,  be- 
cause they  feel  themselves  too  unworthy  to  pray  to  Christ  Him- 


ON  THE  ANGELUS  DOMINI,  THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  LORD.     627 

self,  and,  therefore,  entreat  this  loving  mother  to  obtain  for  them 
amendment  of  life,  remission  of  sin,  consolation  in  affliction,  rem- 
edy in  sickness,  assistance  in  need,  increase  of  grace,  preserva- 
tion, perseverance,  and  the  crown;  and  may  Mary  pray  for  us 
now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death.  Now,  while  the  divine 
mercy  is  given  us,  and  especially  in  the  hour  of  death,  when  the 
weapons  tor  battle  against  the  enemy  fall  from  our  hands,  and  the 
evil  one  tempts  us  all  the  more  violently,  because  he  knows  that 
his  time  is  short  (Apoc.  xii.  12.),  in  that  hour  on  which  depends 
our  eternal  welfare  or  grief.  By  the  one  word  Amen  we  affirm, 
that  we  remain  true  venerators  of  the  Virgin  Mother  of  God,  and 
at  all  time  expect  grace  from  God  through  her  intercession.  "Yes," 
says  St.  Bernard,  "let  us  as  sincerely,  heartily,  and  confidently 
venerate  Mary  as  we  can,  for  such  is  His  will  who  desired,  that 
we  should  have  all  (salvation  and  redemption  in  Christ)  through 
Mary."  The  Son  will  assuredly  hear  the  Mother,  and  the  Father 
the  Son.  Let  us,  then,  strive  to  rise  by  her  to  Him  who  by  her 
came  down  to  us! 

Through  thee,  0  blessed  Discoverer  of  grace!  Mother  of 
life!  Mother  of  salvation!  we  have  access  to  the  Son,  who 
accepts  us  from  thee,  who  was  given  us  by  thee  —  to  Jesus 
Christ,  eternally  blessed. 

ON  THE  "ANGELUS  DOMINI",  THE  ANGEL  OF  THE 

LORD. 

Who  introduced  the  angelic  salutation  into  the  Catholic 

P  Church ? 

Ope  Urban  II,  who  at  the  Council  of  Clermont,  France,  in 
1095,  ordered  that  the  bells  be  rung  every  day  in  the  morn- 
ing, at  noon,  and  night,  and  that  at  each  time  be  repeated  the 
angelic  salutation.  His  special  intention  was  to  obtain  Mary's 
protection  for  the  crusades.  The  crusades  which  had  for  their 
object  the  rescuing  of  the  holy  Sepulchre  from  the  hands  of  the 
infidels,  took  place  in  the  eleventh  century.  These  wars  are  now 
ended,  but  the  life  of  the  whole  Church,  of  every  Christian,  is  a 
crusade  against  sin  and  temptation.  We  always  need  Mary's  pro- 
tection; and,  therefore,  the  custom  of  repeating  the  salutation  is 
still  retained  in  the  Church.  Formerly  at  the  ringing  of  the  An- 
gelus,  all  the  faithful  fell  on  their  knees,  and  even  now  pious 
Catholics  do  so.  Do  you  kneel  also,  for  you  thus  venerate  the 
Mother  of  Jesus,  and  by  her  Jesus  Himself.  St.  Charles  Borromeo, 
an  Archbishop,  did  not  hesitate  to  kneel  in  the  open  street  and 
repeat  the  angelic  salutation. 

In  what  does  the  ''Angelas  Domini"  consist? 
In  this  that  we  say  three  Ave  Maria ;  before  the  first  one  we 
say:  The  angel  of  the  Lord  declared  unto  Mary,  and  she 


628 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  SEVEN  DOLORS 


was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost;  before  the  second:  Be- 
hold the  handmaid  of  the  Lord;  be  it  done  unto  me 
according  to  thy  word;  before  the  third:  and  the  word  was 
made  flesh  and  dwelt  amongst  us. 

Why  and  how  often  is  the  Angelus  Domini  said? 
It  is  said  in  order  to  remind  us  of  Christ's  Incarnation  and  in 
thanks  for  it;  to  ask  the  blessed  Virgin's  maternal  protection 
against  all  enemies  visible  and  invisible;  to  recollect  at  least  three 
times  in  the  day,  morning,  noon,  and  night,  like  David  to  give 
praise  to  God,  and  take  a  little  time  expressly  for  prayer,  for 
which  purpose  the  bells  are  rung  three  times  a  day. 

How  should  we  say  the  Angelus  Domini? 
With  respect,  that  is,  slowly  and  kneeling  (except  on  Saturday 
evenings  and  Sundays  in  Easter-time,  when  it  is  said  standing); 
contritely,  since  Christ  became  man  because  of  our  sins;  devoutly, 
that  is,  heart  and  lips  should  be  in  accord. 

'SALUTATION  TO  MARY. 
Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace!  I  rejoice  and  give  thee  joy,  that 
thou  wert  chosen  for  the  Mother  of  the  Most  High  and  Queen 
of  heaven  and  earth.  With  thee  is  the  Father  who  from  all 
eternity  begot  Him  whom  thou  didst  bear;  with  thee  is  the 
Son  whom  thou  didst  carry  in  thy  virginal  womb;  with  thee 
is  the  Holy  Ghost,  overshadowed  by  whose  power  thou  didst 
become  the  Mother  of  God.  Thou  art  blessed  amongst  women, 
thou  art  the  Joy  of  heaven  and  the  Ornament  of  the  Church 
of  God,  pray  for  us  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION 

FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  SEVEN  DOLORS 

OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 

[On  the  Friday  before  Palm- Sunday  J 

His  festival  is  thus  named,  because  the  various 
sufferings  Mary  endured  during  her  whole 
life,  may  he  placed  under  seven  heads:  1.  Her 
son's  circumcision.   2.  The  flight  into  Egypt. 

3.  The  three  days  He  was  lost  in  the  temple. 

4.  When  she  saw  Him  carrying  His  cross.  5. 
His  death.  6.  The  taking  down  from  the  cross. 

7.  His  burial.  In  continual  remembrance  of  these  sorrows,  the 
Church  ordered  this  festival,  and  for  this  reason  the  dolorous 
mother  is  represented  with  one,  sometimes  with  seven  swords 
piercing  her  heart. 


OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.  629 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  in  whose  passion, 
according  to  Simeon's  prophecy,  the  sword  of  grief,  pierced 
the  sweet  soul  of  glorious  Mary,  the  Virgin-Mother;  grant 
in  Thy  mercy,  that  we,  who  with  honor  commemorate  her 
sorrows  and  sufferings,  may  be  helped  by  the  glorious  mer- 
its and  prayers  of  all  the  saints  that  faithfully  stood  by  Thy 
cross,  so  as  to  partake  of  the  hap~py  fruits  of  Thy  passion. 
Who  liveth. 

LESSON.  {Judith  xiii.  22  —  25.)  The  Lord  hath  blessed 
thee  by  his  power,  because  by  thee  he  hath  brought  our 
enemies  to  nought.  Blessed  art  thou,  0  daughter,  by  the 
Lord  the  most  high  God,  above  all  women  upon  the  earth. 
Blessed  be  the  Lord  who  made  heaven  and  earth.  Because  he 
hath  so  magnified  thy  name  this  day,  that  thy  praise  shall 
not  depart  out  of  the  mouth  of  men,  who  shall  be  mindful 
of  the  power  of  the  Lord  for  ever,  for  that  thou  hast  not 
spared  thy  life,  by  reason  of  the  distress  and  tribulation  of 
thy  people,  but  hast  prevented  our  ruin  in  the  presence  of 
our  God. 

GOSPEL.  (Johnxix.  25—27.)  At  that  time:  There  stood 
by  the  cross  of  Jesus,  his  mother,  and  his  mother's  sister, 
Mary  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary  Magdalen.  When  Jesus  there- 
fore had  seen  his  mother,  and  the  disciple  standing,  whom 
he  loved,  he  saith  to  his  mother:  Woman,  behold  thy  son; 
after  that,  he  saith  to  the  disciple:  Behold  thy  mother.  And 
from  that  hour  the  disciple  took  her  to  his  own. 

[An  indulgence  of  one  hundred  days  is  obtained  by  repeating 
with  devotion  and  contrition  the  following  hymn.] 

STABAT  MATER. 


At  the  Cross  her  station  keeping, 
Stood  the  mournful  mother  weeping, 

Close  to  Jesus  to  the  last. 
Through  her  heart,  His  sorrow  sharing, 
All  His  hitter  anguish  bearing, 

Now  at  length  the  sword  has  passed. 

0,  how  sad  and  sore  distressed 
Was  that  mother  highly  blessed, 


Is  there  one  who  would  not  weep, 
Whelmed  in  miseries  so  deep 

Christ's  dear  mother  to  behold? 
Can  the  human  heart  refrain 
From  partaking  in  her  pain, 

In  that  mother's  pain  untold V 

Bruised,  derided,  cursed,  defiled,. 
She  beheld  her  tender  child 


Of  the  sole  begotten  One!  All  with  bloody  scourges  rent; 


Christ  above  in  torment  hangs. 

She  beneath  beholds  the  pangs 

Of  her  dying  glorious  Son. 


For  the  sins  of  His  own  nation 
Saw  Him  hang  in  desolation, 
Till  His  spirit  forth  He  sent. 


630    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  GEORGE,  MARTYR. 


0  thou  mother,  fount  of  love! 
Touch  my  spirit  from  ahoye, 

Make  my  heart  with  thine  accord: 
Make  me  feel  as  thou  hast  felt, 
Make  my  soul  to  glow  and  melt 

With  the  love  of  Christ  my  Lord. 

Holy  mother,  pierce  me  through, 
In  my  heart  each  wound  renew 

Of  my  Saviour  crucified. 
Let  me  shire  with  thee  His  pain, 
Who  for  all  my  sins  wa~  slain, 

Who  for  me  in  torments  died. 

Let  me  mingle  tears  with  thee, 
Mourning  Him  who  ^ourned  for  me, 

All  the  days  that  I  may  live: 
By  the  Cross  with  thee  to  stay, 
There  with  thee  to  weep  and  pray, 

Is  all  I  ask  of  thee  to  give. 


Virgin  of  all  virgins  blest! 
Listen  to  my  fond  request: 

Let  me  share  thy  grief  divine, 
Let  me  to  my  latest  breath, 
In  my  body  bear  the  death 

Of  that  dying  Son  of  thine. 

Wounded  with  His  evei-y  wound, 
Steep  my  soul,  till  it  hath  swooned 

In  His  very  blood  away; 
Be  to  me,  o  Virgin,  nigh, 
Lest  in  flames  I  burn  and  die, 

In  His  awful  judgmrnt-day. 

Christ,  when  Thou  shalt  call  me  hence, 
Be  Thy  Mother  my  defence, 

Be  Thy  Cross  my  victory; 
While  my  body  here  decays, 
May  my  soul  Thy  goodness  praise 

Safe  in  paradise  with  Thee. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OP  ST. 
GEORGE,  MARTYR 

[April  23] 

T.  George  was  born  of  an  eminent  family  in  Cap- 
padocia,  and  after  his  father's  death  accompanied 
his  mother  to  Palestine,  her  native  country,  where 
she  had  considerable  property.  A  Christian  from 
his  youth,  St.  George  walked  faithfully  in  accor- 
dance with  the  requirements  of  the  Christian  law. 
il  When  grown  to  be  a  young  man,  he  accepted  a 
military  position  in  the  army  under  the  Emperor  Diocletian,  who 
appointed  him  colonel,  not  knowing  he  was  a  (  hristian ;  but  when 
Diocletian,  who  was  the  great  enemy  of  the  Christians,  published 
his  cruel  edict  of  persecution,  George  resigned  his  position  and 
made  the  emperor  an  earnest  exposition  of  the  cruelty  and  ab- 
surdity of  his  edict.  Diocletian  incensed  at  this,  caused  him  to  be 
thrown  into  prison,  and  sought  by  the  most  flattering  offers  to 
lure  him  from  the  faith.  But  the  saint  replied :  "I  despise  thy  pro- 
mises, I  fear  not  thy  threats.  Thy  empire  is  not  lasting,  thy 
power  is  but  weak,  like  every  thing  which  fortune  promises, 
and  avails  but  little.  It  were  better  for  you,  0  emperor,  if  you 
were  to  confess  the  true  God,  and  strive  to  gain  the  heavenly  king- 
dom." Enraged  at  these  words,  the  emperor  caused  a  large  stone 
to  be  hung  around  the  saint's  neck  and  him  to  be  again  impri- 
soned. On  the  following  day  the  saint  was  again  brought  before 
the  tribunal,  and  as  he  remained  firm  in  the  Christian  faith,  he 
was  bound  to  a  wheel  and  turned  over  pointed  knives  and  sharp 
daggers,  which  rent  his  body;  but  in  the  midst  of  the  torture  he 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  GEORGE,  MARTYR.    (531 

heard  a  heavenly  voice  say:  "Lay  aside  all  fear,  George,  for  I  am 
with  thee,"  and  there  appeared  to  him  a  man  of  great  stature  who 
took  him  by  the  hand,  embraced  him,  and  strengthened  him  for 
the  struggle.  George  remained  unshaken,  and  his  noble  example 
converted  many  pagans  whom  the  emperor  caused  to  be  put  to 
death. 

When  the  emperor  saw,  that  he  could  not  break  the  courage 
of  the  saint,  he  sought  once  again  by  the  greatest  promises  to 
move  him  to  idolatry.  "If  it  so  pleases  you,  then",  said  the  saint, 
"let  us  go  into  the  temple  and  see  the  gods  whom  you  so  vene- 
rate." The  emperor,  delighted  with  this  concession,  went  at  once 
with  him  and  a  great  number  of  people  to  the  temple.  St.  George 
approaching  the  god  "Apollo,  said:  "You  desire  an  offering  which 
belongs  only  to  God?"  and  as  he  spoke,  he  made  the  sign  of  cross 
on  the  image.  Hardly  was  this  done,  than  the  devil  who  possessed 
it,  cried  out:  "I  am  not  God!  I  am  not  God!  There  is  no  God  but 
Him  whom  you  adore !"  "Then  why",  demanded  George,  "do  you 
not  exist  in  my  presence  and  that  of  other  worshipers  of  the 
true  God?"  At  these  words  the  evil  spirits  raised  a  fearful  cry, 
and  all  the  idols  fell  to  the  ground.  But  the  priests  of  the  gods 
and  all  the  people  burst  into  the  greatest  fury,  and  wished  to  tear 
the  saint  into  pieces  and  the  emperor  saw  himself  obliged  to 
bring  George  away  immediately  and  have  him  beheaded.  St. 
George  was  highly  venerated  in  the  East  and  West,  and  is  the 
special  patron  of  soldiers  in  battle,  who  by  his  intercession  have 
often  obtained  wonderful  assistance. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  reads:  Thou  hast  protected  me, 
0  God,  from  the  assembly  of  the  malignant,  Alleluia,  Al- 
leluia, from  the  multitude  of  the  workers  of  iniquity, 
Alleluia,  Alleluia.  Hear,  0  God,  my  prayer,  when  I  make 
supplication  to  thee;  deliver  my  soul  from  the  fear  of 
the  enemy.  (Ps.  lxiii.  1,  3.)  Glory,  &c. 

Prayer  of  the  Church  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Blase,  Fehr.  3. 

Lesson.  ( Wisd.  v.  1 — 5.)  See  Feast  of  the  Apostles  Philip  and 
Jame,  May  1. 

GOSPEL.  (John  xv.  1 — 7.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
his  disciples:  I  am  the  true  vine;  and  my  Father  is  the  hus- 
bandman. Every  branch  in  me,  that  beareth  not  fruit,  he 
will  take  away:  and  every  one  that  beareth  fruit,  he  will 
purge  it,  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit.  Now  you  are 
clean  by  reason  of  the  word  which  I  have  spoken  to  you. 
Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit 
of  itself,  unless  it  abide  in  the  vine,  so  neither  can  you,  un- 
less you  abide  in  me.     I  am  the  vine:  you  the  branches:  he 


632   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  GEORGE,  MARTYR. 

that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  beareth  much 
fruit:  for  without  me  you  can  do  nothing.  If  any  one  abide 
not  in  me,  he  shall  be  cast  forth  as  a  branch,  and  shall 
wither,  and  they  shall  gather  him  up,  and  cast  him  into  the 
fire,  and  he  burneth.  If  you  abide  in  me,  and  my  word 
abide  in  you,  you  shall  ask  whatever  you  will,  and  it  shall 
be  done  unto  you. 

EXPLANATION.  Christ,  the  God-Man,  our  Redeemer,  com- 
pares Himself  in  a  most  instructive  manner  to  a  vine.  His  Father, 
like  a  husbandman,  when  sending  Him  down  to  earth  to  be  born 
of  the  Virgin  Mary,  planted  Him  in  the  earth.  The  vine  is  Christ, 
the  branches  the  disciples  and  all  who  by  baptism  have  been  re- 
ceived into  the  holy  Church,  and  are  growing  as  living  branches 
from  Christ.  As  the  branches  are  united  with  the  vine  and  by  this 
union  obtain  sap,  strength,  and  nourishment,  so  that  they  bear 
leaves,  blossoms,  fruit,  so  are  true  faithful  Christians  united  in 
faith  and  love  with  Christ,  and  as  long  as  they  remain. with  Him, 
receive  from  Him  the  grace  to  leaf  out,  to  blossom  with  holy  vir- 
tues aud  bear  the  fruit  of  good  works.  This  especially  takes  place, 
as  the  fathers  of  the  Church  remark,  by  means  of  holy  Com- 
munion, wherein  the  soul  becomes  one  with  Jesus,  and  receives 
from  Him,  as  it  were,  the  spiritual  sap  which  enables  them  to 
bear  the  fruits  of  a  pious,  godpleasing  life.  If  the  branch  is  broken 
from  the  vine,  it  withers  and  is  only  fit  to  be  burned ;  so  the  soul 
of  man  without  Jesus  becomes  withered,  that  is,  it  loses  the  spiri- 
tual life,  the  grace,  the  love,  the  strength  to  do  good ,  and  can  no 
longer  bring  forth  the  fruit  of  good  works  and  of  holy  virtues. 
As  the  husbandman  cuts  the  withered  branches  from  the  vine, 
so  the  Heavenly  Husbandman  separates  from  Christ  those  who 
practise  no  virtues,  accomplish  no  good  works;  He  takes  from 
them  Christ's  grace  and  spirit,  and  after  death  deprives  them  of 
eternal  communion  with  Him.  As  the  living  branches  are  kept  clear 
by  the  husbandman  from  watershoots,  from  superfluous  leaves, 
from  useless  blossoms  and  vermin,  that  they  may  bear  better  and 
more  abundant  fruit;  so  the  Heavenly  Husbandman  keeps  the 
faithful  who  are  united  in  faith  and  love  with  Christ,  clear  from 
all  earthly  affections,  by  afflictions,  temptations,  persecutions,  by 
poverty  and  all  kinds  of  trials,  by  remorse  of  conscience,  by  fear, 
which  He  secretly  imparts  to  them,  especially  by  His  holy  word, 
which,  as  the  apostle  says,  is-living  and  effectual,  and  more 
piercing  than  any  two-edged  sword:  and  reaching  unto 
the  division  of  the  soul  and  the  spirit,  of  the  joints 
also  and  the  marrow.  (Heb.  iv.  12.) 

Remain,  therefore,  my  Christian,  always,  like  St.  George,  by 
faith  and  love  and  a  pious  active  life,  a  living  branch  of  the  vine, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  PHILIP  AND  JAMES,  AP.    633 

Christ,  on  whom  you  were  grafted  in  holy  Baptism,  whom  you 
have  so  often  received  in  holy  Communion.  Woe  to  you,  if  by  a 
lukewarm,  vicious  life  you  separate  from  Christ;  you  will  then 
wither  away,  and  be  given  up  to  be  eternally  burned ! 

SUPPLICATION.  0  Jesus,  dispenser  of  life!  do  not  suffer 
me  to  grow  cold  in  love,  do  not  permit  faith  to  die  in  me, 
do  not  allow  that  I  am  separated  from  Thee,  and  be  lost. 
Rather  assist  me  by  Thy  grace,  that  I  may  bring  forth  many 
fruits  of  virtue  and  good  works. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
PHILIP  AND  JAMES,  APOSTLES. 

[May  1.] 

Hilip,bornatBethsaida,  was  one  of  the  first  disciples 
of  Jesus,  and  was  chosen  one  of  the  apostles.  Burn- 
ing with  the  fire  of  divine  love,  he  sought  to  gain 
disciples  for  our  Lord,  and  brought  Him  Nathaniel 
and  afterwards  the  gentiles  who  wished  to  see  Je- 
sus. From  many  passages  of  the  gospel  we  can  see, 
i  that  Philip  was  especially  dear  to  the  Saviour. 
After  our  Lord's  ascension  Philip,  having  travelled  through  many 
countries,  at  last  resorted  to  both  Phrygias,  where  he  labored, 
until  he  reached  an  advanced  age,  with  the  greatest  success  for 
the  propagation  of  Christianity,  which  so  exasperated  the  ido- 
latrous priests,  that  when  he  was  eighty  years  old,  they  seized 
the  venerable  man,  scourged,  crucified,  and  finally  stoned  him  to 
death.  —  We  have  especially  to  learn  from  the  life  of  St.  Philip, 
that,  having  once  found  the  truth  for  ourselves,  we  must  labor  to 
bring  others  to  God. 

St.  James,  the  Apostle,  who  op  account  of  his  extraordinary 
sanctity  was  called  by  the  Jews  the  just  man,  was  a  brother  of 
Judas  Thaddeus  and  son  ofCleophas,  whose  pious  wife,  Mary,  was 
sister  or  aunt  of  the  Mother  of  Jesus.  In  the  second  year  of  Christ's 
ministry,  James  and  Judas  were  chosen  apostles.  St.  James  was 
greatly  esteemed  by  the  apostles,  and  was  made  the  first  bishop 
of  Jerusalem.  In  this  office  he  lived  in  constant  solitude,  never 
drank  wine,  nor  permitted  his  hair  to  be  cut;  fasted  continually 
on  bread  and  water;  and  prayed  so  constantly,  kneeling,  with  his 
head  bent  to  the  floor,  that  the  skin  of  his  knees  became  as  tough 
as  the  skin  of  a  camel.  He  worked  many  miracles,  converted  many 
eminent  Jews  to  the  faith,  and  on  account  of  his  piety  and  gene- 
rosity was  held  in  such  respect  by  Jews  and  Gentiles,  that  they 
would  fall  on  their  knees  before  him,  and  kiss  his  garments.  The 
Jewish  priests,  therefore,  tried  to  induce  him  to  leave  the  faith, 


634  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST 

hoping  thus  to  extinguish  Christianity  in  Jerusalem.  With  hypo- 
critical faces  they  prayed  him  to  give  his  judgment  of  Christ;  in 
answer  to  their  request,  he  ascended  to  an  elevated  position  in 
the  temple,  and,  to  their  amazement,  publicly  pronounced,  Christ 
to  be  the  promised  Messiah  and  true  Son  of  God ,  in  whom  we 
must  all  believe.  Some  of  the  people  were  converted  by  his  words; 
but  his  hypocritical  enemies  at  once  rushed  to  the  saint,  and 
threw  him  to  the  ground.  As  he  was  not  immediately  killed,  and 
prayed  for  his  enemies,  they  stoned  him,  and  one  man,  filled  with 
fiendish  rage,  struck  his  head  and  killed  him  with  a  fuller's  rod. 

The  Introit  is  from  Esdras  ix.:  They  cried  out  unto 
thee,  0  Lord,  in  their  affliction:  and  thou  didst  hear 
them  from  heaven.  Alleluia,  Allel.  Rejoice  in  the,  Lord,  0 
ye  just,  praise  becometh  the  upright.   Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  comfortest  us 
by  the  yearly  solemnity  of  Thy  Apostles  Philip  and  James : 
grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  we  may  be  instructed  by  their 
example,  for  whose  merits  we  rejoice.  Thro'. 

LESSON.  (Wisd,  v.  1  —  5.)  The  just  shall  stand  with 
great  constancy  against  those  that  have  afflicted  them,  and 
taken  away  their  labours.  These  seeing  it  shall  be  troubled 
with  terrible  fear,  and  shall  be  amazed  at  the  suddenness  of 
their  unexpected  salvation,  saying  within  themselves,  re- 
penting and  groaning  for  anguish  of  spirit:  These  are  they 
whom  we  had  some  time  in  derision,  and  for  a  parable  of 
reproach.  We  fools  esteemed  their  life,  madness,  and  their 
end  without  honour.  Behold,  how  they  are  numbered  among 
the  children  of  God,  and  their  lot  is  amongst  the  saints. 

This  lesson  is  so  clear,  that  it  requires  no  explanation.  We 
are  to  consider  and  apply  it  for  ourselves,  and  look  to  it,  that 
we  do  not  have  to  suffer  like  these  impious  ones. 

GOSPEL.  (Johnxiv.  1  — 13.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said  to 
his  disciples :  Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled.  You  believe 
in  God,  believe  also  in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  there  are 
many  mansions.  If  not,  I  would  have  told  you,  that  I  go  to 
prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  shall  go  and  prepare  a  place 
for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and  will  take  you  to  myself,  that 
where  I  am,  you  also  may  be.  And  whither  I  go  you  know, 
and  the  way  you  know.  Thomas  saith  to  him :  Lord,  we 
know  not  whither  thou  goest:  and  how  can  we  know  the 
way  1  Jesus  saith  to  him :  I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth  and 


OF  ST.  PHILIP  AND  JAMES,  APOSTLES.  635 

the  life.  No  man  cometh  to  the  Father,  but  by  me.  If  you 
had  known  me,  you  would  without  doubt  have  known  my 
Father  also:  and  from  henceforth  you  shall  know  him,  and 
you  have  seen  him.  Philip  saith  to  him:  Lord,  shew  us  the 
Father,  and  it  is  enough  for  us.  Jesus  saith  to  him:  So  long 
a  time  have  I  been  with  you:  and  have  you  not  known  mel 
Philip,  he  that  seeth  me,  seeth  the  Father  also.  How  sayest 
thou,  Shew  us  the  Father?  Do  you  not  believe  that  I  am  in 
the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me?  The  words  that  I  speak 
to  you,  I  speak  not  of  myself.  But  the  Father  who  abideth 
in  me,  he  doth  the  works.  Believe  you  not  that  I  am  in  the 
Father,  and  the  Father  in  me?  Otherwise  believe  for  the  very 
works'  sake.  Amen,  amen  I  say  to  you,  he  that  believeth  in 
me,  the  works  that  I  do,  he  also  shall  do,  and  greater  than 
these  shall  he  do.  Because  I  go  to  the  Father,  and  what- 
soever you  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  that  will  I  do. 

Why  did  Jesus  say  to  his  disciples,  Let  not  your  hearts  be 

troubled? 
He  said  this  to  comfort  them  in  advance,  because  He  fore- 
saw, that  they,  on  account  of  their  great  love  for  Him,  would  be, 
greatly  afflicted  by  His  ignominious  sufferings  and  their  own  op- 
pressions. 

Learn  from  this,  that  God  consoles  those  who  suffer  perse- 
cution for  His  sake. 

Why  did  He  say:  You  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me? 

He  wished  to  express  to  them,  that  if  they  believed  God  could 
assist  them  in  their  trials  and  persecutions,  they  should  believe, 
that  Christ  could  do  the  same,  for  He  is  true  God  and  perfectly 
equal  in  all  things  to  His  Father. 

What  is  meant  by  the  many  mansions  in  heaven? 

The  different  degrees  of  reward,  of  joy,  and  of  glory,  which 
each  and  every  one  in  heaven  will  receive  according  to  his  merits. 

How  did  Christ  prepare  a  place  in  heaven  for  us? 

By  His  sufferings,  His  death,  His  resurrection  and  ascension, 
He  has  obtained  heavenly  joys  for  us,  and  opened  for  us  the  en- 
trance to  heaven  which  sin  had  closed  against  us. 

When  did  Christ  take  His  disciples  to  Himself? 

At  their  happy  death  in  this  world.  He  will  also  one  day  take 
us  to  Himself,  if  we  live  and  die  His  true  disciples. 


636    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  FHILIP  AND  JAMES,  AP. 

How  is  Christ  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life? 
Christ  is  the  way  by  His  holy  doctrine  and  example;  He  is 
the  truth  by  the  fulfilment  of  all  prophecies,  by  His  mysteries, 
His  promises  and  threats,  His  gospel  and  His  Church,  for,  as  God, 
He  cannot  err,  lie,  or  deceive;  He  is  the  life,  because  He  by  His 
death  has  obtained  us  the  life  of  grace  and  glory.  As  St.  Bernard 
beautifully  says:  "We  follow  Thee,  0  Lord,  after  Thee,  to  Thee, 
because  thou  art  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life;  the  way  of  ex- 
ample, the  truth  in  promise,  the  life  in  reward."  And  St.  Hilary: 
"Christ  leads  us  not  falsely,  for  He  is  the  way;  He  deceives  us 
not,  for  He  is  the  truth ;  and  deserts  us  not  in  the  terror  of  death, 
for  He  is  the  life." 

Did  not  the  apostles  know  Christ? 
They  certainly  knew  Him  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  as  Peter  in 
the  name  of  all  affirmed,  but  they  had  only  very  vague  ideas  about 
the  Three  Persons  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity ,  which  mystery  they 
had  yet  to  learn  perfectly  from  the  Holy  Ghost.  —  How  many  there 
are  among  Christians  who  possess  no  true  knowledge  of  their 
faith,  do  not  try  to  grow  in  its  knowledge,  although  it  is  espe- 
cially in  these  times,  when  the  true  faith  is  so  strongly  attacked 
by  heretics  and  infidels,  that  we  should  be  well  grounded  in  it. 
Seek,  then,  to  know* the  true  faith,  by  invoking  the  Holy  Ghost, 
reading  good  books,  and  hearing  instructions  and  sermons  on 
Christian  doctrine,  that  you  may  not  be  infected  and  led  away  by 
insinuating  errors. 

Why  did  Christ  say  to  Philip:  He  that  seeth  me,  seeth  the 

Father  also? 

Because  Christ  in  nature  and  essence  is  perfectly  equal  to  His 
Father,  although  different  in  person.  Therefore  Christ  adds,  that 
He  is  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  Him. 

Why  should  the  disciples  believe  for  the  works'  sake  ? 
Because  Christ  performed  miracles  which  no  man  could,  and 
God  must  therefore  be  in  Him.  (John  iii.  2.) 

How  is  it,  that  those  who  believe  in  Christ,  work  even  greater 

miracles  ? 
St.  Augustine  says,  this  is  because  Christ  through  them  works 
still  greater  miracles  than  when  upon  earth  Himself. 

PRAYER  TO  ST.  PHILIP.  0  St.  Philip!  chosen  disciple 
of  the  Lord,  to  whom  thou  didst  bring  Nathaniel  to  learn 
the  mysteries  of  faith,  thou  who  didst  require  to  see  the 
Heavenly  Father,  thou  who  didst  preach  most  zealously 
Christ  Jesus,  thou  who  didst  permit  thyself  to  be  nailed  to 
the  cross  and  willingly  slain  for  love  of  Him :  obtain  for  me 
and  all  men,  I  beseech  thee,  the  grace  zealously  to  lead  others 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  FINDING  OF  THE  HOLY  CROSS.  637 

to  good,  greatly  to  desire  God  and  His  truth,  and  in  the  hope 
of  the  eternal,  happy  vision  of  God,  patiently  to  endure  the 
sufferings  and  difficulties  of  life. 

PRAYER  TO  ST.  JAMES.  0  St.  James!  who  didst  live 
with  such  temperance  and  rigor,  didst  pray  so  zealously  and 
constantly,  even  for  thy  enemies:  obtain  for  us,  I  beseech 
thee,  from  thy  Lord  and  Master,  that,  like  thee,  we  may  live 
temperately  and  in  penitence,  adoring  God  in  spirit  and 
truth,  and  serving  Him  humbly  and  reverently.  Implore  for 
us  the  light  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  which  thou  didst  write  thy 
epistle,  that  we  may  follow  thy  doctrines,  diligently  strive 
to  do  good  works,  and  especially,  like  thee,  to  love  our  ene- 
mies and  pray  for  them. 

SHORT  LESSONS  FROM  THE  EPISTLE  OF  ST.  JAMES. 

All  adversities  of  this  life  are  to  be  regarded  as  graces  from 
God,  and  to  be  borne  with  cheerfulness,  (i.  v.) 

Faith  without  works  is  dead,  and  does  not  avail  to  salvation,  (ii.) 

For  him  who  does  not  control  his  tongue,  his  religion  is  vain, 
(i.iii.) 

All  our  misfortunes  come  from  our  immoderate  and  ungoverned 
passions,  (iv.) 

The  prayer  of  the  just  man  avails  much  with  God,  and  is  a 
great  consolation  in  affliction,  (v.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE 
FINDING  OF  THE  HOLY  CROSS. 

[May  3  J 

Why  is  this  day  thus  called? 

Ecause  on  this  day  the  Catholic  Church  makes 
solemn  commemoration  of  the  day  on  which,  in 
the  year  326,  St.  Helena,  the  mother  of  the  Em- 
peror Constantine,  found  the  true  Cross  of  our 
Lord. 

Where  was  the  Cross  before  this  discovery? 
It  lay  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  buried  under  ruins,  and  over  it 
was  built  a  temple  of  the  goddess  Venus.  The  Emperor  Hadrian 
who  lived  two  hundred  years  before  Helena,  had  undertaken  not 
only  to  profane  the  sacred  places  of  our  Lord's  death  and  burial, 
but  to  conceal  all  traces  of  them. 


638  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST 

How  did  St.  Helena  find  the  Cross? 

When  her  son,  the  Emperor  Constantine,  had  conquered  his 
enemy,  the  cruel  Maxentius,  by  the  aid  of  the  holy  Cross,  which 
he  saw  in  the  heavens,  radiant  and  glorious,  with  the  inscription: 
"In  this  sign  conquer!"  he  became  animated  with  such  veneration 
for  the  Cross,  that  he  commanded  that  throughout  the  whole  Ro- 
man empire  it  should  be  honored,  and  no  one  again  put  to  death 
upon  a  Cross.  He  also  resolved  to  build  a  magnificent  Church  in 
Jerusalem  in  honor  of  the  holy  Cross,  and  his  mother,  the  Em- 
press Helena,  in  her  very  advanced  age  went  herself  into  the 
holy  Land,  and  undertook  with  the  aid  of  St.  Macarius,  Bishop 
of  Jerusalem,  to  find  the  sacred  burial-place  of  Christ.  After  clear- 
ing the  spot  from  the  rubbish,  she  was  successful  in  finding  the 
vault  of  the  holy  Sepulchre.  Near  to  it  they  found  three  crosses, 
the  nails,  and  the  inscription  which  had  been  placed  over  the 
Cross.  In  order  to  know  which  was  the  true  Cross,  St.  Macarius 
full  of  faith  fervently  prayed  to  God,  and  caused  a  woman,  who 
was  mortally  ill,  to  be  touched  with  the  three  crosses.  The  first 
two  had  no  effect,  but  when  touched  by  the  third,  she  rose  up 
in  perfect  health.  Thus  they  received  the  assurance,  that  the 
true  Cross  was  found.  Helena  sent  one  part  of  the  Cross  and  the 
nails  to  her  son  at  Constantinople;  another  part,  with  the  in- 
scription, she  presented  to  a  Church  at  Rome,  which  now  bears 
the  name  of  the  Church  of  the  holy  Cross;  but  the  larger  part  of 
it,  she  caused  to  be  set  in  silver,  and  gave  to  the  Bishop  of  Jeru- 
salem, to  be  preserved  for  after  ages.  When  Constantine  received 
the  precious  gift,  he  wrote  to  Macarius  empowering  him  to  build 
upon  the  spot  of  ground,  where  our  Saviour  rose  from  death,  a 
Church  which  should  exceed  in  splendor  anything  which  had  ever 
anywhere  been  seen.  This  Church  was  built,  and  under  the  name 
of  the  holy  Sepulchre  was  dedicated  in  the  year  335.  The  prin- 
cipal part  of  the  holy  Cross  was  some  time  after  brought  to  Rome, 
and  has  been  cut  into  small  pieces  and  distributed  over  almost 
the  whole  world  to  be  venerated  as  parts  of  the  instrument  of 
Redemption. 

THE  CHURCH'S  SALUTATION  TO  THE  HOLY  CROSS. 

0  glorious  and  venerable  Cross!  0  most  precious  wood! 
0  wonderful  sign  by  which  sin,  the  devil  and  hell  were  con- 
quered, and  the  world  redeemed  by  Jesus  Christ!  Great  art 
thou  above  all  the  trees  of  the  cedars  of  the  forest,  for  on 
thee  hung  the  Life  of  the  world!  On  thee  Christ  triumphed 
and  by  His  death  conquered  death  forever.  Alleluia. 

We  adore  Thee,  0  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee,  be- 
cause by  Thy  holy  Cross  thou  hast  redeemed  the  world. 


OF  THE  FINDING  OF  THE  HOLY  CROSS.  639 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  in  the  mira- 
culous discovery  of  the  Holy  Cross,  wast  pleased  to  renew 
the  wonders  of  Thy  passion :  grant,  that  by  the  ransom  paid 
on  that  saving  wood,  we  may  find  help  for  the  obtaining  life 
eternal.  Who  livest. 

Epistle  {Phil.  ii.  5 — 11.)  as  on  Palm-Sunday. 

GOSPEL.  (John  Hi.  1  — 15.)  At  that  time:  There  was  a 
man  of  the  Pharisees,  named  Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews. 
This  man  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  and  said  to  him :  Rabbi, 
we  know  that  thou  art  come  a  teacher  from  God:  for  no  man 
can  do  these  signs  which  thou  dost,  unless  God  be  with  him. 
Jesus  answered,  and  said  to  him:  Amen,  amen  I  say  to  thee, 
unless  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God.  Nicodemus  saith  to  him:  How  can  a  man  be  born  again 
when  he  is  old  ?  can  he  enter  a  second  time  into  his  mother's 
womb,  and  be  born  again?  Jesus  answered:  Amen,  amen  I 
say  to  thee,  unless  a  man  be  born  again  of  water  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  That 
which  is  born  of  the  flesh,  is  flesh:  and  that  which  is  born 
of  the  spirit,  is  spirit.  Wonder  not  that  I  said  to  thee,  you 
must  be  born  again.  The  Spirit  breatheth  where  he  will: 
and  thou  hearest  his  voice,  but  thou  knowest  not  whence  he 
cometh,  nor  whither  he  goeth;  so  is  every  one  that  is  born 
of  the  Spirit.  Nicodemus  answered,  and  said  to  him :  How 
can  these  things  be  done?  Jesus  answered,  and  said  to  him: 
Art  thou  a  master  in  Israel,  and  knowest  not  these  things? 
Amen,  amen  1  say  to  thee,  that  we  speak  what  we  know, 
and  we  testify  what  we  have  seen,  and  you  receive  not  our 
testimony.  If  I  have  spoken  to  you  earthly  things,  and  you 
believe  not:  how  will  you  believe  if  I  shall  speak  to  you  heav- 
enly things?  And  no  man  hath  ascended  into  heaven,  but 
he  that  descended  from  heaven ,  the  Son  of  Man  who  is  in 
heaven.  And  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  desert,  so 
must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up:  that  whosoever  believeth 
in  him,  may  not  perish,  but  may  have  life  everlasting. 

SHORT  EXPLANATION.  Jesus  in  this  gospel  speaks  of  the 
regeneration  of  our  souls,  which  depends  upon  faith  in  the  Son  of 


640      THE  CHURCH'S  PRAYER  FOR  FRUITFUL  WEATHER. 

God,  and  especially  in  His  death  of  reconciliation  on  the  cross. 
In  this  regeneration  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  His  grace,  effects  that 
in  us  which  Christ  won  for  us  on  the  cross.  Let  us  not,  then, 
be  led  away  by  the  seducing  words  of  this  world  and  its  fol- 
lowers from  faith  in  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  but,  penetrated  and 
renewred  by  His  spirit,  become  worthy  to  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

THE  CHURCH'S  PRAYER  FOR  FRUITFUL  WEATHER. 

From  this  day  until  the  Exaltation  of  the  Holy  Cross  (Sept.  14.), 
in  many  parochial  Churches  there  are  prayers  said  and  a  blessing 
given  after  holy  Mass  and  after  reading  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  in 
order  to  obtain  fruitful  weather.  In  some  Churches  this  is  done 
from  St.  Mark's  day  until  the  end  of  the  har rest-time. 

The  priest  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  Altar,  says: 
\f.  Give  us  peace,  0  Lord,  in  our  days. 
-%  Because  there  is  none  other  who  fights  for  us  but  Thou. 
\i.  Peace  be  in  Thy  strength, 
1$   And  plenty  in  Thy  towers. 

LET  US  PRAY! 
0  God,  from  whom  proceed  all  right  counsels  and  all  just 
works,  give  Thy  servants  that  peace  which  the  world  cannot 
give:  that  our  hearts  being  disposed  to  keep  Thy  command- 
ments, and  the  fear  of  enemies  being  removed,  the  times 
through  Thy  protection  may  be  peaceable.  Through  Christ, 
our  Lord.  Amen. 

^r.  From  lightning  and  tempest 

E,.  Deliver  us,  0  Lord. 

^.  May  Thy  mercy,  0  Lord,  come  upon  us. 

B,.  For  we  have  hoped  in  Thee. 

T.  0  Lord,  hear  our  prayer. 

it  And  let  our  cry  come  unto  Thee. 

Y.  The  Lord  be  with  you. 

B,.  And  with  thy  spirit. 

LET  US  PRAY! 

Defend,  we  beseech  Thee,  0  Lord,  this  house  from  all  evil 
powers  and  from  every  injury  of  tempests.  Through  Christ, 
our  Lord.  Amen. 

Give  us,  we  beseech  Thee,  0  Almighty  God,  by  the  inter- 
cession of  Mary,  the  Mother  of  God,  the  holy  angels,  pa- 
triarchs, prophets,  apostles,  martyrs,  confessors,  virgins, 
widows,  and  all  Thy  saints,  Thy  continual  protection;  grant 


ON  THE  HOLY  CROSS.  641 

us  favorable  winds,  shed  upon  us  from  heaven,  unworthy 
though  we  are,  Thy  shelter  against  lightning  and  tempest; 
protect  from  henceforth  all  mankind  and  turn  aside  by  the 
power  of  Thy  might  all  evil  influences  of  wind  and  weather. 
0  God,  who  controllest  all  nature  for  them  who  serve 
Thee,  and  by  the  force  of  Thy  tempests  causest  them  to  do 
homage  to  Thy  Majesty,  remove  all  storms  from  us,  and  by 
Thy  continual  grace  grant  us  favorable  weather,  that  we 
may  obtain  mercy  from  Him  whose  anger  we  fear.  Through 
our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 

The  priest  then  lifts  up  the  piece  of  the  Cross,  or  the  cibo- 
rium,  or  the  ostensorium,  and  says: 

ML  Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord 

H-  Now  and  evermore. 

\f.  Our  help  is  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 

H-  Who  made  heaven  and  earth. 

The  blessing  of  Almighty  God  f  the  Father,  +  the  Son,  and 
of  the  f  Holy  Ghost,  be  upon  you,  upon  this  place,  and  upon  the 
fruits  of  the  earth,  and  remain  with  you  forever.  Amen. 

ON  THE  HOLY  CROSS. 

BWhy  is  the  Cross  of  Christ  so  highly  venerated? 
Ecause  it  is  the  altar  on  which  He  offered  Himself  for  us, 
the  instrument  with  which  He  accomplished  our  redemp- 
tion, the  victorious  banner,  wet  with  the  blood  of  Christ,  which 
conquered  the  devil  and  overcomes  sin. 

Are  tee  permitted  to  adore  the  Cross  of  Christ? 
By  no  means,  for  adoration  belongs  to  God  only.  When  the 
Church  in  venerating  the  Cross  uses  words,  which  imply  adoration 
or,  as  in  the  preceding  prayer,  ascribes  salvation  to  it,  the  words 
refer  to  Christ  who  redeemed  us  on  the  Cross,  and  therefore  de- 
serves the  most  grateful  adoration. 

How  do  we  best  venerate  the  Cross  of  Christ? 
By  never  being  ashamed  to  show  it  a  true  veneration,  and  for 
this  reason  gladly  sign  ourselves  with  the  sign  of  the  Cross ;  by 
loving  the  Cross,  that  is,  by  patiently,  cheerfully,  and  with  pleas- 
ure bearing  the  afflictions  God  sends  us,  and  according  to  the 
doctrine  and  example  of  Christ,  by  daily  taking  up  our  cross  and 
following  Him.  {Luke  ix.  23.) 

Why  are  Crosses  erected  on  highways  and  other  places? 

That  they  may  continually  remind  us  of  Christ  and  His  suffer- 
ings, and  encourage  us  to  grateful  love  of  Him,  for  St.  Paul  says: 
Looking  on  Jesus,  the  Author  and  Finisher  of  faith, 


41 


642  ON  THE  HOLY  CROSS. 

who  having  joy  set  before  him,  endured  the  Cross,  de- 
spising1 the  shame:  and- now  sitteth  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  throne  of  God.  [Hebr.  xii.  2.) 

Why  is  the  Cross  carried  in  public  processions? 
To  shame  our  enemies  by  showing  ourselves  public  venerators 
of  the  Cross  of  Christ,  and  glorying  in  it,  as  St.  Paul  says:  But 
God  forbid,  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the  Cross  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  by  whom  the  world  is  cruci- 
fied to  me,  and  I  to  the  world.  {Gal.  vi.  14.) 

Are  our  opponents  wrong  in  being  such  enemies  to  the  Cross,  and 
on  that  account  condemning  us? 

They  are  very  wrong,  for  they  thus  condemn  Christ  Himself 
who  for  love  of  us  bore  the  Cross,  and  place  themselves  among 
those  of  whom  St.  Paul  says:  For  many  walk  of  whom  I  have 
told  you  often  (and  now  tell  you  weeping),  that  they 
are  enemies  of  the  Cross  of  Christ,  whose  end  is  de- 
struction. {Phil.  iii.  18.) 

Why  do  we  sign  ourselves  with  the  sign  of  the  Cross  ? 

To  testify  that  we  are  Christians  and  worshipers  of  Christ 
Crucified,  and  have  no  fellowship  with  the  enemies  of  the  Cross 
of  Christ;  to  show  our  faith  in  the  Most  Holy  Trinity;  to  honor, 
and  prove  our  grateful  remembrance  of  the  sufferings  and  death 
of  Christ,  who  redeemed  us  and  obtained  all  good  things  for  us 
by  His  death  on  the  Cross ;  to  overcome  the  devil  and  his  temp- 
tations, for  he  hates  the  Cross,  which  took  away  his  power,  and 
is  banished  by  nothing  more  quickly  than  by  the  sign  of  the  Cross; 
to  perform  all  our  undertakings  happily  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and 
to  be  preserved  by  Christ's  merits  from  all  harm  of  body  or  soul. 

Is  the  making  of  the  sign  of  the  Cross  an  old  custom? 
The  earliest  fathers  of  the  Church  mention  this  custom,  and 
say,  it  originated  with  the  apostles.  St.  Nicephorus  informs  us, 
that  St.  John,  the  Evangelist,  signed  himself  with  the  sign  of  the 
Cross;  Tertullian  (a,  D.  160)  urges  the  Christians  to  make  the 
sign  of  the  Cross,  when  coming  in  and  going  out,  when  dressing, 
at  the  table,  in  their  rooms,  when  sitting  down,  and  before  every 
undertaking.  St.  Ephrem  (f  a.  D.  37.^)  writes:  "Arm  thyself  with 
the  sign  of  the  cross  as  with  a  shield,  sign  all  thy  members  and 
thy  heart,  but  sign  thyself  not  only  with  thy  hand,  but  with  thy 
mind.  Thy  work,  thy  coming  in  and  thy  going  out,  thy  bed,  and 
the  ground  over  which  thou  dost  pass,  sign  every  thing  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  for  these 
are  the  strongest  weapons." 

Why  at  divine  service  do  the  priests  make  the  sign  of  the  cross 

over  the  people? 
That  the  rich  blessings  of  grace  which  Christ  has  obtained  for 
us,  may  be  imparted  to  the  Christians,  as  St.  Paul  says:  Blessed 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BONIFACE,  APOSTLE  &c    643 

be  God  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath 
blessed  us  with  spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly  places 
in  Christ,  (i.  Eph.  i.  3.)  A  type  of  this  custom  was  given  by  the 
Patriarch  Jacob,  when  with  crossed  hands  he  blessed  Joseph's 
two  sons,  Ephraim  and  Manasse.  This  is  a  very  old  custom  in  the 
Church;  the  Council  of  Agade  in  the  year  506  directed,  that  after 
prayers  the  people  should  be  dismissed  by  the  priest  with  the 
sign  of  the  Cross. 

PRAYER  BEFORE  A  CRUCIFIX. 

(By  St.  Augustine.) 
Look  down  upon  me,  0  most  good  and  loving  Jesus,  kneel- 
ing before  Thy  face,  and  beseeching  Thee  with  the  most  in- 
tense heartfelt  fervor,  to  impress  deep  in  my  soul  lively 
sentiments  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity,  true  contrition  for  my 
sins,  and  a  firm  purpose  of  amendment,  while  I  contemplate 
with  ardent  love  and  tender  sympathy  Thy  five  wounds,  and 
meditate  within  myself  upon  them,  remembering  the  words 
which  were  said  by  David,  the  Prophet  of  Thee,  my  Jesus : 
They  pierced  my  hands  and  feet;  they  have  number- 
ed all  my  bones.*) 


INSTRUCTION 
FOR  THE  FEAST  OK  ST.  BONIFACE, 

APOSTLE  OF  THE  GERMANS. 

rffew  [J""e  5J 

|   Ermany  owes  much  to  this  great  and  holy  man, 
who  brought  to  it  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  led  the  Germans  out  of  the  darkness  of 
paganism  into  the  light  of  divine  truth,  who 
won  them  for  heaven,  and  saved  thousands  of 
aPsjgjpf^ft    immortal  souls.     It  is  indeed  well,  that   the 
p&L.°m.    ....  .f^0^^  glorious   labors  of  this  blessed  benefactor  of 

the  Germans,  should  be  everywhere  known,  and  honor  given  to 
God  because  of  him. 

St.  Boniface  was  born  at  Kerton,  England,  about  680,  of  noble 
and  Christian  parents.  He  received  in  baptism  the  name  Wini- 
fred which  he  retained ,  until  Pope  Gregory  II.  bestowed  upon 
him  that  of  Boniface,  which  means  one  who  does  good,  a  bene- 
factor. His  pious  parents  were  devoted  to  the  priests,  who  were 
at  that  time  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  heathens,  and  most  hos- 

*)  A  plenary  indulgence  can  be  gained  by  any  one  who  after  receiving 
holy  Communion,  daily  says  this  prayer  penitently  before  a  crucifix. 


41* 


644  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BONIFACE, 

pitably  received  them  at  their  house,  where  the  little  Boniface 
heard  much  about  Jesus  and  His  holy  Church,  and  of  the  missio- 
naries who  go  into  all  countries  in  order  to  convert  the  heathen, 
how  they  preached,  and  how  they  suffered  for  Christ,  of  the  peace- 
ful monastic  life,  wherein  God  is  so  faithfully  served.    All  these 
things  rejoiced  the  heart  of  the  boy,  and  aroused  in  him  the 
desire  to  enter  a  monastery,  to  become  pious,  learned,  and  a 
preacher  of  the  faith  to  the  heathen;  and  thus  as  a  boy,  Boniface 
came  to  the  monastery  for  which  he  was  designed  by  God.  Under 
the  care  of  the  pious  and  learned  Benedictine  Abbot  Winbert  of 
the  Nutcell  Monastery,  Boniface  soon  acquired  much  knowledge 
and,  what  is  worth  much  more  in  the  sight  of  God,  reached  a  high 
point  of  piety.    He  received  ordination  when  thirty  years  of  age, 
and  prayed  the  abbot  to  permit  him  to  go  to  Friesland  as  a 
preacher  of  faith  to  the  heathens,  and  to  win  them  for  Christ. 
Accompanied  by  two  monks  and  with  the  abbot's  blessing,  he  went 
to  Friesland  in  the  year  716;  but  it  happened  just  at  the  time  of 
his  arrival,  that  Radbod,  the  rude  King  of  the  barbarians,  was  at 
war  with  his  neighbors,  so  that  Boniface  could  effect  nothing  and 
was  obliged  to  return  to  England.    In  the  mean  time  the  abbot 
had  died,  and  the  monks  now  sought  to  make  Boniface  abbot;  but 
he  refused  the  position  and  went  to  Rome  to  the  head  of  Chris- 
tianity, Pope  Gregory  II.,  at  whose  feet  he  threw  himself,  begging 
for  an  apostolic  mission.    The  Pope  received  him  with  cordiality, 
admired  his  zeal,  and  made  him  his  legate  or  messenger  to  Ger- 
many, that  he  might  gain  it  for  God.    Boniface,  with  the  Pope's 
blessing,  then  went  to  Thuringia,  where  some  time  previously 
Christianity  had  been  planted,  but  had  not  taken  root;  the  people 
had  returned  to  their  idols  and  no  longer  knew  anything  of  the 
true  God.  Boniface  put  himself  to  work  to  weed  up  the  tares  and 
to  plant  the  seed  of  God's  word  once  more  in  their  hearts ;  and 
God  blessed  his  labors.     While  here  he  heard  of  the  death  of 
Radbod,  the  King  of  the  heathens  in  Friesland,  whither  he  now 
hastened,  meeting  there  his  countryman,  St.  Willibrord,  Arch- 
bishop of  Utrecht,  in  union  with  whom  he  preached  the  gospel  for 
three  years  in  this  neighborhood,  and  had  the  joy  of  seeing  the 
temples  of  the  idols  brought  to  the  ground  and  the  cross  every- 
where triumphant.     But  when  St.  Willibrord  who  was  already 
quite  old,  sought  to  make  Boniface  his  successor,  the  saint  escaped 
and  went  once  more  to  Thuringia,  where  his  word  penetrated  the 
hearts  of  the  people,  and  thousands  received  baptism.    To  com- 
plete and  secure  the  work  of  the  country's  conversion,  Boniface 
founded  the  Monastery  of  Amoeneberg,  settled  some  pious  monks 
in  it,  and  then  journeyed  to  Hessia,  where  he  preached  with  the 
same  zeal,  baptized  thousands  of  idolaters,  and  built  a  monastery 
and  hermitage  atWanfried;  after  which  he  went  to  Rome,  to  give 
an  account  of  his  labors.    The  Pope  heard  with  joy  the  report  of 
the  conversion  of  so  many  idolaters,  and  in  St.  Peter's  Church,  on 


APOSTLE  OF  THE  GERMANS.  645 

November  31,  723,  consecrated  the  saintly  man,  bishop,  and  gave 
him  the  beautiful  name  of  Boniface,  after  which  the  saint  joyfully 
returned  to  Germany.  He  continued  his  labors  in  Hessia,  and 
worked  ceaselessly  to  exterminate  the  last  traces  of  paganism.  He 
came  once  to  Geismar  in  Hessia,  to  a  place  which  still  contained 
some  pagans  and  some  superstitious  Christians,  who  especially 
venerated  an  immense  oak-tree  which  was  called  after  the  old 
German  god  Donar,  thunder,  the  thunder-oak.  Startled  at  this, 
the  saint  made  up  his  mind  to  cut  down  the  tree;  the  heathens  all 
assembled  there,  but  the  Christians  also  came.  Surrounded  by  his 
priests,  Boniface  commenced  to  cut  the  oak,  while  the  idolaters 
rnged,  and  cursed  him.  Hardly  had  the  saint  struck  it  a  few  times 
than  the  tree,  splitting  into  four  parts,  fell  to  the  ground.  The 
idolaters  believed,  that  the  gods  would  punish  the  saint;  but  when 
they  saw  the  tree  lying  on  the  ground,  their  hearts  were  moved 
and  they  praised  the  true^God.  Then  Boniface,  raising  up  his 
voice,  preached  to  them  ortheir  false  gods,  and  won  the  whole 
multitude  for  Christ.  Of  the  wood  of  the  oak,  he  built  a  chnpel 
which  he  dedicated  to  the  Apostle  St.  Peter,  and  the  place  became 
one  of  the  most  flourishing  Christian  settlements  in  Hessia.  Boni- 
face everywhere  found  open  hearts,  built  Churches  all  over  the 
country,  and  founded,  in  Thuringia,  the  Monastery  of  Ohrdruf. 
He  remained  in  this  monastery  for  some  time  until  the  arrival  of 
priests  from  England,  for  whom  he  had  written  to  assist  him ;  the 
work  was  great  and  the  laborers  few.  Pious  and  able  men  soon 
came  from  England,  men  who  for  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  sal- 
vation of  souls,  left  their  loved  country  and  all  and  every  thing. 
Among  these  were  especially  prominent  Saints  "Willibald  and  Wu- 
nibald,  who  were  brothers,  Witta  and  Wigbert,  and  St.  Lullus. 
There  came  also  a  great  number  of  maidens:  St.  Walburga,  Lioba, 
Thecla,  Chunehild,  Chunitrude,  and  others.  St.  Boniface  founded 
everywhere  monasteries  and  convents  for  the  new  arrivals,  around 
which  the  converted  natives  of  the  country  settled  themselves. 
The  light  of  faith,  science,  refinement,  and  culture,  spread  ra- 
pidly; the  noblest  of  the  young  men  hastened  to  dedicate  them- 
selves to  the  service  of  the  Lord,  and  to  attend  the  monastery 
schools,  and  great  men  came  forth  from  them.  Thus  the  work 
of  Germany's  conversion  advanced  prosperously,  gloriously,  to 
Boniface's  great  joy,  whom  Pope  Gregory  III.  elevated  to  the 
position  of  Archbishop  of  all  Germany. 

The  saint  now  went  through  Saxony  and  Bavaria,  every- 
where sowing  the  seed  of  the  word  of  God,  administering  the 
Sacraments,  and  organizing  new  congregations.  Then  he  went 
once  more  to  Rome  to  make  his  report,  and  to  procure  autho- 
rity and  advice.  Returning  from  Rome,  he  went  by  invitation  of 
the  Duke  of  Bavaria,  Odilo,  into  his  dominions  ana  divided  the 
country  into  four  dioceses:  Saltsbourg,  Freising,  Ratisbon,  and 
Passaw. 


646  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BONIFACE, 

He  also,  sought  to  exterminate  heathen  customs  and  plant 
living  Christianity  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  He  did  not, 
however,  remain  long  in  Bavaria,  but  journeyed  back  to  Hessia, 
Franconia,  Thuringia,  still  untiringly  propagating  the  religion 
of  Christ.  Still  further  to  promote  and  to  preserve  the  good, 
which  he  with  his  zealous  assistants  had  sowed  and  fostered, 
St.  Boniface  resolved  to  found  an  extensive  institution  which 
should  become  a  nursery  of  Christian  life,  art,  and  science  for 
all  Germany.  For  the  execution  of  his  plan  he  called  upon  the 
priest  Sturm,  whom  he  had  had  educated  in  the  Monastery  of 
Fritzlar,  to  assist  him,  gave  him  his  blessing  and  sent  him  with 
two  attendants  into  the  depths  of  the  Hessian  forests,  saying: 
"  Go  now  into  the  wilderness  of  Buchonia,  and  look  for  a  place 
suitable  for  the  servants  of  the  Lord;  for  well  able  is  the  Lord 
to  find  a  place  for  His  own,  even  in  the  desert."  After  a  long 
search,  Sturm  found  a  suitable  spot  ^par  the  river  Fulda,  which 
place  was  procured  as  agift  from  the  Majordomus,  Carlmann.  Sturm 
with  seven  brothers  settled  upon  it.  Within  a  short  time  arose  the 
celebrated  Benedictine  abbey  of  Fulda,  which  in  a  few  years  con- 
tained four  hundred  monks,  and  from  which  went  forth  in  time 
the  most  pious  archbishops,  bishops,  priests,  and  ministers  of  the 
faith.  Young  men,  desirous  of  learning,  here  found  instruction  in 
all  departments  of  science  and  art,  and  here  were  found  architects, 
sculptors,  painters,  mechanics,  farmers,  who  carried  true  culture 
to  the  remotest  districts.  But  the  greatest  blessing  springing 
from  this  famous  abbey,  was  the  increasing  and  the  establishing 
of  living  Christianity  in  Middle  Germany,  the  object  which  St. 
Boniface  held  always  in  view. 

In  744,  St.  Boniface  went  to  France  to  promote  order  and 
unity  in  the  faith,  and  to  suppress  the  heresies  which  had  arisen 
there.  Now  wherever  the  saint  had  founded  dioceses  in  Germany, 
Christianity  had  taken  deep  root  and  already  bore  glorious  fruit; 
but  to  make  complete  this  splendid  work,  there  was  needed  a 
centre  of  union  and  support  among  the  newly  erected  dioceses. 
Pope  Zacharias,  therefore,  raised  the  city  Mentz  to  an  archdiocese 
with  Boniface  in  its  chair,  to  whom  all  the  converted  nations  in 
the  whole  Franconian  country  were  now  subject. 

When  Boniface  had  humbly  subjected  himself  to  the  Pope's 
orders,  had  established  a  great  number  of  parish  and  convent 
ChuEches,  and  well  organized  religious  life,  he  conferred  his  epis- 
copal seat  at  Mentz  upon  his  assistant,  Lullus,  and  with  several 
companions  went  into  Friesland  to  complete  the  conversion  of  the 
people  to  Christ.  With  all  the  enthusiastic  zeal  of  youth  he,  now 
a  man  of  seventy  three  years,  passed  through  the  country,  teach- 
ing and  administering  the  Sacraments.  He  had  already  advanced 
to  the  shore  of  the  German  Ocean,  when  his  glorious  life  was 
closed  by  a  glorious  death.  In  the  year  755  he  stopped  under  a 
pitched  tent,  in  a  place  called  Dorkum,  to  administer  the  Sacra- 


APOSTLE  OF  THE  GERMANS.  64-7 

ment  of  Confirmation  to  the  lately  baptized;  but  the  heathens 
who  saw  their  idolatrous  images  falling  and  the  cross  everywhere 
rising,  had  long  been  filled  with  hatred  of  the  saint,  threatening 
to  put  him  to  death.  Early  in  the  morning  of  Pentecost,  June  >, 
while  Boniface  was  waiting  for  the  neophytes,  that  where  to  be 
confirmed  instead  of  them  appeared  a  number  of  armed  ido- 
laters of  Friesland,  who  rushed  upon  him  and  his  companions. 
Holding  the  gospel  above  his  head,  Boniface  received  his  death- 
blow, and  with  him  fifty  two  persons  died  the  death  of  martyrs. 
His  body  found  its  last  resting-place  in  the  Monastery  at  Fulda, 
and  his  memory  will  last  and  be  held  in  benediction  as  long  as  a 
Catholic  Church  remains  in  Germany. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  reads:  0  ye  priests  of  the  Lord, 
bless  the  Lord!  0  ye  holy  and  humble  of  heart,  praise 
the  Lord!  0  all  ye  works  of  the  Lord,  bless  the  Lord, 
praise  him  and  extol  him  forever.  (Dan.  m.)  Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  whose  grace  select- 
ed the  blessed  Boniface  for  a  priest,  whose  word  instructed 
him  for  a  messenger  of  the  gospel,  and  whose  strength  up- 
held him  in  perseverance,  help  us  that  we  may  instruct 
others  by  our  example,  and  if  necessary  uphold  them  by  suf- 
ferings. Through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 

EPISTLE,  (if.  Cor.  i.  3—7.)  Bremen:  Blessed  be  the 
God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  mer- 
cies, and  the  God  of  all  comfort,  who  comforteth  us  in  all 
our  tribulation;  that  we  also  may  be  able  to  comfort  them 
who  are  in  all  distress,  by  the  exhortation  wherewith  we 
also  are  exhorted  by  God.  For  as  the  sufferings  of  Christ 
abound  in  us,  so  also  by  Christ  doth  our  comfort  abound. — 
Now  whether  we  be  in  tribulation,  it  is  for  your  exhortation 
and  salvation:  or  whether  we  be  comforted,  it  is  for  your 
consolation:  or  whether  we  be  exhorted,  it  is  for  your  ex- 
hortation and  salvation,  which  worketh  the  enduring  of  the 
same  sufferings  which  we  also  suffer.  That  our  hope  for  you 
may  be  steadfast :  knowing  that  as  you  are  partakers  of  the 
sufferings,  so  shall  you  be  also  of  the  consolation:  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord. 

EXPLANATION.  At  Ephesus,  where  St.  Paul  had  preached, 
a  sedition  arose  among  the  people,  in  which  the  apostle  nearly 
lost  his  life,  but  his  confidence  in  God,  and  the  prayers  of  the 
people  saved  him.  In  his  afflictions  God  gave  him  wonderful  con- 
solations which  he  received  as  admonitions  to  console  all  who,  like 


(548  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BONIFACE,  APOSTLE  &c. 

him,  were  in  affliction,  or,  as  he  beautifully  expresses  it,  par- 
takers of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  who  drink  from  the  chal- 
ice of  Christ's  sufferings;  but  especially  those  who,  like  himself, 
partake  of  Christ's  sufferings  in  announcing  the  gospel.  St.  Boni- 
face was  also  a  partaker  of  these  sufferings,  and,  like  the  holy 
apostle,  found  great  consolation  in  Christ,  who  took  away  from 
him  every  bitterness,  by  giving  him  the  hope  of  an  eternal  life, 
blissful  reward  in  His  heavenly  kingdom.  The  inheritance  of  the 
servants  and  friends  of  God  in  this  world  is  affliction  and  suffer- 
ings, but  these  redound  to  their  salvation. — 

Take  all  your  sufferings  patiently,  my  dear  Christian,  from 
the  hand  of  God;  bear  them  for  the  love  of  Jesus;  consolation  and 
reward  for  them  will  not  fail. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xvi.  24—27.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples:  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me.  For  he 
that  will  save  his  life,  shall  lose  it :  and  he  that  shall  lose 
his  life  for  my  sake,  shall  find  it.  For  what  doth  it  profit  a 
man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  .suffer  the  loss  of  his 
own  soul?  Or  what  exchange  shall  a  man  give  for  his  soul? 
For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  the  Father 
with  his  angels:  and  then  will  he  render  to  every  man  ac- 
cording to  his  works. 

What  is  meant  by  denying  ourselves  ? 

It  means  to  resist  our  own  improper  inclinations,  desires,  and 
covetousness,  to  mortify  and  repress  them,  and  make  our  own 
will  conform  with  the  divine. 

Man's  life  is  a  warfare  against  implacable  enemies :  the  world, 
the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  The  most  dangerous  enemies  whom  we 
carry  always  with  us,  are:  the  flesh,  the  evil  desires,  covetousness, 
immoderate  selflove,  which  always  draw  us  away  from  God  and 
from  heavenly  tilings,  and  urge  us  to  sin.  Against  these  enemies 
we  must  fight  continually  and  until  death,  mortifying  our  flesh, 
subduing  our  senses,  and  never  yielding  to  improper  desires. 
What  is  meant  by  carrying  our  cross  ? 

It  means,  patiently  according  to  the  example  of  Christ  to  en- 
dure the  daily  inward  and  outward  temptations,  sufferings,  and 
afflictions,  which  God  either  sends  or  permits  to  reach  us. 

What  is  meant  by:  he  that  will  save  his  life,  shall  lose  it, 

and  he  that  shall  lose  his  life  for  my  sake, 

shall  find  it? 

By  this  is  meant,  that  he  who  struggles  with  and  overcomes 

his  soul  s  evil  desires  and  wrong  inclinations,  so  that  at  last  they 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BENNO,  BISHOP,  &c.       6 19 

are  conquered  and  made  to  vanish,  shall  preserve  his  soul  for 
eternal  life,  because  he  keeps  his  soul  free  from  sin  which  kills 
the  higher,  spiritual  life.  But  he  who  makes  no  struggle  for  his 
soul,  that  is,  does  not  mortify  its  improper  inclinations,  desires, 
and  pnssions,  but  yields  to  them  and  satisfies  them,  will  fall  into 
sin  and  lose  eternal  salvation.  But  if  the  mortification,  the  self- 
renunciation,  wou'd  bring  true  fruit,  it  must  be  undertaken  for 
Christ's  sake,  for  the  honor  of  God,  and  for  our  soul's  salvation, 
that  is,  it  must  be  undertaken  in  order  to  become  more  pleasing 
to  God  and  more  intimately  united  with  Him. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
BENNO,  BISHOP. 

[June  13.] 

T.  Benno  was  born  of  noble  parents  in  Hildesheim, 
Lower  Saxony,  in  the  year  1010,  and  was  entrust- 
ed, when  in  his  fifth  year,  to  the  care  of  St.  Bernard, 
Bishop  of  Hildesheim,  who  had  him  diligently  in- 
structed in  science,  and  in  that  which  is  still  better: 
in  the  doctrine  of  sanctity.  In  this  way  Benno  grew 
to  be  a  very  pious  and  intelligent  young  man.  His  father  desired 
him  to  marry;  but  Benno  wished  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  mar- 
rying, for  his  heart  was  given  to  Jesus,  and  in  order  to  preserve  it 
from  every  shadow,  he  entered,  when  in  his  eighteenth  year,  a 
Benedictine  monastery,  where  he  lived  a  life  of  a  penitent.  Prayer, 
study  and  meditation  was  his  only  work.  When  he  was  thirty 
years  old,  he  became  a  priest.  After  he  had  filled  this  holy  of- 
fice for  four  years,  the  brethren  of  his  order  wished,  on  account 
of  his  piety,  to  make  him  their  abbot ;  he  wept  bitterly,  when  he 
heard  of  their  intention,  and  refused  to  accept  the  position,  and 
when  forced  to  accept,  he  did  not  cease  to  pray  and  entreat  them 
to  spare  him,  until  at  the  end  of  three  months  they  released  him 
from  the  position.  But  by  command  of  the  Pope,  Leo  IX.,  he  was 
obliged  to  be  made  provost  in  the  diocese  of  Gotzlar,  where  for 
seventeen  years  he  labored  by  doctrine  and  example  with  the 
greatest  success;  the  most  venerable  bishops  and  men  of  the 
greatest  intellect  went  forth  under  his  direction.  In  1066  he  was 
consecrated  Bishop  of  Meissen,  and  set  about  at  once,  to  awaken 
and  promote  a  true,  spiritual  life  in  his  diocese.  He,  then,  preach- 
ed the  gospel  to  the  idolatrous  Slaves  on  the  Elbe,  and  succeed- 
ed in  winning  this  tribe  for  Christ  and  leading  them  into  the 
way  of  salvation.  He  saw  the  most  beautiful  fruits  of  a  Christian 
life  rise  among  them,  when  a  storm  arose  against  him  which 
forced  him  to  leave  his  beloved  work.  The  frivolous  and  immoral 
Emperor  Henry  IV.  caused  the  saintly  bishop  to  be  captured  and 


650       INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BENNO,  BISHOP,  &c. 

thrown  into  prison,  because  he  did  not  side  with  the  emperor, 
but  adhered  to  the  Pope,  Gregory  VIL,  with  whom  Henry  was 
quarreling.  The  holy  and  innocent  bishop  spent  a  whole  year, 
submissive  to  the  will  of  God,  in  his  dungeon;  immediately  upon 
his  release  he  returned  with  burning  love  to  his  flock,  there  to 
labor  anew  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  to  rebuild  the  Church 
which  had  been  destroyed. 

In  the  year  1076  the  emperor,  who  wished  to  usurp  all  power 
and  dethrone  the  pope,  convened  an  assembly  of  all  the  bishops 
of  Germany ;  but  Benno  not  regarding  the  anger  of  an  illadvised 
emperor,  an  enemy  of  the  Church,  went  to  Rome,  where  the  pope 
had  called  a  synod,  before  which  the  emperor  was  to  make  an- 
swer for  the  evil  he  had  caused.  Before  leaving  his  diocese,  Benno 
gave  to  his  two  canons  the  Cathedral  keys,  with  the  injunction  to 
throw  them  into  the  river,  as  soon  as  the  emperor  was  excom- 
municated, in  order  to  prevent  his  entrance  into  the  Church.  As 
they  had  been  ordered,  when  as  Henry,  was  excommunicated  by 
the  pope,  the  canons  threw  the  keys  into  the  river;  but  they  were 
not  lost,  but  upon  the  saint's  return  were  found  in  a  large  fish 
that  had  been  caught. 

Up  to  his  death,  the  saint  worked  unceasingly  for  the  salvation 
of  souls,  again  devoting  himself  to  the  conversion  of  the  heathen 
Slaves,  and  everywhere  crushing  out  idolatry.  He  had  directed  his 
diocese,  like  a  faithful  shepherd,  for  forty  years  and  was  ninety  six 
years  old,  when  on  the  16th  of  June  in  the  year  1106  he  ended  his 
earthly  life.  Pope  Adrian  VI.  in  the  year  1583  placed  his  name 
on  the  list  of  saints. 

In  the  sixteenth  century  when  the  false  doctrines  of  Luther 
found  entrance  into  Saxony  and  the  relics  of  the  saints  were 
everywhere  dishonored,  the  remains  of  Bishop  Benno,  at  the  de- 
sire of  the  pious  Bavarian  Elector  Albrecht  v.,  were  brought  to 
Munich  to  be  guarded  from  dishonor,  and  are  there  still  enshrined 
and  venerated  in  the  Cathedral  of  our  Lady. 

The  Int ro it,  Epistle,  and  Gospel,  as  on  the  Feast  of  St. 
Nicholas,  Dec.  6. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  the  glo- 
rious confession  of  St.  Benno,  Bishop,  hast  protected  and 
preserved  us,  give  us  the  grace  to  follow  him  and  increase 
in  virtue  and  enjoy  his  protection.  Through  our  Lord,  Jesus 
Christ,  &c.  Amen. 


651 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF 
ST.  ALOYSIUS. 

[June  21] 

T.  Aloysius  was  born  on  the  9th  of  March  1568  at 
Castiglione,  a  castle  o£  his  parents  Ferdinand, 
Marquis  of  Gonzaga,  and  Martha  Tanna  Santena. 
The  pious  mother  early  laid  in  the  heart  of  her 
little  child  the  foundation  of  that  holy  fear  of 
God  which  is  the  beginning  of  all  wisdom,  of  all 
true  virtue.  Would  that  all  parents  might  follow 
this  mother,  and  often  admonish  their  children  in  these  words: 
"Children,  fear  God,  His  eye  follows  you  everywhere,  day  and 
night ;  never  venture  to  do  evil  in  the  sight  of  God."  St.  Aloysius' 
father,  a  brave  hero,  intended  to  educate  his  son  for  a  fine  war- 
rior, and  for  this  end  gave  him  all  kinds  of  weapons  for  playthings, 
even  took  him,  when  only  seven  years  of  age,  into  camp.  Here 
the  little  boy  often  heard  the  soldiers  use  improper  words,  and 
not  knowing  what  he  was  doing,  repeated  them ;  but  as  soon  as 
his  tutor  reproved  him  for  this,  another  syllable  of  a  bad  .word 
was  never  heard  from  his  lips.  Yet  he  was  all  his  life  grieved 
for  this  childish  thoughtlessness,  and  wept  over  it  as  over  the 
greatest  sin.  Having  returned  to  his  parents'  castle,  he  made 
his  mother  and  his  tutor  most  happy  by  his  ready  obedience; 
he  always  felt  the  greatest  repugnance  to  the  life  of  a  soldier, 
and  more  and  more  desired  to  devote  himself  to  the  service  of 
God.  His  father  perceiving  this  change,  was  very  much  annoyed, 
but  consoled  himself  by  thinking,  that  if  his  son  would  not  be 
a  hero,  he  would  at  all  events  become  an  excellent  ruler  over 
his  subjects,  and,  therefore,  sent  him  with  his  brother  Rudolph 
to  study  in  Florence.  There  Aloysius  with  many  tears  made 
a  general  confession,  and  as  he  had  the  most  childlike  venera- 
tion for  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  he  made  a  vow  of  perpetual 
chastity  in  honor  of  the  most  pure  and  immaculate  Virgin;  this 
vow  he  never  violated.  In  the  year  1581  he  received  from  the 
Archbishop  of  Milan,  Charles  Borromeo,  his  first  Communion, 
for  which  he  had  prepared  himself  with  the  greatest  care,  and 
from  this  time  there  was  plainly  seen  in  him,  a  most  ardent  de- 
votion to  the  blessed  Sacrament,  before  which  he  would  remain 
for  hours,  lost  in  meditation.  From  day  to  day  he  advanced  in 
the  way  of  perfection,  although  in  compliance  with  his  father's 
will  he  spent  some  time  first  at  the  court  of  the  Duke  of  Mantua, 
and  afterwards  at  the  court  of  Philip  II.,  King  of  Spain,  where 
he  led,  in  faithful  accordance  with  his  vow,  an  angelic  life.  His 
fear  of  God,  his  love  of  purity,  his  distrust  of  himself,  his  humi- 
lity, his  great  confidence  in  Jesus  and  Mary,  the  frequent  recep- 
tion of  the  Sacraments,  and  persevering  prayer,  preserved  him 


652      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ALOYSIUS. 

from  every  failing,  though  surrounded  by  courtiers  excessively 
fond  of  amusements.  The  desire  to  devote  himself  wholly  to  God, 
became  always  greater,  and  he  believed  he  could  best  accomplish 
his  wish  by  entering  a  religious  order.  On  the  feast  of  the  Assump- 
tion of  the  blessed  Virgin,  he  asked  that  Mary,  his  mother,  would 
enlighten  him.  He  distinctly  heard  a  voice  telling  him  to  join  the 
Society  of  Jesus  (the  Jesuits)  and  to  make  this  command  known 
to  his  father-  confessor,  who  examined  the  matter  and  encouraged 
Aloysius  in  his  resolution.  His  mother  wished  him  God-speed,  but 
his  father  would  not  hear  a  word  about  his  son's  vocation.  For 
three  years  he  refused  his  consent,  which  he,  however,  at  the  end 
of  that  time  gave,  overcome  by  his  son's  perseverance.  The  youth 
hastened  on  the  wings  of  holy  eagerness  to  the  house  of  the  Je- 
suits at  Rome,  having  first  joyfully  turned  over  all  the  power  and 
wealth,  which  he  was  to  inherit,  to  his  brother  Rudolph.  He  began 
his  novitiate  when  in  his  eighteenth  year,  and  soon  excelled  in 
punctual  obedience  and  the  practice  of  all  virtues  all  his  brother- 
novices.  He  took  the  vows  of  the  order  and  received  minor  orders 
in  the  year  1587,  the  graces  of  which  urged  him  still  more  zeal- 
ously in  the  path  of  perfection.  When  in  1591  the  pestilence  broke 
out  in  Rome,  it  was  Aloysius  who  took  the  most  care  of  the  poor 
stricken  ones,  until  he  was  himself  infected,  and  on  the  21st  of 
June,  in  the  twenty  first  year  of  his  age,  died  the  death  of  the 
just.  The  evening  before  his  death,  he  was  visited  by  the  pro- 
vincial, who  came  to  inquire  about  his  health;  with  a  joyous  voice 
the  dying  youth  said  to  him:  "Father,  we  go,  we  go!"  "Whi- 
ther?" asked  the  other.  "To  heaven,  as  1  hope  through  the  mercy 
of  God,"  replied  the  saint,  and  there  now,  in  heaven,  St.  Aloysius 
shines  an  angel  of  innocence.— Happy  will  it  be  for  you,  if  you 
follow  him,  you  will  then  receive  an  unfading  crown,  like  that 
which  adorns  the  brow  of  this  sainted  youth. 

FON  DEVOTION  TO  ST.  ALOYSIUS. 
Or  three  hundred  years  St.  Aloysius  has  received  in  the  holy 
Catholic  Church  the  greatest  veneration  as  a  model  of  in- 
nocence and  purity,  and  innumerable  graces  have  been  received 
by  those  who  have  perseveringly  sought  to  imitate  him.  The 
Church  desires,  that  especially  the  young  should  make  this  saint 
their  model.  Experience  proves  that  many  who  have  done  this, 
have  been  preserved  from  the  snares  of  the  world,  and  have 
carried  the  crown  of  virginal  purity,  untainted,  to  God.  For 
this  end,  young  men  and  young  women  should  every  day  recom- 
mend themselves  to  the  protection  of  this  holy  youth;  should 
cherish  with  him  a  filial  veneration  for  the  most  blessed,  most 

Eure  Virgin  Mary;  should  impress  upon  their  heart,  as  he  upon 
is,  the  holy  fear  of  God,  the  distrust  of  themselves ;  should  shun 
every  occasion  of  sin,  control  their  senses,  especially  their  eyes, 
often  receive  the  holy  Sacraments,  and  persevere  in  prayer;  and 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NATIVITY  OF  ST.  JOHN,  THE  BAPTIST.     (J53 

should,  besides,  every  year  perform  the  six  Sundays'  devotion  to 
St.  Aloysius,  a  devotion  which  in  1739  and  1740  was  approved  by 
Pope  Clement  XIL,  granting  a  plenary  indulgence  for  each  one  of 
the  six  Sundays  to  those  who  perform  the  devotion.  The  devotion, 
which  married  as  well  as  single  persons  can  perform,  consists  in 
this :  that  on  each  of  six  successive  Sundays,  the  Sacraments  of 
Penance  and  holy  Communion  are  received  with  contrition  and 
fervor,  some  particular  virtue  of  St.  Aloysius  selected  for  medi- 
tation and  imitation,  and  each  time  after  Communion  the  prayers 
for  obtaining  indulgences,  and  six  "Our  Fathers"  and  "Hail 
Marys"  to  be  said,  with  the  "Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c."  in  com- 
memoration of  the  six  years  St.  Aloysius  spent  in  religion.  This 
indulgence  of  the  six  Sundays  can  be  gained  only  once  in  the  year. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  HONOR  OF  ST.  ALOYSIUS. 
0  God,  Thou  Dispenser  of  heavenly  gifts,  who  didst  unite 
in  the  angelic  youth  Aloysius  a  wonderful  innocence  of  life, 
with  an  equally  wonderful  penance,  grant  through  his  merits 
and  prayers,  that  we,  who  have  not  followed  him  in  inno- 
cence, may  imitate  him  in  penitence.  Through  Christ,  our 
Lord.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NATIVITY  OF  ST. 
JOHN,  THE  BAPTIST. 

[June  24  J 

Why  is  St.  John's  birthday  celebrated  instead  of  the  day  of  his 
death  as  of  other  saints  ? 

Ecause  St.  John  was  sanctified  in  the  womb  and 
was,  so  to  speak,  born  a  great  saint,  while 
others  only  by  a  life  long  contest  and  toil  attain- 
ed to  the  sanctity,  secured  to  them  by  their 
death. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  reads:  The  Lord 
called  me  by  my  name  from  my  mother's 
womb,  and  made  my  mouth  like  a  sharp  sword:  in  the 
shadow  of  his  hand  he  hath  protected  me,  and  made 
me  as  a  chosen  arrow.  (IsaixYi.)  It  is  good  to  praise  the 
Lord,  and  sing  to  thy  name,  0  thou  the  Most  High. 
{Ps.  xci.)    G!ory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  hast  honoured 
this  day  by  the  birth  of  blessed  John  the  Baptist :  grant  that 
Thy  people  may  rejoice  in  spirit,  and  guide  them  in  the  way 
of  eternal  salvation.  Thro\ 


654    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  NATIVITY  OF  ST.  JOHN,  THE  BAPTIST. 

LESSON.  (Isai  xlix.  1" — 7.)  Give  ear,  ye  islands,  and 
hearken  ye  people  from  afar.  The  Lord  hath  called  me  from 
the  womb,  from  the  bowels  of  my  mother  he  hath  been 
mindful  of  my  name.  And  he  hath  made  my  mouth  like  a 
sharp  sword:  in  the  shadow  of  his  hand  he  hath  protected 
me,  and  hath  made  me  as  a  chosen  arrow:  in  his  quiver  he 
hath  hidden  me.  And  he  said  to  me:  Thou  art  my  servant  in 
Israel,  for  in  thee  will  I  glory.  And  now  says  the  Lord  that 
formed  me  from  the  womb  to  be  his  servant:  Behold,  I  have 
given  thee  to  be  the  light  of  the  Gentiles,  that  you  may  est 
be  my  salvation  even  to  the  farthest  part  of  the  earth.  Kings 
shall  see,  and  princes  shall  rise  up  and  adore  for  the  Lord's 
sake,  and  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  who  hath  chosen  thee. 

SHORT  EXPLANATION.  In  his  usual,  sublime  language  the 
prophet  here  foretells  Christ,  whom  God  has  made  the  head  and 
ruler,  for  the  light  and  salvation  of  all  nations ;  but  the  greater  part 
of  these  words  apply  also  to  St.  John,  as  will  be  seen  from  his  life. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  i.  57  — 68.)  Elizabeth's  full  time  of  being 
delivered  was  come,  and  she  brought  forth  a  son.  And  her 
neighbours  and  kinsfolk  heard  that  the  Lord  hath  shewed 
his  great  mercy  towards  her,  and  they  congratulated  with 
her.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  on  the  eighth  day  they  came 
to  circumcise  the  child,  and  they  called  him  by  his  father's 
name  Zacharias.  And  his  mother  answering  said  :  Not  so, 
but  he  shall  be  called  John.  And  they  said  to  her:  There  is 
none  of  thy  kindred  that  is  called  by  that  name.  And  they 
made  signs  to  his  father,  how  he  would  have  him  called. 
And  demanding  a  writing-table,  he  wrote,  saying:  John  is 
his  name.  And  they  all  wondered.  And  immediately  his 
mouth  was  opened  and  his  tongue  loosed,  and  he  spoke  bless- 
ing God.  And  fear  came  upon  all  their  neighbours,  and  all 
these  things  were  noised  abroad  over  all  the  hill-country  of 
Judea:  and  all  they  that  had  heard  them,  laid  them  up  in 
their  hearts,  saying:  What  an  one,  think  ye,  shall  this  child 
be  ?  For  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  with  him.  And  Zacharias 
his  father  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost:  and  he  prophesied, 
saying :  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  because  he  hath 
visited  and  wrought  the  redemption  of  his  people. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JOHN.  655 

INSTRUCTION.  I.  It  was  for  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth,  who 
to  their  greatest  sorrow  lived  childless  to  old  age,  an  assurance 
of  God's  mercy,  that  He  should  then  present  them  with  a  child 
and  such  a  holy  child.  But  they  had  sought  to  make  themselves 
worthy  of  this  grace  by  continual  prayer,  by  submission  to  God's 
will,  by  the  patient  endurance  of  that  which  was,  at  that  time,  a 
disgrace,  their  unfruitfulness,  while  in  the  bringing  up  of  this  child 
they  manifested  their  gratitude  for  his  coming.— Childless  married 
people  ought  to  learn  from  this,  that  they  may  pray  to  God  for 
children,  it  is  true,  but  they  should  at  the  same  time  be  resigned 
to  the  will  of  God.  It  is  a  favor  to  many,  that  God  gives  them  no 
children;  for  if  they  received  the  grace  to  have  them,  they  would 
bring  up  their  children  in  an  unchristian  manner,  and  thereby 
risk  their  own  salvation.  II.  But  if  God  should  hear  the  prayers 
of  such,  as  He  heard  the  prayers  of  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth,  they 
should  not  fail  to  thank  God  and  to  offer  Him  the  child,  promis- 
ing to  bring  it  up  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  III.  Elisabeths's  rela- 
tions and  friends  rejoiced  with  her  in  her  happiness,  congratulat- 
ing her  upon  it.— If  good  is  given  to  our  fellowmen,  we  also  should 
rejoice,  praise  and  thank  God  for  it.  Thus  we  participate  in  their 
happiness.  IV.  The  name  John,  which  means  Blessed  of  God, 
was  given  to  the  child  by  God  Himself,  and  John  strove  to  live 
always  in  accordance  with  his  name.— We  receive  from  the  Church 
in  baptism  some  saint's  name,  with  the  view  of  our  imitating  our 
patron  in  virtue.  Let  us  see,  that  we  do  not  bear  the  name  with- 
out advantage  from  it.  V.  When  Zacharias  would  not  believe  the 
angels  announcement,  he  became  dumb,  now  that  he  believes,  his 
tongue  is  loosened.  {Luke  i.  18— 20.)— When  the  sinner  punished 
by  God,  returns  and  repents,  God  will  either  take  the  punishment 
from  him,  or,  will  give  him  grace  to  bear  it  longer,  for  the  sake  of 
making  greater  satisfaction.  VI.  Zacharias  praised  God  loudly  and 
publicly  for  the  grace  He  had  given  him.— Woe  to  those  who  bury 
the  graces  they  have  received,  in  forgetfulness,  and  do  not  thank 
God  for  them.  They  will  receive  no  more  graces,  for  the  hope 
of  the  unthankful  shall  melt  away  as  the  winter's  ice. 
( Wis.  xvi.  29.) 

SLIFE  OF  ST.  JOHN. 
T.  John  could  not  have  any  greater  panegyrist  than  Christ 
Himself  who  at  one  time  calls  him  an  angel  (Matt.  xi.  10.),  at 
another  one  more  than  a  prophet  (Luke  vii.  28.),  again  a  burning 
and  shining  light  (John  v.  35.),  by  which  He  sufficiently  mani- 
fested the  greatness  of  the  saints  merit  and  holiness.  Indeed, 
John  was  one  of  the  greatest  saints,  endowed  with  the  most  extra- 
ordinary gifts,  of  the  Old  or  New  Testament.  The  Lord  had  made 
him  great  from  the  womb,  while  his  birth  was  foretold  by  an 
angel.  He  Himself  named  him,  and  sanctified  him  in  the  womb, 
by  Christ's  presence  at  the  visitation  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary, 


656  0N  THE  NECESSITY  OF  EDUCATING  CHILDREN. 

so  that  he  was  secure  from  the  world's  corruption.  God  drew  him 
in  early  youth  to  the  desert,  where  he  lived  like  an  angel  under 
God's  protection,  preparing  himself  for  his  future  ministry.  He 
led  there  the  most  rigorously  penitential  life;  grass-hoppers  and 
wild  honey  were  his  only  food,  a  coarse  camel's  hair  garment  and 
a  leathern  belt  around  his  waist  his  only  covering,  wild  animals 
his  companions,  communion  with  God  by  prayer  and  meditation 
his  entertainment.  When  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  God  com- 
manded that  like  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
he  should  announce  the  Messiah  whom  he  had  baptized  in  the 
Jordan,  and  show  the  world  the  Lamb  of  God  who  takes  away 
the  sins  of  the  world.  Then,  with  his  exhortations  to  repentance, 
St.  John  as  with  a  sharp  sword  penetrated  men's  hearts,  seeking 
to  prepare  them  to  receive  the  Saviour.  His  exhortations  to  pen- 
ance did  not  consist  in  mere  words,  but  in  an  example  of  the 
most  rigorous  mortification,  in  which  he  is  a  light  guiding  men 
to  salvation. 

Finally,  when  his  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls  impelled  him 
to  tell  King  Herod  to  his  face,  that  it  is  not  lawful  to  take  one's 
brother's  wife  and  live  with  her,  he  was  cast  into  prison.  When 
the  daughter  of  this  adulterous  woman,  Herodias,  was  once 
dancing  before  Herod,  he  was  so  well  pleased  with  her,  that  he 
promised  to  give  her  whatever  she  should  ask.  Instigated  by  her 
impious  mother,  she  demanded  the  head  of  John,  the  Baptist. 
John  was  beheaded  and  rewarded,  by  a  martyr's  crown,  for 
all  the  victories  with  which  he,  in  whom  God  had  so  gloriously 
manifested  Himself,  had  adorned  his  career;  leaving  to  all  the 
most  beautiful  example  of  innocence, .  penance,  and  a  heroic 
zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  And  from  the  days  of 
John,  the  Baptist,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth 
violence,  and  the  violent  bear  it  away,  says  Christ. 
{Matt.  xi.  12.) 

We  may  be  sinners  or  we  may  be  innocent,  and  yet,  like  St. 
John  if  we  would  bring  forth  worthy  fruits  of  penance  and  be  not 
excluded  from  heaven,  we  must  use  violence. 

ON  THE  NECESSITY  OF  EDUCATING  CHILDREN. 
What  an  one  shall  this  child  be?  (Luke  i.  66.) 

THus  said  the  friends,  neighbors,  and  relations  of  the  pious 
couple  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth,  when  they  saw  and  heard 
the  wonderful  incidents  which  accompanied  the  birth  of  their 
son,  John.  What  an  one  shall  this  child  be?  so  parents 
often  say  to  each  other,  when  they  look  upon  their  own  little 
children,  and  see  how  even  in  early  days  certain  propensities  ap- 
pear in  them,  causing  great  wonder.  How  often  would  parents  be 
overwhelmed  with  pain  and  grief,  if  they  could  know  in  advance, 
how  these  tender  little  ones  whose  good  and  remarkable  qualities 


ON  THE  NECESSITY  OF  EDUCATING  CHILDREN.  (J57 

and  whose  extraordinary  talents  they  admire,  on  whom  their  eyes 
rest  with  pleasure,  whom  every  one  praises,—  how  these  children 
would  one  day  hasten  to  temporal  and  eternal  ruin,  preparing  for 
their  parents  no  joy,  but  many  afflictions  and  much  misery! 
Whence  does  it  come,  that  so  many  parents  are  deceived  in  the 
expectations  they  entertained  in  regard  to  their  children,  that 
their  advancing  youth,  notwithstanding  all  the  education  bestow- 
ed upon  it,  becomes  more  and  more  disorderly  and  impious?  It 
comes,  because  parents  so  seldom  observe  that  which  is  written 
of  the  young  Tobias:  From  his  infancy  (his  father)  taught 
him  to  fear  God  and  to  abstain  from  all  sin  {Tab.  i.  10.); 
because  they  regard  not  the  apostle's  admonition:  And  you,  fa- 
thers, bring  up  your  children  in  the  discipline  and 
correction  of  the  Lord  {Eph,  vi.  4.);  because  they  forget,  that 
every  child  is  like  a  young  tree  that  must  be  carefully  guarded, 
straightened,  bound  to  a  post,  trimmed,  and  protected  against  in- 
sects, wind,  and  frost;  because  they  remember  no  longer  the  wise 
man's  counsel:  Instruct  thy  children,  and  bow  down  their 
necks  from  childhood  (Eccl.  vii.  25.),  and,  thou  shalt  beat 
thy  child  with  a  rod  and  deliver  his  soul  from  hell  {Pror. 
xxiii.  14.);  because  they  pay  no  attention  to  the  words:  The  child 
that  is  left  to  his  own  will,  bringeth  his  mother  to  shame 
(Prop.  xxix.  15.),  and,  he  that  loveth  his  son,  frequently 
chastiseth  him,  that  he  may  rejoice  in  his  latter  end,  and 
not  grope  after  the  doors  of  his  neighbors  (Eccl.xxx.  1.), 
that  is,  for  protection,  consolation,  and  help  against  the  rebellious 
child.  They  do  not  bring  the  child  early  to  Jesus,  the  divine 
friend  of  children ;  they  do  not  teach  it  to  fear  God  and  abhor  sin 
above  all  things;  they  rejoice  in  the  many  talents  of  the  child, 
but  do  not  seek  to  direct  them  to  God,  their  only  end;  they  do  not 
remove  from  the  child  all  that  which  poisons  and  corrupts  the  inno- 
cent heart  open  to  every  impression ;  they  neglect  to  make  it  pray 
in  early  childhood,  to  make  it  exercise  the  necessary  Christian 
virtues,  the  love  of  God  and  their  neighbor,  humility  j  obedience, 
meekness,  peacefulness  and  modesty;  in  a  word:  they  educate 
their  children  for  anything  rather  than  for  God,  the  Church,  and 
their  country.  God,  the  Church,  the  country  are  not  satisfied 
with  an  education  in  which  attention  is  paid  only  to  those  things 
which  will  enable  the  child  to  do  well  in  this  world,  or  that  will 
make  a  great  show,  and  receive  place,  honor,  and  praise.  It  is 
this  false  and  pernicious  education,  which  is  the  reason  that  so 
many  parents  complain  of  their  grown  up  children,  that  God  so 
often  even  here,  more  terribly  still  in  the  other  world,  punishes 
parents,  that  the  Church  has  cause  to  lament,  and  good  men  be 
tilled  with  fear. 

If  education  is  to  be  a  truly  Christian  one,  so  that  parents  may 
rejoice  in  their  children,  here  and  in  the  next  world,  and  a  better 
generation  grow  up,  education  must  be  founded  on  religion,  must 


42 


658  ON  THE  NECESSITY  OF  EDUCATING  CHILDREN. 

commence  with  God  and  end  with  God.  Parents  should  consider, 
that  their  children  are  a  precious  trust,  which  God  has  confided  to 
them,  and  which  he  will  in  strict  account  demand  back  again  un- 
hurt on  the  Day  of  Judgment;  they  should  remember,  that  their 
children  are  created  for  heaven,  are  redeemed  by  the  precious 
blood  of  Jesus,  and  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  baptism.  In  the 
earliest  childhood,  Christian  parents  should  make  their  children 
acquainted  with  God,  the  Highest  Good,  keep  them  attentive  to 
devout  prayer,  especially  imprint  the  holy  fear  of  God  upon  their 
hearts,  lead  them  early  to  Jesus,  often  place  His  beautiful  example 
before  them,  infuse  His  holy  teachings  into  their  hearts,  instruct 
them  in  sincere  veneration  to  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  daily  re- 
commending them  to  this  beloved  Mother.  Being,  as  it  were,  the 
guardian  angels  of  their  children,  parents  should  watch  day  and 
night  over  the  innocence  and  purity  of  their  hearts,  remove  them 
from  association  with  bad  children  and  degenerate  grown  people, 
be  attentive  to  watch  all  their  steps,  be  vigilant  concerning  all 
their  omissions  and  commissions,  banish  from  their  knowledge  all 
bad  example,  improper  words  and  songs,  and  bad  books.  If  they 
truly  love  their  children,  they  will  not  permit  obstinacy,  stub- 
bornness, or  disobedience  in  them,  and  should:  withhold  not 
correction  from  a  child  (Prov.  xxiii.  13.),  make  use  of  strict 
discipline  united  with  affection,  and  suffer  no  ill  manners  to  grow 
with  them.  They  should  early  bring  their  children  to  the  practice 
of  Christian  virtues,  and  teach  them  to  mortify  their  evil  inclina- 
tions ;  often  exhort  them,  when  they  have  arrived  at  the  proper 
age,  to  receive  the  holy  Sacraments ;  see  that  their  children  do 
not  spend  their  youth  in  idleness,  but  thoroughly  learn  all  that, 
which  is  necessary  for  them  to  know,  not  superficially  as  half 
educated,  half  instructed  persons,  who  can  gossip  about  every- 
thing, but  are  at  the  same  time  empty  headed;  they  should,  and 
this  is  especially  needful,  go  in  advance  of  their  children  in  good 
example,  cooperate  with  the  priests  and  teachers,  and  thus  strive 
to  bring  up  good,  pious,  religious,  virtuous  children  of  God,  members 
for  the  Church  and  citizens  for  the  country. 

Woe  to  the  parents  who  do  not  educate  their  children  for  God 
and  heaven!  What  fear  and  terror  will  come  upon  them  on  the 
Judgment-Day,  when  God  will  demand  back,  pure  and  unharmed, 
the  children  He  confided  to  them,  when  parents  must  acknow- 
ledge, that  through  their  fault  their  children  have  been  excluded 
from  the  country  of  God,  have  gone  to  eternal  perdition  and  are 
lost  forever ! 


059 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
PETER  AND  ST.  PAUL,  APOSTLES. 


c/£fcvu 


[June  29.] 


Eter,  formerly  called  Simon,  from  Bethsaida  in  Ga- 
lilee, was  a  son  of  Jonas  and  a  brother  of  Andrew, 
by  whom  he  was  brought  to  Christ.  After  the 
great  draught  of  fishes,  when  our  Lord  said  to 
him  and  Andrew:  Follow  me,  and  I  will 
make  you  fishers  of  men,  Peter  followed  the 
Saviour  constantly.    Jesus  so  loved  him,  that  He 

made  him  the  witness  of  his  most  secret  and  important  actions. 

Peter  was  present,  when  Christ  appeared  in  His  glory  on  Mount 


40* 


660  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST 

Tabor,  when  He  raised  the  daughter  of  Jairus  to  life,  and  when  He 
sweat  blood  in  the  agony  on  Mount  Olivet.  Peter  was  also  present 
at  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes,  which  was  a  figure  of  the  mul- 
titudes which  Peter  was  to  bring,  by  means  of  the  holy  Gospel, 
to  the  kingdom  of  God,  for  Christ  cal'ed  him  a  fisher  of  men, 
and  afterwards,  because  Peter  recognized  and  professed  Him  to 
be  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  Christ  named  him  Peter,  made  him 
the  head  of  the  apostles  and  of  the  entire  Church,  made  him  His 
vicar  and  visible  representative  upon  earth,  promising  to  build 
His  Church  upon  him  as  upon  a  rock,  gave  him  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  and  commanded  him  to  feed  His  sheeps  and 
His  lambs.  Peter  loved  our  Lord  above  all  things;  because  of  his 
love  he  wished  to  remain  with  Christ  upon  Mount  Tabor,  to  keep 
Him  from  His  suffering,  and  in  his  love  desired  to  die  with  Christ. 
He  certainly  showed  the  greatest  courage  when  Christ  was  taken, 
following  Him  even  into  the  house  of  the  high  priest.  But  alas^ 
the  instability  of  man !  There  Peter  three  times  denied  the  Lord. 
But  he  instantly,  at  one  glance  of  the  Redeemer,  wept  bitterly 
over  this  sin,  and  never  ceased  to  lament  it  while  he  lived.  He 
atoned  for  it  by  suffering  much  for  Christ.  Under  the  Emperor 
Nero  he  was  crucified  for  his  faith,  at  Rome,  and  by  his  own 
request  with  his  head  towards  the  ground,  because  he  did  not 
consider  himself  worthy  to  die  as  Christ  did. 

0  that  all  sinners  would  seek  by  such  penance  to  turn  their 
evil  into  good! 

PRAYER  TO  ST.  PETER.  0  God,  who  from  a  poor 
fisherman  made  St.  Peter  prince  of  the  apostles  and  head  of 
Thy  Church,  we  beseech  Thee  through  his  intercession  to 
make  us  true  lambs  of  Thy  flock.  Grant,  that  we  may  hear 
his  voice,  follow  his  doctrine,  and  walk  in  his  steps,  until  we 
reach  that  happy  pasture  where  the  good  Shepherd,  Thine 
only  begotten  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  whom  St.  Peter  represented 
on  earth,  reigns  with  Thee  and  the  Holy  Ghost  forever. 
Amen. 

SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

L^Aul,  before  his  conversion  called  Saul,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
I  was  born  at  Tarsus  in  Cilicia,  and  was  a  pupil  of  Gamaliel. 
As  he  had  the  most  zealous  attachment  for  the  Jewish  law,  he 
was  exasperated  against  the  Christians.  However,  when  hurrying 
to  Damascus  to  persecute  them,  he  was  converted  by  the  Lord  on 
the  way  and  called  to  be  an  apostle.  [See  the  Feast  of  (he  Con- 
version of  St.  Paul.]  His  unwearied  labors  in  the  vineyard  of  the 
Lord,  after  his  conversion,  the  sufferings  which  he  endured  upon 
his  apostolic  journeys,  and  the  dangers  and  persecutions  through 
which  he  passed  in  different  countries,  cannot  be  described.   The 


OF  ST.  PETER  AND  ST.  PAUL,  APOSTLES.  $61 

zeal  and  constancy  with  which  he  confessed  and  preached  the 
faith,  though  in  chains  and  bands,  though  scourged  and  beaten, 
in  hunger  and  thirst,  and  through  innumerable  dangers,  are 
almost  incredible.  He  was  so  humble,  that  he  regarded  him- 
self as  the  least  of  the  apostles,  and  wished  to  be  held  as  the 
very  offscourings  of  the  earth.  After  a  long  and  hard-  contested 
fight,  he  finally  finished  his  career;  having  zealously  preached 
the  faith  in  all  directions  and  still  more  zealously  practised  it, 
he  won  the  crown  of  justice.  On  the  same  day  and  at  the  same 
place,  in  Rome,  in  which  Peter  was  crucified,  he  was  beheaded, 
by  command  of  the  Emperor  Nero.  Thus  God  tries  and  rewards 
true  virtue.  Paul  in  his  life  as  after  death  worked  numberless 
miracles;  even  his  handkerchief,  like  St.  Peter's  shadow,  healed 
sickness  and  expelled  devils.  He  had  so  deeply  impressed  the 
name  of  Jesus  in  his  heart,  that  it  was  almost  continually  on  his 
lips,  for  "out  of  the  fulness  of  the  heart,  the  mouth  speaketh." 

'Would  that  we  loved  Jesus,  as  Paul  loved  Him,  then  we  would, 
like  St.  Paul,  be  ready  to  do  and  suffer  much  for  Jesus. 

PRAYER  TO  ST.  PAUL.  0  St.  Paul,  chosen  vessel  of 
the  Lord,  who  clidst  carry  the  name  of  Jesus  to  kings  and 
heathens,  didst  suffer  so  much  for  Christ,  and  wast  never 
allured  from  the  love  of  Him :  like  a  brave  soldier  of  Christ, 
thou  hast  fought  a  good  battle,  a  zealous  teacher  thou  hast 
preached  far  and  wide  the  true  faith,  and  the  just  and  mer- 
ciful God  has,  therefore,  rewarded  thee  with  the  crown  of 
justice:  pray  to  God  for  me,  that  I  who  because  of  my  sins 
am  an  instrument  of  wrath,  may  become  an  instrument  of 
honor,  adorned  with  the  Christian  virtues,  with  which  thou 
art  already  decorated.  Through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  consists  of  Peter's  words,  spoken 
after  his  deliverance  from  the  prison  at  Jerusalem:  Now  I  know 
in  very  deed  that  the  Lord  hath  sent  his  angel  and  de- 
livered me  out  of  the  hand  of  Herod,  and  from  all  the 
expectation  of  the  people  of  the  Jews.  (Acts  xii.  11.)  0 
Lord,  thou  hast)  proved  me,  and  hast  known  me:  thou 
hast  known  my  sitting  down,  and  my  rising  up.  (Ps. 
cxxxviii.)   Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  hast  conse- 
crated this  day  by  the  martyrdom  of  Thy  glorious  apostles 
Peter  and  Paul;  grant,  that  Thy  Church  may  in  all  things 
follow  their  directions,  by  whom  was  laid  the  foundation  of 
religion.  Thro'. 


662  INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  PETER  AND  ST.  PAUL,  AP. 

LESSON.  (Acts  xii.  1  —  11.)  In  those  days:  Herod  the 
king  stretched  forth  his  hand  to  afflict  some  of  the  Church. 
And  he  killed  James  the  brother  of  John  with  the  sword. 
And  seeing  that  it  pleased  the  Jews,  he  proceeded  to  take  up 
Peter  also.  Now  it  was  in  the  days  of  azymes.  And  when  he 
had  apprehended  him  he  cast  him  into  prison,  delivering  him 
to  four  files  of  soldiers  to  be  kept,  intending  after  the  pasch 
to  bring  him  forth  to  the  people.  Peter  therefore  was  kept 
in  prison.  But  prayer  was  made  without  ceasing  by  the 
Church  unto  God  for  him.  And  when  Herod  would  have 
brought  him  forth,  the  same  night  Peter  was  sleeping  be- 
tween two  soldiers,  bound  with  two  chains:  and  the  keepers 
before  the  door  kept  the  prison.  And  behold,  an  angel  of  the 
Lord  stood  by  him:  and  a  light  shined  in  the  room:  and  he 
striking  Peter  on  the  side  raised  him  up,  saying :  Arise 
quickly.  And  the  chains  fell  off  from  his  hands.  And  the 
angel  said  to  him:  Gird  tlryself,  and  put  on  thy  sandals. 
And  he  did  so.  And  he  said  to  him:  Cast  thy  garment  about 
thee,  and  follow  me.  And  going  out  he  followed  him,  and  he 
knew  not  that  it  was  true  which  was  done  by  the  angel: 
but  thought  he  saw  a  vision.  And  passing  through  the  first 
and  second  ward,  they  came  to  the  iron  gate  that  leadeth  to 
the  city,  which  of  itself  opened  to  them.  And  going  out,  they 
passed  on  through  one  street:  and  immediately  the  angel 
departed  from  him.  And  Peter  coming  to  himself,  said :  Now 
I  know  in  very  deed  that  the  Lord  hath  sent  his  angel,  and 
hath  delivered  me  out  of  the  hand  of  Herod,  and  from  all 
the  expectation  of  the  people  of  the  Jews. 

INSTRUCTION.  I.  This  Herod,  a  grand-son  of  Herod  the 
Great,  under  whom  Christ  was  born,  and  who  murdered  the  holy 
Innocents,  was  a  zealous  Jew,  and  to  please  the  Jews  persecuted 
the  Christians,  and  caused  Peter  to  be  imprisoned  with  the  in- 
tention of  having  him  publicly  executed  after  Easter,  for  the 
amusement  of  the  people.  —  How  shameful  it  is  to  do  wrong,  to 
murder  a  man  in  order  to  oblige  others!  See  how  deeply  the 
desire  to  please  can  lead  into  corruption !  Take  care  to  commit 
no  sin  for  the  sake  of  pleasing  others;  for  he  who  seeks  to  please 
men,  cannot  be  a  servant  of  Christ,  says  the  Apostle  Paul.  II.  The 
Church,  that  is,  the  priests  and  the  faithful,  prayed  to  God  con- 
tinually for  the  liberation  of  St.  Peter,  and  their  prayers  were 
heard.— Let  us  pray  for  one  another,  especially  for  sinners,  that 
God  may  free  them  from  the  chains  of  the  evil  one.    III.  Peter 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  VISITATION  OF  MARY.    £63 

slept  calmly  in  prison,  for  his  conscience  was  at  peace,  and  he 
confided  himself  entirely  to  God's  protection. —  The  innocent  is 
calm  in  every  peril  and  need,  the  bad  only  have  no  peace.  IV.  God 
sent  an  angel  to  Peter,  who  told  him  to  rise  up  quickly,  gird  him- 
self, put  on  his  shoes,  and  follow  him.—  If  thy  guardian  angel 
warns  thee  to  rise  from  the  sleep  of  sin,  then  rise  at  once,  return 
to  thyself,  like  the  prodigal  son,  break  the  bonds  that  bind  thee 
to  sin,  gird  thyself  with  the  strong  resolution  to  sin  no  more,  put 
on  thy  shoes,  that  is,  make  the  firm  purpose  to  follow  Christ. 
Dangerous  indeed  it  is,  not  to  attend  the  warnings  of  the  good 
angel,  and  to  continue  to  sleep ! 

[The  Gospel  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Peter's  Chair  at  Rome.] 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
VISITATION  OF  MARY. 

[July  2] 

Why  is  this  festival  called  the  Visit ation  of  Mary? 

Ecause  on  this  day  Mary  visited  her  cousin  Eli- 
zabeth of  whom  the  angel  said,  that  she  should 
in  her  old  age  be  blessed  with  a  son. 

[The  Introit  of  the  Mass  as  on  the  Festival  of 
the  Conception.] 

LESSON.  (Cant.  ii.  8 — 14.)  Behold,  he  cometh,  leaping 
upon  the  mountains,  skipping  over  the  hills.  My  beloved  is 
like  a  roe  or  a  young  hart.  Behold,  he  standeth  behind  our 
wall,  looking  through  the  windows,  looking  through  the  lat- 
tices. Behold,  my  beloved  speaketh.to  me:  Arise,  make  haste, 
my  love,  my  dove,  my  beautiful  one,  and  come.  For  winter 
is  now  past,  the  rain  is  over  and  gone.  The  flowers  have 
appeared  in  our  land,  the  time  of  pruning  is  come,  the  voice 
of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our  land :  the  fig-tree  hath  put  forth 
her  green  figs,  the  vine  in  flower  yield  their  sweet  smell. 
Arise,  my  love,  my  beautiful  one,  and  come.  My  dove  in  the 
clefts  of  the  rock,  in  the  hollow  places  of  the  wall,  shew  me 
thy  face,  let  thy  voice  sound  in  my  ear:  for  thy  voice  is 
sweet,  and  thy  face  comely. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Church  here  applies  this  lesson  to 
Christ's  love  for  His  Mother,  from  whom  He  received  His  flesh. 
In  the  beautiful  words  of  this  day's  lesson,  thou  mayst  therefore 
sympathize  with  the  love  which  Jesus  and  Mary  had  for  each 
other,  and  consider,  that  Jesus  so  loves  thy  soul,  that  He  calls  on 


664    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  VISITATION  OF  MARY. 

thee  to  rise  up,  that  is,  to  leave  the  earthly  thoughts,  and  come 
to  Him,  to  live  for  Him  only,  and  entertain  thyself,  in  prayer 
only  with  Him,  like  Mary  who  because  of  this  was  so  beautiful  in 
His  sight,  and  make  the  following 

PETITION.  0  Jesus,  sweet  Bridegroom  of  my  soul,  come, 
hasten  with  Thy  grace  to  visit  my  soul,  that  she  may  be 
purified  and  sanctified  by  Thy  love,  and  prepare  her  for  Thy 
worthy  dwelling,  visit  me  as  thou  once  didst  visit,  with  Mary, 
the  child  John  and  sanctify  him.  Do  not  permit  my  ears 
ever  to  close  to  Thy  warning  voice,  but  grant  that  I  may 
always  obey  Thy  holy  admonitions,  and  thus  become  ever 
more  and  more  pleasing  to  Thee. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  VISITATION  OF  MARY.    665 

GOSPEL.  (Ityke  i.  39 — 47.)  At  that  time:  Mary  rising 
up  in  those  days,  went  into  the  hill  country  with  haste  into 
a  city  of  Juda.  And  she  entered  into  the  house  of  Zachary, 
and  saluted  Elizabeth.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  Eli- 
zabeth heard  the  salutation  of  Mary,  the  infant  leaped  in  her 
womb.  And  Elizabeth  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  And 
she  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice,  and  said:  Blessed  art  thou 
among  women,  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb.  And 
whence  is  this  to  me,  that  the  mother  of  my  Lord  should 
come  to  me?  For  behold,  as  soon  as  the  voice  of  thy  saluta- 
tion sounded  in  my  ears,  the  infant  in  my  womb  leaped  for 
joy.  And  blessed  art  thou  that  hast  believed,  because  those 
things  shall  be  accomplished  that  were  spoken  to  thee  by  the 
Lord.  And  Mary  said:  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord:  and 
my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour. 

INSTRUCTION.  I.  Mary  rising  up  went  into  the  hill  country, 
and  truly,  as  St.  Luke  says,  with  haste.  "And  tell  us  now,  0 
Mary,"  exclaims  St.  Alptionsus  Ligouri,  "why  dost  thou  hasten 
so?"  "I  have  a  duty  to  fulfil,"  she  replies,  "which  the  love  of  my 
neighbor  requires.  I  go  to  assist  a  pious  family."— In  like  manner 
you  also  should  hasten  to  carry  help  and  consolation  to  your 
neighbor.  II.  Mary  visited  her  cousin  not  from  inconsiderate 
curiosity,  not  according  to  the  custom  of  the  world,  but  from 
love,  and  especially  that  she  might  sanctify  John.  —  From  such 
motives  we  should  make  all  our  visits.  They  should  aim  always 
only  at  God's  honor  and  the  spiritual  advantage  of  our  fellow- 
men,  they  should  not  come  false  politeness  or  bad  intentions,  which 
alas !  are  too  often  the  motives  of  worldly  visits.  III.  Mary  in 
this  visit  gives  a  special  example  of  humility,  when  she,  although 
the  Mother  of  God,  visits  the  mother  of  His  servanf  John,  saluting 
her  first,  and  rendering  her  for  three  months  the  services  of  a 
maid. —  Learn  from  Mary,  and  sincerely  ask  her  to  obtain  you  the 
virtue  of  humility.  IV.  When  Mary  was  praised  by  her  aunt  and 
called  blessed,  she  turned  the  praises  at  once  to  God  and  gives  Him 
all  the  honor.— When  we  do  any  good,  whe  should  always  give 
the  honor  to  God,  not  to  ourselves,  as  the  prophet  says:  Not  to 
us,  not  to  us,  but  to  thy  name  the  honor!  V.  When  Mary 
entered  into  Zachary's  house,  wonderful  grace  entered  with  her. 
The  infant  John  leaped  up  for  joy,  because  sanctifying  grace  was 
then  given  to  him,  before  he  was  born;  Elizabeth  was  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  Zachary,  St.  John's  father,  was  soon  to  be 
consolea  by  regaining  the  use  of  speech. 


666 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ULRIC. 


"It  is  then  but  true,"  here  exclaims  St.  Alphonsus  Ligouri, 
"that  through  thy  mediation,  my  Queen  and  Mother,  God's  graces 
are  dispensed  and  souls  sanctified !  Forget  not  me,  0  my  beloved 
Mother  Mary,  forget  not  me,  thy  servant,  who  loves  thee  and 
places  upon  thee  all  his  hopes ! " 

EXPLANATION  OF  THE  MAGNIFICAT,  OR,  MY  SOUL 
DOTH  SANCTIFY  THE  LORD. 

TWhat  does  this  canticle  contain? 
He  praise  of  God,  Mary's  gratitude  and  humility.  In  it  she 
praises  God,  and  rejoices,  that  He  saw  the  humility  of  His 
handmaid,  and  made  her  the  Mother  of  His  only  begotten  Son, 
and,  therefore,  all  generations  shall  call  her  blessed.  She  says, 
that  God's  mercy  is  great  from  generation  to  generation  to  those 
that  fear  Him :  He  humbles  the  proud  and  casts  them  down  from 
their  seat,  which  they  had  erected  in  their  conceit,  but  gives  His 
grace  to  the  humble  and  exalts  them ;  He  richly  fills  those  who 
hunger  and  thirst  after  virtue  and  heavenly  treasures,  but  lets 
those  who  think  themselves  rich,  go  away  empty;  He  receives  all 
true  Israelites  for  His  worshipers  and  leads  them  to  the  salvation, 
which  He  promised  to  their  fathers.  "God  is  mighty,"  says  St. 
Augustine,  "if  thou  exaltest  thyself,  He  flies  from  thee;  if  thou 
humblest  thyself,  He  descends  to  thee. " 

SUPPLICATION.  0  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Son  of  the  living 
God !  who  didst  descend  from  the  heights  of  heaven  into  the 
womb  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  didst  remain  for  nine 
months  in  it,  deigning  to  visit  and  sanctify  St.  John  through 
her,  grant,  that  we  may  participate,  through  the  practice  of 
good  works  and  especially  of  humility,  in  the  fruits  of  Thy 
holy  Incarnation. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF 
ST.  ULRIC. 

[July  4.]  . 

T.  Ulric  was  born,  about  the  year  890,  of  noble 
parents,  who  according  to  the  custom  of  that  time, 
gave  him,  when  a  boy,  into  the  hands  of  the  Bene- 
dictine Fathers  of  St.  Gallen  in  Switzerland,  to  be 
educated. 

While  being  instructed  in  the  sciences  at  the 
j  monastery,  he  became  acquainted  with  St.  Wibo- 
roda,  a  hermitess  of  that  neighborhood,  who  urged  him  to  the 
preservation  of  purity.    She  gave  him  a  girdle,  which  she  her- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ULRIC.        ^>67 

self  had  made,  to  remind  him,  that  she  had  girded  him  with  the 
girdle  of  continence,  and  he  should,  therefore,  shun  all  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  women.  Wiboroda's  words  made  such  an  impression 
upon  him,  that  from  that  time  he  practised  the  severest  penance. 
When  he  was  about  to  choose  his  state  of  life,  she  advised  him  to 
return  to  his  home,  for  he  was  to  become  a  bishop,  but  would  first 
have  much  to  suffer  for  God.  TJlric,  therefore,  returned  to  his 
parents ;  he  did  not  remain  long  with  them,  but  placed  himself 
for  further  education  into  the  hands  of  the  wise  and  pious  Adal- 
bero,  Bishop  of  Augsburgh,  who  ordained  him  priest  and  made 
him  a  canon.  Before  accepting  this  position,  Ulric  made  a  pilgrim- 
age to  Rome,  to  the  graves  of  the  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  there 
to  pray  sincerely  for  the  grace  to  fruitfully  administer  his  priestly 
office  in  accordance  with  God's  will.  He  lived  for  several  years 
after  his  return  in  quiet  and  solitude  until  the  year  924,  when  he 
was  made  Bishop  of  Augsburgh. 

At  that  time,  great  gloom  hung  over  the  country;  on  every 
side  was  to  be  seen  only  misery  and  distress.  The  Huns,  a  bar- 
barian tribe,  had  made  predatory  incursions  into  this  section 
and  made  every  thing  desolate;  the  Churches  were  in  ruins,  the 
houses  plundered,  the  priests  chained,  the  towns  ransacked,  and 
the  inhabitants  scattered.  Still  St.  Ulric  did  not  despair;  trust- 
ing in  God's  help,  he  called  together  his  scattered  flock,  rebuilt 
the  ruined  houses  and  Churches,  and  to  carry  spiritual  and  ma- 
terial aid  in  all  directions,  he  himself  visited  his  entire  diocese, 
consoling,  advising,  and  instructing  as  he  went. 

By  untiring  labor  he  had  succeeded  in  preparing  the  way  for 
a  new  Christian  life  in  his  diocese,  when  the  Huns  again  advanced 
as  far  as  the  Black  Forest,  burning  and  slaying  everywhere.  They 
crossed  the  Lech,  burned  the  Church  of  St.  Afra  the  Martyr,  and 
laid  siege  to  the  poorly  fortified  city  of  Augsburgh,  in  which  St. 
Ulric  held  his  episcopal  see.  Fear  and  terror  seized  upon  the 
people,  they  were  lost  if  God  did  not  help  them.  But  in  God's 
help  St.  Ulric  trusted  perfectly ;  he  gathered  the  people  into  the 
Church,  remained  day  and  night  with  them  in  it,  and  inspired  the 
soldiers,  who  were  ready  to  fight  the  enemy,  to  the  holy  battle. 
He  gave  them  all  holy  Communion  just  before  the  attack,  and 
then  in  his  episcopal  dress  and  his  stole,  he  put  himself  at  their 
head  to  meet  the  enemy.  The  battle  was  most  violent,  the  soldiers 
fought  valiantly,  and  drove  the  barbarians  back  to  their  camp.  In 
the  mean  time,  the  German  Emperor  Otho  I.  came  with  a  powerful 
army  to  their  assistance,  and  a  terrible  battle  was  fought,  in  which 
the  Huns  were  conquered  and  routed.  This  victory  was  univer- 
sally attributed  to  the  prayers  of  St.  Ulric.  He  was  now  busily 
healing  the  wounds  which  the  war  had  made,  a  work  to  which  he 
bravely  applied  himself.  He  was  an  angel  of  consolation  to  the 
poor,  to  the  widows  and  orphans ;  he  restored  order,  and  again 
rebuilt  the  Churches  which  had  been  burned;  announced  the  word 


668  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ULRIC. 

of  God  upon  all  occasions,  and  carried  help  and  consolation  even 
into  the  lowest  huts  of  poverty. 

God  rewarded  his  holy  life  by  the  gift  of  working  miracles. 
With  the  sign  of  the  cross  and  holy  chrism  he  often  healed  the 
sick;  he  once  crossed  a  rapid  stream,  without  being  wetted  by  it, 
although  his  horse  was  swimming  in  the  water.  A  detracter  of 
the  saint  was  once  by  a  miracle  brought  to  shame.  It  chanced, 
that  one  Thursday  St.  Ulric  was  visited  by  his  friend,  the  saintly 
Conrad,  Bishop  of  Constance.  Being  engaged  in  pious  conversation 
concerning  the  divine  mysteries,  the  two  friends,  without  touch- 
ing the  supper  on  the  table,  let  the  night  slip  away,  and  in  the 
morning  they  were  found  still  at  the  table  by  a  messenger,  who 
brought  a  letter  from  the  duke  of  Bavaria  to  Ulric.  Before  the 
messenger  left,  Ulric  gave  him  some  of  the  meat  which  was  pre- 
pared for  the  untouched  supper.  The  messenger  hastened  to  the 
duke  with  the  information,  that  Bishop  Ulric  ate  meat  on  Fri- 
day, in  proof  of  which  he  was  about  to  show  a  piece  of  the  meat 
which  he  had  brought  away  for  this  purpose,  when  to  his  terror 
he  found  it  changed  into  fish.  The  gossip  was  silenced.  St.  Ulric 
is,  on  account  of  this  incident,  generally  painted  with  a  fish  in 
his  hand. 

The  saint  had  now  reached  an  advanced  age;  labor,  night- 
watches,  fasting,  and  other  penances  had  consumed  his  strength ; 
he  saw  his  end  approaching,  and,  therefore,  gave  away  the  little 
he  possessed,  some  clothes  and  ten  silver  pieces,  to  the  priests 
and  the  poor.  On  the  19th  of  June  in  973,  he  once  more  cele- 
brated Mass  in  his  episcopal  robes,  and  then  prepared  himself 
with  great  devotion  for  his  long  desired  death,  which  he  hoped 
would  be  on  the  vigil  of  the  Festival  of  St.  Peter  and  Paul,  so 
much  that  he  had  himself  dressed  after  vespers  of  that  day  in 
his  grave  clothes.  After  vespers  he  was  raised  from  the  floor  on 
which  he  had  lain,  and  sighed:  "0  St.  Peter,  thou  hast  not  ac- 
complished my  desire!"  He  lived  for  four  days  after  this,  be- 
coming ever  more  united  with  God.  On  the  fifth  day  before  dawn, 
he  had  himself  lain  upon  ashes,  then  he  recommended  his  soul 
into  God's  hands,  and  died  calmly  in  the  Lord,  having  reached 
his  eighty  third  year.  He  was  solemnly  canonized  by  Pope 
John  XV.,  in  .993. 

For  the  Introit,  Epistle  and  Gospel,  and  their  Explanations,  see 
the  Feast  of  St.  Nicholas. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  knowest,  that 
of  our  own  strength  we  cannot  be  sustained,  grant  us,  that 
by  the  intercession  of  the  holy  Bishop  Ulric,  we  may  be  pro- 
tected from  all  adversities.  Through  Jesus  Christ,  &c. 


' 


669 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
WILLIBALD,  BISHOP, 

[July  7 J 

T.  Willibald  came  from  England,  was  the  son  of 
St.  Richard  the  King,  and  brother  of  St.  Winni- 
bald  and  St.  Walburga,  and  a  near  relative  of  St. 
Boniface,  the  Apostle  of  Germany.  When  he  was 
three  years  old,  he  was  attacked  by  a  dangerous 
illness,  and  his  parents  laid  him  down  before  a 
-  crucifix,  vowing,  if  he  recovered,  to  devote  their 
beloved  child  to  the  Lord.  Their  prayers  were  heard.  The  pious 
parents  always  looked  upon  their  boy  as  a  special  gift  of  heaven, 
and  had  him  educated  in  the  Monastery  of  Waltheim,  where  he 
advanced  in  charming  innocence,  learned  rapidly,  and  distinguish- 
ed himself  by  his  interior  piety.  Thousands  of  Catholics  at  that 
time  made  pilgrimages  to  the  graves  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul, 
the  Apostles,  at  Rome,  and  the  ardent  desire  to  make  this  pilgrim- 
age, there  to  serve  God  in  quiet  solitude,  was  awakened  in  the 
heart  of  the  pious  youth  Willibald.  He  went,  accompanied  by 
his  saintly  father  and  his  brother  Winnibald;  but  the  father  died 
on  the  way.  Willibald  buried  him,  and  then  prosecuting  his 
journey  arrived  at  Rome  on  St.  Martin's  day  in  the  year  721. 
Willibald  and  his  brother  visited  with  fervent  devotion,  all  the 
sacred  places  in  the  city,  especially  the  graves  of  the  martyrs, 
and  received  the  habit  of  a  religious. 

Willibald  soon  after  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  holy  Land,  where 
he  suffered  many  trials,  and  after  seven  years  returned  to  Italy, 
and  for  some  time  led  a  holy,  peaceful  life  in  the  celebrated 
Benedictine  Monastery  Mount  Casino.  But  God  now  wished  to 
put  his  light  upon  an  elevation,  so  that  he  might  show  others  the 
way  to  heaven. 

In  the  year  738  St.  Boniface  was  at  Rome  to  visit  Pope  Gre- 
gory III.,  and  there  met  St.  Willibald,  the  sanctity  of  whose  face 
so  impressed  St.  Boniface,  that  he  besought  the  pope  to  permit 
him  to  have  the  young  saint  as  an  assistant  in  his  apostolic  labors 
in  Germany.  The  pope  granted  this  request,  and  Willibald  ac- 
companied his  saintly  cousin  to  Germany,  where  he  was  ordained 
priest,  and  required  by  Boniface  to  preach  the  Lord  Christ  to 
the  benighted  heathens  of  the  province  of  Germany.  Willibald 
commenced  his  labors  with  the  greatest  zeal ;  he  preached  in  Ba- 
varia and  Franconia,  but  especially  in  Eichstadt,  where,  at  that 
time,  there  was  but  a  chapel  and  a  few  huts,  for  the  Huns  had 
destroyed  the  city.  But  he  worked  untiringly  for  the  salvation  of 
souls,  and  God  was  with  him;  the  seed  he  sowed,  bloomed  glo- 
riously, and  Boniface  had  the  satisfaction  of  founding  the  diocese 


670  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  KILIAN, 

of  Eichstadt,  of  which  Willibald  was  consecrated  the  first  bishop 
in  the  year  741.  As  bishop  Willibald  redoubled  his  activity, 
planted  the  seed  of  the  word  of  God  untiringly  in  all  hearts,  ga- 
thered pious  priests  from  religious  orders  around  him,  and  with 
them  spread  the  richest  blessings  far  and  wide.  He  founded  a 
monastery  and  a  convent  of  the  rule  of  St.  Benedict,  at  Heiden- 
heim,  one  for  his  brother  Winnibald,  and  the  other  for  his  sister 
Walburga,  to  which  he  often  retired,  that  he  might  pray  in  soli- 
tude and  collect  new  strength  for  his  work.  He  gave  the  priests 
and  the  faithful  the  most  beautiful  example;  his  meekness  and 
patience  were  inexhaustible,  his  zeal  indefatigable,  his  love  of 
the  poor  boundless.  He  possessed  a  special  gift  of  consoling  and 
comforting  the  afflicted;  his  fasting  was  rigorous,  even  in  ill- 
ness he  was  not  willing  to  omit  it,  and  continued  it  to  old  age. 
Finally,  wearied  of  life,  and  full  of  desire  to  behold  God,  he  died, 
rich  in  virtue,  at  Eichstadt,  on  the  1th  of  July  786,  at  the  age 
of  eighty  seven  years.  His  sacred  remains  rest  in  a  handsome 
Church,  which  Bishop  Hildebrand  caused  to  be  built  in  that  city, 
in  1270. 

The  Introit,  Epistle,  and  Gospel,  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Nicholas, 
December  6. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God  whose  will  it  was, 
that  St.  Willibald  should  have  place  among  Thy  people  to 
be,  by  precept  and  example,  the  salvation  of  those  whom  he 
led :  guide  by  his  intercessions  all  shepherds  of  Thy  Church 
and  the  flocks  entrusted  to  them,  on  the  way  to  eternal  sal- 
vation, so  that  all,  by  Thy  grace,  may  desire  that  which  is 
pleasing  to  Thee,  and  with  their  whole  strength  accomplish 
it.  Through  Christ,  our  Lord.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
KILIAN,  BISHOP  AND  MARTYR. 

[July  8  J 

T.  Kilian  was  born  in  Scotland,  of  noble  parents. 
According  to  the  custom  of  that  time,  his  par- 
ents had  him  educated  at  a  monastery,  where  he 
was  brought  up  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  his  mind 
at  the  same  time  well  cultivated  in  the  sciences. 
He  assumed  the  habit  of  the  Benedictines,  and 
was  ordained  priest.  In  his  quiet  cell  he  meditated 
often  on  the  infinite  love  of  the  divine  Saviour,  who  to  save  us 
poor  men,  became  Himself  a  man  and  died  for  us  on  the  cross, 
until  the  ardent  desire  was  aroused  in  the  saint  to  carry  the  mes- 


BISHOP  AND  MAETYK.  fi71 

sage  of  salvation  to  those  nations  to  whom  Jesus  and  his  love 
were  entirely  unknown,  and  to  win  their  hearts  for  Christ.  With 
this  object  he  left  his  native  country,  his  parents  and  friends, 
about  the  year  685,  and  with  eleven  companions  who  shared  his 
intentions,  crossed  the  sea  and  safely  landed  in  France,  but  not 
to  stay  here,  for  Kilian's  aim  was  Germany,  where  the  most  ab- 
ominable idolatry  still  reigned.  He  reached  the  neighborhood 
of  Wurzburgh,  where  he  settled  with  the  priest  Colonat  and  the 
deacon  Totnan,  and  planted  the  cross  on  one  of  the  neighboring 
hills  which  is  called  the  Mount  of  the  Cross  even  to  this  day. 

The  old  Franks  were  devoted  to  the  war  and  the  chase,  they 
lived  in  gloomy  forests,  dressed  in  the  skin  of  animals,  supported 
themselves  by  plunder  and  the  chase,  and  worshiped,  under  the 
name  of  Hulda,  Diana,  godness  of  hunting;  they  offered  their 
sacrifices,  which  were  often  human  beings,  to  their  idols  under 
great  oaks.  The  light  of  Christianity  had,  it  is  true,  once  pen- 
etrated to  them  from  France,  but  it  had  been  soon  extinguished, 
and  the  dark  night  of  paganism  completely  enveloped  their  be- 
autiful country. 

As  soon  as  Kilian  and  his  companions  had  learned  the  language 
of  the  country,  made  themselves  acquainted  with  its  customs,  and 
had  seen  what  a  rich  harvest  could  be  reaped  by  preaching  the 
gospel  here,  he  went  to  Rome  to  Conon,  who  was  Pope  at  that 
time,  to  obtain  authority  to  administer  the  word.  Conon  received 
him  with  pleasure,  granted  his  request,  consecrated  him  bishop, 
and  dismissed  him  with  his  blessing. 

In  the  inclement  season  of  the  winter  of  687  the  saint  returned 
to  Wurzburgh,  and  immediately  commenced  the  holy  work.  He 
preached  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  the  ignorant  with  heavenly 
eloquence,  and  God  blessed  his  zeal.  A  great  number  received 
baptism.  Among  these  was  the  Duke  of  Franconia,  named  Theo- 
bald, who  became  converted  to  Christ,  and  received  in  baptism 
the  name  Gosbert;  his  subjects  followed  his  example,  and  Kilian 
had  the  joy  of  seeing  in  the  places  where  sacrifices  smoked  on 
the  altars  of  idols,  the  cross  erected  and  the  purest  and  holiest 
offering  made  to  the  true  God. 

But  his  joy  was  soon  overshadowed.  Duke  Gosbert  had  married 
his  sister  in  law,  Gailana,  and  Kilian  required  the  breaking  up  of 
this  marriage  which  was  contrary  to  God's  commandment.  The 
duke  promised  to  comply,  but  his  passionate,  impious  wife  would 
not  hear  of  a  divorce,  resolved  on  the  death  of  the  saint,  and  in  the 
absence  of  the  duke  who  was  engaged  in  a  war,  hired  two  bar- 
barians to  murder  Kilian  and  his  companions.  The  night  before 
his  death,  Kilian  had  a  vision,  by  which  he  was  made  aware,  that 
his  death  was  at  hand.  He  called  his  companions,  and  said: 
"Let  us  prepare  ourselves  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  for  he  is 
at  the  door.     Then  they  all  three  prayed  and  recommended  their 


672        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  HENRY, 

souls  to  the  Lord,  and  behold,  about  midnight  the  assassins  rushed 
into  the  saint's  dwelling.  Kilian  bravely  met  them,  and  with  his 
companions  fearlessly  received  the  death-blow;  this  was  in  the 
year  689.  To  conceal  the  shameful  deed,  the  bodies  of  the  slain 
and  their  priestly  garments  and  sacred  utensils  were  thrown  into 
a  pit ;  but  the  just  God  brought  the  whole  to  light.  One  of  the 
murderers  became  insane,  and  ran  through  the  streets  of  the  city 
in  a  frenzy,  crying  out:  "0  Kilian,  Kilian!  how  horribly  thou 
dost  persecute  me.  I  see  the  sword  red  with  thy  blood,  hanging 
over  my  head!"  and  then,  tearing  his  flesh  with  his  teeth,  he  died 
a  most  agonizing  death.  The  other  murderer  stabbed  himself 
with  his  own  sword.  Gailana  became  a  lunatic  and  came  to  a  fear- 
ful end.  The  remains  of  the  holy  martyrs  were  found  and  brought 
by  Bishop  Burkard  to  the  Cathedral  of  Wurzburgh. 

The  Introit  of  the  Mass  on  his  Feast  reads:  The  salvation 
of  the  just  is  from  the  Lord:  and  he  is  their  protector 
in  the  time  of  trouble.  (Ps.  xxxvi.)  Be  not  emulous  of 
evil  doers:  nor  envy  them  that  work  iniquity.  Glory 
be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  by  the  yearly 
solemnity  of  Thy  holy  Martyrs  Kilian,  Colonat,  and  Totnan 
comfortest  us  Thy  people;  mercifully  grant,  that,  as  we  re- 
joice at  their  merits,  we  may  likewise  be  encouraged  by 
their  examples.  Thro'. 

The  Epistle  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Sebastian,  and  the  Gospel  as 
on  the  Feast  of  All  Saints. 


INSTRUCTION 

FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  HENRY,  AND  HIS 

SPOUSE  ST.  GUNIGUNDE. 

[July  15  and  March  3.] 

--f>  ~v 

f^^^^m\  T-  Henry,  surnamed  the  Pious,  was  born  in  the 
";;  castle  Abbach  at  Ratisbon,  in  the  year  972.    He 

was  baptized  and  educated  by  the  Bishop  St. 
Wolfgang,  who  sowed  in  his  heart  a  seed  which 
brought  forth  excellent  fruit. 

St.  Wolfgang's  care  for  Henry  did  not  cease 
even  with  the  bishop's  death.  For  once,  when 
Henry  was  praying  at  St.  Wolfgang's  grave  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Emmeram  at  Ratisbon,  the  saint  appeared  to  him  and  told  him  to 
look  at  the  wall  behind  him,  which  he  did  and  read  there  the 
words:  Post  sex,  "After  six,"  from  which  Henry  concluded,  that 
he  was  to  die  at  the  end  of  six  days  and  really  prepared  himself 


AND  HIS  SPOUSE  ST.  CUNIGUNDE.  (J73 

earnestly  for  death.  But  the  six  days  passed  and  he  still  lived;  he 
then  supposed  it  to  mean  that  he  must  die  after  six  months ;  he 
lived  therefore  most  penitently,  but  the  six  months  passed  and  he 
continued  well ;  he  then  thought,  it  would  be  after  six  years,  and 
continued  his  penitential  life  for  six  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  did  not  die,  but  was  made  emperor.  In  995  he  married,  to  please 
his  parents,  Cunigunde,  daughter  of  the  Count  Siegfried,  a  lady 
who  equalled  him  in  piety.  The  pious  couple  on  their  wedding-day 
made  a  vow  of  chastity,  to  live  like  Mary  and  Joseph ;  this  vow 
they  faithfully  observed.    The  life  of  the  Emperor  Henry  passed 
in  almost  continual  war,  into  which  he  was  forced;  but  even  in 
battle  he  did  not  forget  to  honor  and  advance  the  cause  of  the 
Church,  in  which  he  was  assisted  by  the  prayer  and  advice  of  the 
saintly  Cunigunde.    Always  confiding  in  the  intercession  of  St. 
George,  St.  Lawrence,  and  St.  Adrian,  he  fought  victoriously  against 
the  Bohemians,  Slavonians;  as  often  as  he  went. into  battle,  he 
prayed  to  God,  who  always  visibly  assisted  him,  for  which  Henry 
proved  himself  grateful  from  his  heart.  He  and  Cunigunde  founded 
innumerable  Christian  institutions,  and  while  he  fought  victori- 
ously in  the  wars,  Cunigunde  lived  at  home  in  peaceful  seclusion. 
The  nuns  and  the  poor  were  her  favorites ;  her  hand  was  always 
open  in  benevolence.  She  was  never  idle,  was  not  ashamed  to 
attend  to  the  work  of  her  household,  and  when  her  occupations 
permitted,  she  spent  much  time  in  her  room  praying  and  medi- 
tating.   But  though  she  led  a  pious  life,  slander  did  not  fail  to 
reach  her.   Henry  was  told,  that  she  had  violated  her  marriage 
fidelity,  and  he  thoughtlessly  listened  to  her  calumniators  and 
reproached  her  concerning  it;  but  she  proved  her  innocence  by 
walking,  under  the  eyes  of  her  husband  and  many  witnesses, 
barefooted  over  red-hot  plough-shares,  without  being  in  the  least 
injured.    This  miracle  so  impressed  the  emperor,  that  he  strove 
in  every  way  to  make  amends  for  the  insult  which  he  had  given 
to  his  pure  spouse,  with  whom  he  ever  lived  in  peace  as  with  a 
good  sister.    Both  heartily  loved  God,  and  found  their  pleasure 
in  the  serving  the  Church  and  the  poor.    Henry  founded  the  dio- 
cese of  Bamberg  and  built  its  splendid  Cathedral ;   Cunigunde 
founded  the  convent  of  Kauifungen,  to  which  place  she  retired 
after  Henry's  death,  there  to  pass  in  retirement  the  last  days  of 
her  life,  and  there  to  die  a  holy  death  in  1040.  When  she  was  dying, 
she  saw  that  the  nuns  were  preparing  a  valuable  cloth  with  which 
to  cover  her  body,  and  said  with  a  broken  voice:  "I  am  unworthy 
of  such  ornaments;  I  wore  a  rich  garment  at  my  marriage  with  a 
mortal  man,  but  my  present,  humble  dress  is  better  fitted  for  the 
bride  of  the  eternal  Lord ;  bury  my  body  in  this,  by  my  lord  and 
brother,  the  Emperor  Henry."    Henry  died  sixteen  years  before 
her;  he  was  attacked  by  a  severe  sickness  at  the  Castle  of  Gru- 
ningen,  while  on  a  journey  to  Saxony.  When  he  saw  his  end  draw- 
ing near,  he  sent  for  the  Empress  Cunigunde,  and  when  she  stood 


674 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  SCAPULAR. 


by  his  bed,  he  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  said  in  presence  of  his 
relations  and  the  greatest  nobles  of  his  court:  "Behold,  as  you, 
or  rather  Christ,  gave  her  to  me,  I  give  her  back,  a  pure  maiden, 
to  Christ  our  Lord  and  to  you. "  He  soon  after,  on  the  night  of 
the  13th  of  July  in  the  year  1024,  died  a  peaceful  death.  His 
sacred  remains  and  those  of  Cunigunde,  were  brought  to  Bam- 
berg and  interred  in  the  Cathedral. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH  ON  THE  FEAST  OF 
ST.  HENRY. 

0  God,  who  didst  this  day  remove  blessed  Henry  Thy  con- 
fessor from  his  earthly  throne  to  an  eternal  kingdom:  we 
humbly  beseech  Thee,  that  as  by  the  assistance  of  Thy  grace, 
he  was  proof  against  all  the  temptations  of  the  world,  so  we 
may  follow  his  example  in  withstanding  all  the  flatteries  of 
this  world,  and  serve  Thee  with  clean  hearts.  Thro1. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH  ON  THE  FEAST  OF 
ST.  CUNIGUNDE. 

Give  ear  to  us,  0  God  our  Saviour,  that  as  we  celebrate 
with  joy  the  solemnity  of  blessed  Cunigunde  Thy  Virgin,  so 
we  may  improve  in  the  affection  of  piety.  Thro\ 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE 

SCAPULAR. 

[Third  Sunday  in  July.] 

His  festival  was  sanctioned  in  the  year  1587 
by  Pope  Sixtus  V.  for  the  Order  of  Carmeli- 
tes ;  after  some  time  it  was  celebrated,  by  per- 
mission of  several  popes,  in  many  Christian 
countries,  and  was  finally  in  the  year  1726 
ordered  by  Pope  Benedict  XIV.  to  be  Observed 
in  the  whole  Church. 

This  festival  has  two  names  arising  from  its  history  and  origin: 
The  Festival  of  the  Scapular,  or  the  Feast  on  Comme- 
moration of  the  blessed  Virgin  of  Mount  Carmel.  The 
first  comes  from  the  legend,  that  in  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth 
century  the  sixth  general  of  the  Carmelite  Order,  Simon  Stock, 
received  the  scapular*)  (shoulder  dress)  from  the  blessed  Virgin, 


*)  This  scapular  consists  of  two  small  pieces  of  cloth  with  pictures  of  the 
blessed  Virgin  upon  them,  which  are  blessed,  and  worn  over  the  shoulders, 
hanging  upon  the  breast  and  back. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN.  675 

which  should  be  to  him  and  to  all  who  carried  it,  a  badge  of  her 
special  protection,  and  that  Mary  afterwards  appeared  to  Pope 
John  XXII.  and  advised  him  to  give  more  indulgences  to  this 
Order  than  he  had  already  granted  in  1322.  The  second  name  is 
given,  because  this  festival  originated  in  the  Carmelite  Order, 
which  even  in  the  time  of  the  apostles  had  a  monastery  on  Mount 
Carmel,  from  which  the  name  Carmelite  is  derived.  From  this 
originated  the  Confraternity  of  the  Scapular,  as  it  is  called, 
whose  members  bound  themselves  to  especially  venerate  Mary, 
the  Mother  of  Jesus,  as  their  Mother,  and  labor  under  her  pro- 
tection to  work  out  their  salvation  by  a  pious  life,  and  as  badge  of 
this  wear  a  little  blessed  scapular  with  the  picture  of  the  blessed 
Virgin  upon  it,  and  daily  say  certain  prayers.  The  Church,  there- 
fore, has  the  decided  intention  by  the  observance  of  this  Feast  of 
the  Scapular  and  by  the  existence  of  this  Confraternity,  to  direct 
and  encourage  the  faithful  anew  to  properly  honor  the  Mother  of 
our  Saviour,  and  to  seek  her  powerful  intercession,  so  that  they 
may  find  their  salvation,  after  the  example  of  the  Blessed,  not 
only  in  this  world,  but  especially  in  the  other.  But  it  is  to  be  ob- 
served, that  the  carrying  of  a  blessed  scapular  does  not  ensure 
happiness ;  this  is  gained  only  by  a  faithful,  pious,  Christian  life, 
by  the  love  of  God  and  of  our  neighbor. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  hast  honored 
the  Order  of  the  Carmelites  with  the  singular  title  of  the 
blessed  Virgin  Mary,  Mother  of  God :  mercifully  grant  that 
we  who  solemnize  this  her  commemoration,  may  by  the  aid 
of  her  prayers  arrive  at  eternal  happiness.  Thro'. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
MARY  MAGDALEN. 

[July  22  J 

Ccording  to  the  old  and  settled  tradition  of 
the  Church,  St.  Mary  Magdalen  was  the 
sister  of  Martha  and  of  Lazarus,  and  was 
that  sinner  who  anointed  the  Saviour's  feet. 
She  was  moved  to  penance  by  the  sermons 
of  Jesus,  and  on  account  of  her  deep,  true, 
loving  sorrow,  Jesus  forgave  rer  sins,  and 
she  became  from  henceforth  the  most  faithful  and  zealous  ser- 
vant of  the  Lord.  She  was  one  of  those  women  who  continually 
accompanied  our  Lord  and  served  him  according  to  their  power 
She  stood  with  Mary,  the  Mother  of  Jesus,  and  Mary,  the  wife 
of  Cleophas,  under  the  cross  of  Jesus;  she  was  the  4irst  at  the 
sepulchre  after  the  Sabbath,  and  there  saw  Jesus,  whom  she 


676         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN. 

thought  the  gardener,  until  He  kindly  made  Himself  known  to  her? 
and  commanded  her,  to  announce  the  news  of  His  resurrection  to 
the  apostles  and  the  remainder  of  the  disciples,  and  to  tell  them 
that  He  should  ascend  to  His  and  their  God.  From  the  time  when 
Magdalen  hastened  to  the  apostles  with  the  joyful  message  of  the 
Lord,  the  gospel  is  silent  concerning  her,  and  the  approved  me- 
morials of  Church  History  do  not  mention  anything  certain  of  her ; 
but  that  she  was  accepted  among  the  happy  children  of  God,  is 
testified  to  by  the  Church  which  celebrates  her  feast  on  this  day. 

In  the  Introit  of  the  Mass,  the  Church  exclaims  in  Magda- 
len's name:  The  wicked  have  waited  for  me  to  destroy 
me:  but  I  have  understood  thy  testimonies,  0  Lord.  I 
have  seen  an  end  of  all  perfection:  thy  commandment 
is  exceedingly  broad.  (Ps.  cxviii.)  Blessed  are  the  un- 
defiled  in  the  way,  who  walk  in  the  law  of  the  Lord. 
Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  0  Lord,  we  may  be 
assisted  by  the  prayers  of  blessed  Mary  Magdalen:  at  whose 
request  Thou  wast  pleased  to  raise  Lazarus  from  the  dead, 
after  he  had  been  four  days  in  the  grave.  Who  liveth. 

LESSON.  (Cant.  iii.  2—5.;  viii.  6—7.)  I  will  rise  and 
will  go  about  the  city:  in  the  streets  and  the  broad  ways,  I 
will  seek  him  whom  my  soul  loveth:  I  sought  him,  and  I 
found  him  not.  The  watchmen  who  keep  the  city,  found  me. 
Have  you  seen  him  whom  my  soul  loveth?  When  I  had  a 
little  passed  by  them,  I  found  him  whom  my  soul  loveth;  I 
held  him,  and  I  will  not  let  him  go,  till  I  bring  him  into  my 
mother's  house,  and  into  the  chamber  of  her  that  bore  me. 
I  adjure  you,  0  daughters  of  Jerusalem,  by  the  roes  and 
harts  of  the  fields,  that  you  stir  not  up,  nor  wake  my  be- 
loved till  she  please.  Put  me  as  a  seal  upon  thy  heart,  as  a 
seal  upon  thy  arm:  for  love  is  strong  as  death:  jealously,  is 
hard  as  hell,  the  lamps  therefore  are  lamps  of  fire  and  flames. 
Many  waters  cannot  quench  charity,  neither  can  the  hoods 
drown  it :  if  a  man  should  give  all  the  substance  of  his  house 
for  love,  he  shall  despise  it  as  nothing. 

EXPLANATION.  The  holy  fathers  understand  by  the 
bride  in  this  lesson,  the  soul  which  seeks  her  bridegroom  Jesus. 
She  arises  from  the  bed  of  long  negligence,  and  examines  in 
her  mind  the  -city  of  God,  that  is,  the  Church ;  she  meditates 
on  the  lives  of  the  saints,  willing  by  following  them  to  find  Him 
whom  she  loves,  but  she  does  not  find  Him  at  once.  She  comes 
to  the  watchmen  of  the  city,  the  vicars,  pastors,  confessors  of 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN.         677 

the  Church,  who  are  ordered  by  God  to  lead  the  erring  ones  to 
Jesus.  She  asks  of  them,  where  and  how  she  can  find  her  loved 
One,  and  soon  she  finds  Him,  and  when  she  has  found  Him,  she 
encloses  Him  in  her  deepest  heart  and  is  careful  never  to  lose 
Him  again.  And  the  soul  that  lives  in  Jesus,  feels  so  sweet  a 
repose,  that  she,  so  to  speak,  falls  into  a  deep  sleep,  in  which 
nothing  earthly  disturbs  her,  and  whosoever  rests  in  God,  God 
guards  in  peaceful  quiet.  God  requires  of  her  to  imprint  His  love 
like  a  seal  on  her  heart  and  on  her  arms,  that  is,  to  think  of  Him 
continually  and  perform  all  for  love  of  Him.  This  love  is  strong 
as  death,  consuming  everything,  and  as  jealous  for  God  as  a 
glowing  fire ;  the  light  of  faith  must  burn  ever  in  the  heart,  and 
affliction,  temptation,  trials  must  not  diminish  or  extinguish  the 
affection.  The  soul  inspired  by  such  love,  submits  itself  entirely 
to  God,  and  openly  shows  her  love  by  brave  deeds.  Such  a  love 
had  Magdalen;  for  such  a  love  we  should  daily  pray,  following 
her  example. 

GOSPEL.  (Luke  vii.  36—50.)  At  that  time:  One  of  the 
Pharisees  desired  him  to  eat  with  him.  And  he  went  into 
the  house  of  the  Pharisee,  and  sat  down  to  meat.  And  be- 
hold, a  woman  that  was  in  the  city,  a  sinner,  when  she  knew 
that  he  sat  at  meat  in  the  Pharisee's  house,  brought  an  ala- 
baster box  of  ointment:  and  standing  behind  at  his  feet,  she 
began  to  wash  his  feet  with  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  the 
*  hairs  of  her  head,  and  kissed  his  feet,  and  anointed  them 
with  the  ointment.  And  the  Pharisee,  who  had  invited  him, 
seeing  it,  spoke  within  himself  saying:  This  man,  if  he  were 
a  prophet,  would  know  surely  who  and  what  manner  of  wo- 
man this  is  that  touched  him,  that  she  is  a  sinner.  And 
Jesus  answering,  said  to  him:  Simon,  I  have  somewhat  to 
say  to  thee.  But  he  said :  Master,  say  it.  A  certain  creditor 
had  two  debtors,  the  one  owed  five  hundred  pence,  and  the 
other  fifty.  And  whereas  they  had  not  wherewith  to  pay,  he 
forgave  them  both.  Which  therefore  of  the  two  loveth  him 
most?  Simon  answering,  said:  I  suppose  that  he  to  whom  he 
forgave  most.  And  he  said  to  him:  Thou  hast  judged  rightly. 
And  turning  to  the  woman,  he  said  unto  Simon:  Dost  thou 
see  this  woman?  I  entered  into  thy  house,  thou  gavest  me 
no  water  for  my  feet;  but  she  with  tears  hath  washed  my 
feet  and  with  her  hairs  hath  wiped  them.     Thou  gavest  me 


678         INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN. 

no  kiss;  but  she,  since  she  came  in,  hath  not  ceased  to  kiss 
my  feet.  My  head  with  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint;  but  she 
with  ointment  hath  anointed  my  feet.  Wherefore  I  say  to 
thee:  Many  sins  are  forgiven  her,  because  she  hath  loved 
much.  But  to  whom  less  is  forgiven,  he  loveth  less.  And  he 
said  to  her:  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee.  And  they  that  sat 
at  meat  with  him,  began  to  say  within  themselves :  Who  is 
this  that  forgiveth  sins  also?  And  he  said  to  the  woman: 
Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  safe,  go  in  peace. 

Why  was  Magdalen  so  publicly  penitent? 
Because  she  had  been  a  public  sinner.—  It  is  not  enough  for 
one  who  has  committed  sins  before  others  and  given  public  scan- 
dal, to  do  penance  in  private,  but  he  must  strive  by  public  good 
example  to  repair  the  scandal  he  has  given. 

Why  did  Magdalen  stand  behind  the  Saviour's  feet? 
She  did  so  because  of  her  shame  for  the  sins  with  which  she 
was  stained,  not  venturing  to  appear  before  His  face. — 0  that  we, 
too,  would  throw  ourselves  in  spirit  in  salutary  fear  at  Christ's 
feet,  and  follow  His  footsteps  into  the  right  path ! 

Why  did  Magdalen  not  confess  her  sins,  but  only  weep  over  them  ? 

St.  Ambrose  says,  she  did  not  confess  her  sins  with  words,  it 
is  true,  but  with  the  heart  and  many  contrite  tears,  for  she  knew 
well,  that  tears  are  far  more  powerful  than  words  to  efface  sin. 
It  was,  besides,  not  necessary  to  confess  to  Christ,  the  Omniscient, 
and  confession  was  not  then  established. 

We  learn  from  this,  that  simply  confessing  our  sins  in  words, 
does  not  suffice,  but  that  we  must  weep  over  them  with  tears  of 
penance,  or,  at  least,  have  interior  sorrow  and  detestation  of  them. 

Why  did  she  wash  the  feet  of  Jesus,  kiss  them,  dry  them  with  her 
hair,  and  anoint  them? 

She  thus  offered  that  to  God  which  she  had  abused,  says  St. 
Gregory.  Her  eyes  had  languished  for  earthly  things,  she  now 
punishes  them  with  penitential  tears;  her  hair  had  been  used  to 
delight  her  eyes,  and  she  uses  it  to  wipe  away  the  tears ;  her  lips 
had  spoken  idle  words,  and  with  them  she  kisses  the  Saviour's 
feet;  the  ointment  had  been  used  in  sinful  ways,  and  now  it  serves 
to  anoint  Christ  in  advance  of  His  burial.  {Matt.  xxvi.  12.) 

Here  we  have  a  true  model  of  real  penance.  Every  thing 
which  has  served  us  to  sin,  should  be  offered  to  God  by  morti- 
fication, and  we  should  especially  use  the  means  which  have  oc- 
casioned so  many  sins,  for  the  poor,  who  are  represented  by  the 
feet  of  the  Lord. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  St.  JAMES,  THE  GREATER,  AP.     @79 

Why  did  Christ  so  willingly  forgive  Magdalen  her  sins  ? 
Because  she  loved  much.  He  who  truly  loves,  is  grieved  from 
the  heart  for  having  offended  the  loved  one ;  and  because  we  do 
not  truly  love  God,  it  is  that  we  so  seldom  at  confession  have  real 
contrition  for  our  sins.  We  should,  therefore,  daily  pray  for  the 
love  of  God,  for  St.  Gregory  says,  that  the  more  the  heart  of  the 
sinner  glows  with  the  ardent  fire  of  love,  the  more  the  rust  of  sin 
will  be  consumed. 

Why  did  Jesus  say :  Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  safe? 
Because  Jesus  meant  by  faith  a  faith  that  is  active  in  love.    A 
true  living  faith  cannot  be  without  love,  as  true  love  cannot  exist 
without  faith. 

PRAYER.  0  Jesus!  I  fall  with  Magdalen  at  Thy  feet, 
and  accuse  myself  of  having  shamefully  abused  the  favors 
with  which  Thou  hast  so  paternally  blessed  me  in  body  and 
soul,  and  have  so  badly  spent  the  time  of  my  past  life,  that 
I  am  not  worthy  to  raise  my  eyes  to  heaven.  But  ah,  to 
whom  shall  I  turn,  from  whom  shall  I  seek  help  and  comfort 
if  not  from  Thee,  0  sweetest  Jesus,  who  only  came  into  the 
world  to  seek  out  the  sinners  and  make  them  happy!  Give 
me,  therefore,  a  zealous  will  to  turn  myself  from  all  evil, 
and  to  turn  to  Thee,  my  Highest  Good,  and  out  of  true  love 
be  sorry  for  my  sins,  beware  of  them  in  future,  avoid  all  evil 
occasions,  all  that  incites  to  sin,  and  repair  by  the  practice 
of  good  works  the  time  I  have  hitherto  lost.  Grant  me  this, 
0  Lord  Jesus,  by  Thy  bitter  passion  and  death,  and  by  the 
intercession  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen,  the  penitent.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
JAMES,  THE  GREATER,  APOSTLE. 

[July  25.] 

Ames,  born  in  Galilee,  son  of  Zebedee  and  Sa- 
lome, a  relation  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary, 
was  a  fisherman,  like  his  brother  John,  and 
one  of  the  first  of  the  apostles  called  by  Christ. 
He  left  everything  to  follow  the  Lord,  and 
with  Peter  and  John  was  favored  by  Christ 
%  with  special  confidence.  He  was  present  when 
Christ  was  glorified  on  Mount  Tabor,  when  He  healed  Peter's 
mother  in  law  of  the  fever,  raised  the  daughter  of  Jairus  to  life, 
and  when  He  suffered  the  unutterable  terror  of  death  on  Mount 


(580  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  JAMES, 

Olivet;  he  was  also,  with  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  a  witness  of 
Christ's  ascension,  received  with  them  the  Holy  Ghost  on  Pente- 
cost, and  then  preached  the  gospel  in  Judea  and  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Jerusalem.  He  and  his  brother  John  were  called  by 
Christ  the  Sons  of  Thunder,  on  account  of  their  great  zeal  for 
the  honor  and  kingdom  of  God.  When  James  with  this  thunder- 
like zeal  continued  to  preach  the  resurrection  and  the  doctrine  of 
Jesus  in  Judea,  the  Jews  were  so  enraged  against  him,  that  King 
Herod  thought  nothing  would  please  them  more  than  that  he  should 
condemn  the  apostle  to  death,  and  this  he  did  at  Easter  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  44.  But  when  the  one  who  led  him  to  execution, 
saw  the  firmness  of  his  faith,  he  also  became  converted  to  Christ, 
and  both  were  therefore  led  to  death.  On  the  way  he  prayed  the 
apostle  to  forgive  him,  who  said  to  him,  Peace  be  with  you!  and 
kissed  him;  both  were  beheaded.  This  James  was  the  first  of  the 
apostles  to  shed  his  blood  for  Jesus,  and  to  drink  of  the  chalice 
of  suffering.  His  sacred  remains  were  afterwards  brought  to 
Compostella  in  Spain.  The  Church  celebrates  his  feast  on  the  day 
of  this  translation  and  not  on  the  day  of  his  martyrdom,  which, 
as  already  said,  was  at  Easter. 

The  Intro  it  of  the  Mass  is  the  same  as  on  the  Feast  of  St. 
Andrew. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Sanctify,  0  Lord,  and  pre- 
serve Thy  people;  that  being  assisted  by  James,  Thy  Apostle, 
they  may  please  Thee  in  their  conduct  of  life,  and  always 
serve  Thee  with  a  steadfast  faith.  Thro'. 

LESSON,  (i.  Cor.  iv.  9  —  15.)  Brethren:  I  think  that  God 
hath  set  forth  us  apostles,  the  last,  as  it  were  men  appointed 
to  death:  because  we  are  made  a  spectacle  to  the  world,  and 
to  angels,  and  to  men.  We  are  fools  for  Christ's  sake,  but 
you  are  wise  in  Christ:  we  are  weak,  but  you  are  strong:  you 
are  honourable,  but  we  without  honour.  Even  unto  this  hour 
we  both  hunger  and  thirst,  and  are  naked,  and  are  buffetted, 
and  have  no  fixed  abode.  And  we  labour  working  with  our 
own  hands:  we  are  reviled,  and  we  bless:  we  are  persecuted, 
and  we  suffer  it.  We  are  blasphemed,  and  we  entreat:  we 
are  made  as  the  refuse  of  this  world,  the  offscouring  of  all 
even  until  now.  I  write  not  these  things  to  confound  you; 
but  I  admonish  you  as  my  dearest  children :  for  if  you  have 
ten  thousand  instructors  in  Christ,  yet  not  many  fathers. 
For  in  Christ  Jesus  by  the  gospel  I  have  begotten  you. 

EXPLANATION.  Paul  here  teaches,  how  little  apostolic  men 
are  regarded  in  this  world.    They  are  in  the  world  as  on  a  stage, 


THE  GREATER,  APOSTLE.  (581 

and  are  treated  by  the  impious  world  with  contempt,  but  are  a 
most  pleasing  sight  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  His  angels.  So  it  is  with 
true  Christians,  also ;  for  he  who  lives  according  to  the  command- 
ments, is  looked  upon  us  a  fool  by  the  world ;  but  those  who  travel 
in  the  world's  ways,  who  devote  themselves  to  the  world's  prin- 
ciples and  customs,  are  held  as  wise  and  reasonable  men.  The 
true  Christian  has  no  place  of  rest,  the  unjust  persecute  him  on 
all  sides,  but  he  patiently  bears  all  for  the  love  of  God ;  if  he  is 
reproached  and  abused,  he  prays  for  those  who  abuse  him,  and 
blesses  them. 

If  you  seek  to  be  a  true  Christian,  you  must  not  take  shame 
to  yourself,  because  the  world  despises  and  opposes  your  virtuous 
Christian  life,  calling  you  foolish  and  showing  you  enmity.  Only 
recall  how  the  same  has  been  the  part  of  the  apostles,  even  of 
Christ  Himself;  how  they  entered  heaven  only  through  sufferings, 
trials,  and  many  persecutions.  Woe  to  you,  if  you  seek  to  enter 
it  by  other  paths ! 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xx.  20—23.)  At  that  time:  came  to  him 
the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee  with  her  sons,  adoring  and 
asking  something  of  him.  Who  said  to  her:  What  wilt  thou? 
She  saith  to  him:  Say  that  these  my  two  sons  may  sit,  the 
one  on  thy  right  hand  and  the  other  on  thy  left  in  thy  king- 
dom. And  Jesus  answering  and  said:  You  know  not  what 
you  ask.  Can  you  drink  the  chalice  that  I  shall  drink?  They 
say  to  him:  We  can.  He  saith  to  them:  Of  my  chalice  in- 
deed you  shall  drink,  but  to  sit  on  my  right  hand  or  left 
hand,  is  not  mine  to  give  you,  but  to  them  for  whom  it  is 
prepared  by  my  Father. 

What  did  this  mother  ask  for  her  sons  from  Christ? 

That  in  Christ's  kingdom,  in  heaven,  her  sons  should  rank 
next  to  the  Lord  Himself,  and  be  above  all  the  other  apostles. 

In  the  same  manner  those  parents  act  who  seek  to  make  their 
children  enter  te  clergy,  often  forcing  them  to  it,  without  con- 
sidering whether  they  have  a  vocation  or  not,  or  are  fitted  for  the 
position.  Hence  it  happens,  that  priests  often  make  themselves 
and  others  unhappy,  because  they  have  mistaken  their  vocation 
and  did  not  enter  the  fold,  the  Church,  by  the  right  door. 

Why  did  Christ  say:  You  know  not  what  you  ask? 

Because  the  mother  and  her  children  were  most  unreasonable 
in  their  request,  requiring  a  thing  so  great  without  considering, 
whether  they  were  worthy  of  it. 

This  reproach  is  also  deserved  by  those  who,  in  vain  pride 
and  overweening  selfesteem,  seek  high  places  without  thinking 


682        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ANNE, 

about  the  honor  of  God  and  what  is  really  best  for  their  own  and 
their  neighbor's  salvation. 

What  is  meant  by  the  chalice  which  Christ  mentions  ? 
The  chalice  of  pain  and  suffering  which  He,  and  later  these 
disciples  also,  must  drink,  and  of  which  every  one  must  drink, 
who  wishes  to  reach  heaven  with  Christ. 

Did  these  disciples  drink  it? 
Yes,  for  James  suffered  a  martyr's  death,  and  John  endured 
many  trials  and  persecutions,  until  he  reached  a  very  great  age. 

Why  did  Christ  say:  To  sit  on  my  right  hand  or  left  hand, 
is  not  mine  to  give  you? 
By  this  Christ  meant  that  He,  since  they  were  so  aspiring, 
could  not  grant  this  desire,  and  that  this  grace  is  given  by  His 
Father  only  to  the  humble,  for  He  judges  not  by  the  person  but 
bv  the  merits.  At  the  same  time  Christ,  who  had  come  to  teach 
all  men  by  precept  and  example  the  beautiful  virtue  of  humility, 
wished  to  refuse  the  honor  of  bestowing  of  dignities,  and  give  it 
to  His  Father,  to  whom  He  ever  sought  to  give  glory. 

PRAYER  TO  ST.  JAMES.  0  brave  apostle,  the  first  to 
drink  the  chalice  of  suffering  after  the  example  of  Christ  who 
had  shed  His  blood  for  thee,  obtain,  I  beseech  thee,  the  grace 
from  Him,  that  I  may  not  fear  to  drink  of  the  chalice  of  pain 
and  suffering,  but  may  bear  patiently  all  that  the  hand  of 
my  God  offers  me,  so  that  I  may  be  one  day  worthy  to  enjoy 
in  thy  society  the  joy  of  heaven. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ANNE, 
MOTHER  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 

[July  26.] 

Ccording  to  old  traditions,  the  saintly 
mother  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  whose  name, 
Anne,  signifies  grace,  was  descended  on  her 
father's  side  from  the  tribe  of  Levi,  and  on 
her  mother's  from  the  tribe  of  Juda.  She 
was  born  in  Bethlehem  and  married,  while 
^  still  a  pure  and  pious  virgin,  Joachim,  a 
man  of  position,  with  whom  she  lived,  occupied  in  pious  works, 
and  patiently  conforming  to  the  will  of  God  in  all  things.  When 
this  pious  couple  had  reached  a  very  advanced  age,  when  they 
would  naturally  scarcely  expect  to  have  children,  an  angel  an- 
nounced to  them,  that  they  were  to  be  blest  with  a  daughter 
whom  they  were  to  name  Mary.  And  it  occurred  as  foretold.    In 


MOTHER  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN.  683 

the  summer  following  the  announcement,  was  horn  the  holiest 
of  God's  creatures,  the  Queen  of  angels  and  of  men,  the  chosen 
Mother  of  the  Son  of  God,  not  so  much  the  fruit  of  the  body  as 
she  was  the  fruit  of  grace.  Joachim  and  Anne  brought  this  child 
Mary,  at  a  very  tender  age,  to  Jerusalem,  presenting  her  to  the 
high  priest  as  an  oifering  to  God,  to  be  brought  up  in  the  service 
of  the  temple.  How  long  Anne  lived  after  this  sacrifice,  is  not 
known,  but  she  is  now  enthroned  among  the  elect  in  heaven  with 
her  beloved  child  in  glory. 

At  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  the  Church  sings:  Let  us  all 
rejoice,  and  celebrate  this  festival  in  honour  of  bless- 
ed Anne:  on  whose  solemnity  the  angels  rejoice,  and 
praise  the  Son  of  God.  My  heart  hath  uttered  good 
tidings:  my  works  I  refer  to  the  king.  (Ps.  xliv.)  Glory 
be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  Thy  grace 
wast  pleased  to  choose  blessed  Anne  to  be  the  mother  of  the 
Virgin  Mary;  mercifully  grant  that  we,  who  celebrate  her 
festival,  may  be  helped  by  her  prayers  to  thee.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  (Prov.  xxxi.  10.)  Who  shall  find  a  valiant  wo- 
man1? the  price  of  her  is  as  of  things  brought  from  afar  off, 
and  froir  the  uttermost  coasts.  The  heart  of  her  husband 
trusteth  in  her,  and  he  shall  have  no  need  of  spoils.  She  will 
render  him  good  and  not  evil,  all  the  days  of  her  life.  She 
hath  sought  wool  and  flax,  and  hath  wrought  by  the  counsel 
of  her  hands.  She  is  like  the  merchant's  ship,  she  bringeth 
her  bread  fron:  afar.  And  she  hath  risen  in  the  night,  and 
given  prey  to  her  household,  and  victuals  to  her  maidens. 
She  hath  considered  a  field,  and  bought  it:  with  the  fruit  of 
her  hands  she  hath  planted  a  vineyard.  She  hath  girded  her 
loins  with  strength,  and  hath  strengthened  her  arm.  She 
hath  tasted  and  seen  that  her  traffic  is  good:  her  lamp  shall 
not  be  put  out  in  the  night.  She  hath  put  out  her  hand  to 
strong  things,  and  her  fingers  have  taken  hold  of  the  spindle. 
She  hath  opened  her  hand  to  the  needy,  and  stretched  out 
her  hands  to  the  poor.  She  shall  not  fear  for  her  house  in 
the  cold  of  snow,  for  all  her  domestics  are  clothed  with 
double  garments.  She  hath  made  for  herself  clothing  of  ta- 
pestry; fine  linen  and  purple  is  her  covering.  Her  husband 
is  honourable  in  the  gates,  where  he  sitteth  among  the  sena- 
tors of  the  land.  She  made  fine  linen  and  sold  it,  and  de- 
livered  a  girdle  to  the  Chananite.     Strength  and  beauty  are 


684   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ANNE,  MOTHER,  &c. 

her  clothing,  and  she  shall  laugh  in  the  latter  day.  She  hath 
opened  her  mouth  to  wisdom,  and  the  law  of  clemency  is  on 
her  tongue.  She  hath  looked  well  to  the  paths  of  her  house, 
and  hath  not  eaten  her  bread  idle.  Her  children  rose  up,  and 
called  her  blessed :  her  husband,  and  he  praised  her.  Many 
daughters  hath  gathered  together  riches :  thou  hast  surpassed 
them  all.  Favour  is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain:  the  woman 
that  feareth  the  Lord,  she  shall  be  praised.  Give  her  of  the 
fruit  of  her  hands,  and  let  works  praise  her  in  the  gates. 

INSTRUCTION.  This  lesson  gives  us  the  model  of  a  noble 
housewife,  who,  to  say  all  in  a  word,  labors  day  and  night  for  her 
bodily  and  spiritual,  temporal  and  eternal  welfare,  and  for  the 
welfare  of  others.  The  Holy  Ghost  Himself  presents  us  this 
beautiful  model.  Would  that  all  women  would  take  example  from 
it!  But  there  are,  alas!  many  who  seek  honor  only  for  their 
beauty,  their  dress,  their  idleness,  who  have  no  occupation  but 
that  of  attending  to  their  luxurious  bodies,  eating,  drinking,  and 
sleeping;  who  count  their  domestic  cares-last  of  all,  who  neglect 
their  children  and  the  members  of  their  household,  leaving  him 
to  fate,  even  vex  them  and  tempt  them  to  sin  by  their  pride  and 
wilfulness;  who  squander  their  husband's  means,  and  bring  them 
to  poverty  and  distress.  How  far  do  such  women  stand  below 
the  housewife  of  whom  the  lesson  says,  that  she  surpasses  all  in 
riches,  that  is,  in  virtue  and  good  works!  And  they  shall  receive 
no  such  reward  as  hers,  and  their  works  instead  of  praising  them, 
shall  call  down  God's  judgment  upon  them.  Woe  to  them,  who 
as  Christians,  as  mistress  of  the  house,  might  have  prevented  so 
much  wrong  and  have  done  so  much  good,  and  did  not!  Woe  to 
them,  they  shall  be  cast  into  outer  darkness ! 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  xiii.  44 — 52.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spake 
to  his  disciples  this  parable :  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like 
unto  a  treasure  hidden  in  a  field.  Which  a  man  having 
found,  hid  it,  and  for  joy  thereof  goeth,  and  selleth  all  that 
he  hath,  and  buyeth  that  field.  Again  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  like  to  a  merchant  seeking  good  pearls.  Who  when  he  had 
found  one  pearl  of  great  price,  went  his  way,  and  sold  all 
that  he  had,  and  bought  it.  Again  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  like  to  a  net  cast  into  the  sea,  and  gathering  together  of 
all  kinds  of  fishes.  Which,  when  it  was  filled  they  drew  out, 
and  sitting  by  the  shore,  they  chose  out  the  good  into  vessels, 
but  the  bad  they  cast  forth.  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of  the 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  IGNATIUS  OF  LOYOLA,  &c.    68  ") 

world.  The  angels  shall  go  out,  and  shall  separate  the  wicked 
from  among  the  just.  And  shall  cast  them  into  the  furnace 
of  fire;  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  Have 
ye  understood  all  these  things?  They  say  to  him:  Yes.  He 
said  unto  them:  Therefore  every  scribe  instructed  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  is  like  to  a  man  who  is  a  householder, 
who  bringeth  forth  out  of  his  treasure  new  things  and  old. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
IGNATIUS  OF  LOYOLA, 

FOUNDER  OF  THE  "SOCIETY  OF  JESUS." 
[July  31.] 

T.  Ignatius  was  born  in  1491,  at  the  castle  of  Lo- 
yola, in  the  northern  part  of  Spain.  His  parents, 
of  noble  blood,  were  good,  pious  and  virtuous 
christians.  After  the  early  death  of  his  mother, 
one  of  his  aunts  took  him  in  her  charge,  and  she 
procured  for  him  an  education  in  the  court  qf 
Ferdinand  V.,  in  quality  of  page  to  the  king;  his 
first  military  exploits  were  performed  under  Antony  Manriquez, 
Duke  of  Najara. 

In  the  war  against  France  Ignatius  was  made  commander  of 
the  fortified  town  of  Pampeluna,  capital  of  Navarre,  where  he  de- 
fended himself  with  heroic  courage,  as  long  as  he  could;  he  was 
wounded  severely  in  the  right  leg  by  a  cannonball  and  with  him 
fell  the  town.  The  French  admiring  his  valor  generously  dismissed 
him,  not  detaining  him  a  prisoner;  he  was  brought  to  the  castle  of 
Loyola  in  a  litter.  Here  he  had  his  leg  rebroken  in  order  to  have 
it  well  arranged.  Being  reduced  so  far  that  his  life  was  little 
hoped  for,  he  was  in  a  miraculous  manner  cured  by  St.  Peter,  who, 
appearing  to  him  in  the  night,  touched  him,  whereupon  he  was 
restored  to  perfect  health.  There  was,  however,  a  protuberance  left 
under  his  knee  and  his  right  leg  remained  shorter  than  the  left; 
he  therefore  would  by  all  means  have  the  physician  to  ameliorate 
this  in  some  way ;  it  was  attempted  by  a  machine  with  which  his 
leg  was  stretched  with  great  violence.  The  excessive  pains,  which 
he  experienced,  pressed  no  sigh  from  the  lips  of  Ignatius. 

Being  confined  to  bed,  though  otherwise  perfectly  healthy, 
time  grew  tedious  to  him  and  he  desired  something  to  read  in  the 
shape  of  knights'  romances.  No  such  book  was  found  in  the  castle, 
and  instead  of  them  the  servant  brought  him  the  "Lives  of  our 
Saviour  and  of  the  Saints."  This  book  pleased  him  exceedingly; 
he  would  read  in  it  for  a  time,  place  it  aside,  but  soon  take  it 


(JgfJ    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  IGNATIUS  OF  LOYOLA, 


up  again,  so  much  delight  did  he  take  in  it.  In  consequence  of 
this  reading  he  was  inresistably  moved  to  imitate  the  Saints,  and 
he  actually  resolved  to  do  so,  in  order  with  them  to  please  and 
possess  God.  Every  night  he  would  rise  to  pray  for  some  time, 
although  he  was  still  suffering  many  pains ;  he  very  soon  formed 
the  intention  of  leaving  the  world  altogether,  in  order  to  follow 
the  example  of  the  Saints  more  closely;  and  he  executed  the  idea 
as  soon  as  he  had  recovered  entirely. 

It  was  in  March,  1522,  that  Ignatius,  clad  in  full  armour  and 
on  horseback,  ascended  to  the  celebrated  Benedictine  monastery 
of  Montserrat,  where  a  miraculous  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
was  much  venerated.  The  first  to  do  was  to  make  to  the  saintly 
monk,  John  Chanones  a  general  confession,  which  was  often  inter- 
rupted by  the  abundance  of  his  tears.  He  had  begged  for  and 
obtained  permission  to  remain  in  the  church  during  the  night, 
Before  entering  the  church  however  he  changed  his  bright  suit 
of  garments  for  a  long  coat  of  coarse  cloth,  a  girdle  and  a  pair 
of  sandals,  procuring  also  a  pilgrim's  staff,  as  he  intended  to 
make  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem.  He  then  spent  the  whole  night 
in  most  ardent  prayer,  shedding  a  flood  of  tears  before  the  altar 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin.    In  the  morning  he  received  the  blessed 


FOUNDER  OF  THE  SOCIETY  OF  JESUS.  687 

Eucharist,  and  on  the  same  day  left  the  mount,  bequeathing  his 
gallant  horse  to  the  monastery,  and  leaving  his  arms  at  the  altar 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in  testimony  of  his  renouncing  the  secular 
warfare,  to  assume  that  of  Christ. 

Coming  to  Barcellona,  whence  he  intended  to  set  out  for  Jerusa- 
lem, he  could  not  meet  a  ship  He,  therefore,  at  once  turned  his  way 
to  Manresa,  where  he,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus,  assisted  the  afflicted 
in  the  hospital,  at  the  same  time  unpitiably  mortifying  himself  and 
suffering  with  meekest  patience  all,  that  others  did  to  molest  or 
injure  him.  His  holy  life  could  not  remain  hidden  from  the  others 
and  he  soon  noticed  what  thoughts  were  entertained  about  him. 
But  Ignatius  sought  only  the  honor  and  praise  of  God,  so  he  fled 
hence,  and  selected  a  cave  about  half  a  mile  from  Manresa  for 
his  habitation.  Here  he  passed  several  days  and  nights  without 
any  food,  at  the  same  time  increasing  his  mortifications  to  such  a 
degree,  that  he  was  found  actually  halfdead  by  some  persons,  who 
then  carried  him  back  to  Manresa.  He  soon  recovered  from  his 
bodily  afflictions,  but  to  undergo  the  far  more  excruciating  ones 
of  the  soul.  He  was  overwhelmed  with  bitterest  sadness,  and  he 
would  have  despaired  and  committed  suicide,  had  he  not  feared 
to  offend  God  by  so  doing.  At  length  these  painful  darknesses  all 
vanished  and  his  soul  began  to  overflow  with  spiritual  joy,  and, 
truly,  the  fruit,  he  began  to  reap,  was  of  incalculable  value  to  him 
and  the  many,  whom,  by  the  will  of  God,  he  was  to  guide  in  the 
future.  It  was  at  Manresa,  that  he  had  the  first  ideo  of  his  "Spiri- 
tual Exercises"  and  formed  the  plan  of  the  "Society  of  Jesus". 

Ignatius  now  intended  earnestly  to  fulfil  his  project  of  visiting 
the  holy  land.  Accordingly  he  shipped  from  Barcellona  to  Home, 
thence  to  Venice,  where  a  captain  kindly  took  him  aboard  demand- 
ing no  pay  from  him.  He  arrived  at  Jerusalem  after  much  toil, 
which,  however,  was  more  than  amply  rewarded  by  the  sweetest 
consolations,  which  he  experienced  at  the  holy  places.  He  desired 
to  remain  at  Jerusalem,  but  according  to  the  advise  of  the  Provin- 
cial of  Franciscans  he  returned  to  Spain. 

Thus  far  God  had  wonderfully  led  and  instructed  Ignatius, 
and  He  now  urged  him  to  accomplish  his  plan  of  instituting  a 
Society,  to  the  greater  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  human 
souls.  But  Ignatius  felt  himself  deficient  in  all  profane  knowledge, 
and  he  thought  it  not  too  humiliating  to  frequent  a  common  col- 
lege, though  35  years  of  age. 

During  his  course  of  studies  God  overwhelmed  him  with  many 
graces,  to  which  Ignatius  in  turn  corresponded  with  a  most  ardent 
love;  he  would  often  be  heard  to  cry  out:  "0  God,  my  Love,  and 
the  Delight  of  my  soul,  if  men  knew  Thee,  they  could  never  offend 
Thee!  0  my  God,  how  good  art  Thou  to  bear  with  such  a  sinner, 
as  I  am!"  After  two  years  of  study  at  Barcellona  he  went  to  the 
university  of  Alcala,  where  he  took  up  lodging  in  an  hospital. 
Here  he  studied  hard,  though  he  felt  an  aversion  to  studies;  he 


688  INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  IGNATIUS  OF  LOYOLA, 

soon  suspended  them,  in  order  to  render  immediate  service  to  the 
sick  and  poor,  to  instruct  children  in  their  religion,  and  to  insti- 
tute spiritual  conferences,  according'  to  the  inspirations  which  he 
felt.  In  this  way  he  succeeded  indeed  in  gaining  many  to  the 
cause  of  Jesus,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he  caused  himself  a  number 
of  enemies,  as  his  mode  of  life  was  a  continued  reproach  to  that 
of  others;  he  was  even  driven  to  leave  Alcala. 

Ignatius  now  proceeded  to  Valencia,  where  he  went  to  the 
Archbishop  in  order  to  render  account  of  his  life.  The  Arch- 
bishop received  him  with  paternal  love  and  encouraged  his  holy 
zeal ;  he  advised  Ignatius  to  go  to  Salamanca  there  to  finish  his 
studies.  Nor  could  he  here  confine  himself  to  studies  alone ;  he 
undertook  to  instruct  in  holy  ways  such  students  and  sinners  as 
would  stop  to  listen  to  him.  He  spoke  publicly  very  frequently 
and  in  a  short  time  there  was  great  excitement  all  over  the  city ; 
— but  alas,  the  poor  beggar-preacher  was  compelled  to  leave  also 
the  Salamanca. 

He  next  came  to  the  conclusion  to  finish  his  studies  at  Paris, 
where  he  again  sought  an  hospital,  that  of  St.  James,  as  his  home. 
Daily  he  attended  lectures,  and  on  his  way  to  and  fro  he  would 
beg  alms  for  himself,  which  latter  was  a  great  loss  of  time  to  him. 
According  to  the  advice  of  his  confessor  he  turned  to  wealthy 
Spaniards,  who  kindly  assisted  him  with  money,  so  that  he  was 
without  care  and  need.  Thus  he  gained  much  time  for  studies 
and  other  good  works.  Meanwhile  the  thought  of  executing  his 
holy  plan  matured  in  the  mind  of  Ignatius;  he  therefore  spoke  of 
it  to  several  young  men,  and  his  words  failed  not  in  leaving  a 
deep  impression  upon  them. 

Among  the  celebrated  doctors  at  the  university  of  Paris,  there 
was  Francis  Xavier,  a  young  Spanish  nobleman;  Ignatius  fixed  his 
eye  specially  upon  him.  But  vain  glory,  on  the  part  of  Xavier, 
and  low  poverty,  on  the  part  of  Ignatius,  were  the  difficult  knot 
not  so  easily  to  be  loosed.  Ignatius  knew,  that  Xavier  was  destined 
to  be  a  special  vessel  of  election,  and  therefore  he  approached  him 
and  spoke  to  him  on  every  occasion  possible.  Xavier  could  not 
resist  very  long;  the  grace  of  God  bore  him  onward  and  it  is 
known  all  the  world  over  what  a  Saint  he  became.  Besides  this 
truly  noble  Xavier,  Ignatius  had  gained  six  other  companions,  who 
were  all  on  fire  with  the  zeal  of  laboring  in  the  cause  of  God. 

Assumption  day  of  our  Blessed  Lady,  in  1534,  was  the  day  set 
apart  for  instituting  that;  for  which  he  had  so  long  and  zealously 
labored.  Peter  Faber,  orLeFevre,  Ignatius'  first  follower,  shortly 
before  ordained,  said  holy  mass  in  a  subterraneous  chapel  on 
Montmartre,  at  which  Ignatius  and  his  companions  assisted.  Before 
holy  Communion  Faber  turned  to  them,  with  the  holy  host  in  his 
hand,  then  all  singly  pronounced  their  vows  of  perpetual  chastity, 
voluntary  poverty  and  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  the  holy  land 
within  a  year  after  finishing  studies ;  should  the  latter  turn  out 


FOUNDER  OF  THE  SOCIETY  OF  JESUS.  689 

impossible,  they  vowed  to  go  to  the  holy  Father,  the  pope,  and 
leave  themselves  at  his  entire  disposal,  binding  themselves  also 
never  to  accept  any  ecclesiastical  dignities  or  any  reward  for  their 
labours,  unless  compelled  by  a  superior  will. 

It  happened  that  in  1537  the  Venetians  declared  war  against 
the  Turks,  and  it  was  found  impracticable  to  go  to  Jerusalem.  To 
fulfill  their  vow,  Ignatius  and  two  of  his  companions  went  to  the 
pope  to  oifer  themselves  to  whatever  work  he  should  judge  best. 

The  Pope,  Paul  III.,  received  them  graciously;  he  appointed 
Faber  to  teach  scholastic  divinity  at  the  Sapienza  in  Rome  and 
Laynez  to  explain  holy  Scriptures,  whilst  Ignatius  laboured  to 
reform  the  manners  of  the  people. 

Meanwhile  three  cardinals  examined  the  project  of  founding 
a  society.  At  first  they  opposed,  but  they  soon  changed,  and 
Paul  III.  approved  it,  under  the  name  of  "Society  of  Jesus",  by 
a  bull  dated  Sept.  27M,  1540.  Ignatius  was  obliged  to  be  the  first 
General ;  he  immediately  set  about  to  write  constitutions  and  rules 
for  the  Society,  in  which  he  designed  as  scope,  first  selfsanctifi- 
cation,  and  secondly  instruction  and  sanctification  of  others.  To 
effect  the  latter  the  "Jesuits"  opened  their  first  school  in  1546,  in 
the  College,  which  St.  Francis  Borgia  had  built  at  Gandia;  soon 
more  schools  flourished  under  the  direction  of  this  Society,  and 
no  one  can  ever  ignore  the  immense  good,  that  came  from  them, 
especially  in  those  times  of  the  so  called  Reformation. 

To  professors  and  scholars  St.  Ignatius  recommended  nothing 
so  much,  as  to  dedicate  their  labours  with  greatest  fervour,  "all 
to  the  greater  glory  of  God";  his  prudence  and  love,  shown  in 
his  whole  conduct  to  his  religious,  failed  not  in  winning  all  hearts 
for  him.  He  showed  the  affection  of  a  most  tender  parent  to  all, 
specially  to  the  sick,  for  whom  he  was  solicitous  to  procure  all 
possible  spiritual  and  bodily  comfort. 

Besides  his  activity  at  home  and  among  his  own,  it  is  astonish- 
ing what  enterprises  he  would  undertake  abroad,  establishing  his 
Order  everywhere ;  it  is  wonderful  to  see  the  energy  with  which 
he  bore  so  continued  a  burden:  he  was  visibly  assisted  by  the 
hand  of  our  Lord,  who  knows  how  to  accomplish  even  the  greatest 
things  through  the  weakest  instruments.  For  such  assistance  from 
God  Ignatius  could  not  be  ungrateful,  but  he  had  God  always  and 
in  all  things  present  to  his  mind;  every  object  served  him  as  a 
book,  wherein  he  read  the  divine  perfections,  and  by  this  means 
he  kept  his  soul  ever  raised  to  God.  He  enjoyed,  as  it  were,  an 
undisturbed  union  with  God,  and  often  was  he  favoured  with 
raptures,  visions  and  revelations.  It  was  indeed  a  matter  of  great- 
est importance  to  St.  Ignatius  to  remain  ever  united  to  God  in 
unruffled  peace,  and  to  this  effect  he  broke  all  hindrances  by  an 
unlimited  obedience  to  -his  directors  and  by  a  most  profound  hu- 
mility, besides  the  pitiless  mortifications,  which  he  underwent  in 
many  other  things.    Even  when  already  broken  with  age  and  in- 


44 


690  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  IGNATIUS  OF  LOYOLA,  &c. 

firmity  the  saint  declared,  that,  if  his  Holiness  demanded  so,  he 
would  immediately  step  aboard  the  first  ship,  though  it  had  neither 
sails  nor  rudder,  to  set  out  for  any  port  of  the  globe  — so  much 
had  he  subjected  his  will  to  that  of  others !  Even  to  inferiors  he 
would  submit  with  wonderful  meekness,  provided  he  could  do  so 
without  prejudice  to  his  authority.  He  received  rebukes  from  any 
one  with  cheerfulness  and  thanks,  but  if  anything  was  said  to  his 
praise,  he  would  become  confused  and  often  wept  at  it.  Thus  had 
he  built  upon  humility,  the  characteristic  of  all  saints. 

St.  Ignatius  was  general  of  the  Society  for  15  years,  3  months 
and  9  days,  but  was  so  worn  out  towards  the  end,  that  he  begged 
for  an  assistant.  Jerome  Nadal  being  appointed  as  such,  St.  Ig- 
natius kept  only  the  care  of  the  sick,  and  the  rest  of  his  time  he 
spent  in  continual  prayer  and  in  preparing  himself  for  death.  The 
day  before  his  death  he  begged  to  obtain  his  Holiness'  blessing 
for  the  article  of  death,  though  no  one  else  apprehended  any 
danger.  The  next  morning,  lifting  eyes  and  hands  to  heaven  and 
pronouncing  both  with  tongue  and  heart  the  sweetest  name  of 
"Jesus",  with  a  serene  countenance  he  gave  up  his  happy  soul 
into  the  hands  of  his  Creator  on  the  last  day  of  July,  1556,  in  the 
66th  year  of  his  age.  He  was  esteemed  a  saint,  when  in  life  and 
after  death ;  numerous  miracles  confirmed  the  opinion.  He  was 
accordingly  beatified  by  Paul  V.,  1609,  and  canonized  by  Gre- 
gory XV.  in  1622,  though  the  bull  was  only  published  by  Urban  Vlll., 
1623. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  through 
blessed  Ignatius,  didst  strengthen  Thy  Church  militant  with 
new  support,  for  the  propagation  of  the  greater  glory  of  Thy 
name,  grant  that,  fighting  with  his  help  and  imitating  him 
on  earth,  we  may  deserve  to  be  crowned  with  him  in  heaven. 
Who  livest. 

EPISTLE,  (ii.  Tim,  ii.  8—10.;  iii.  10—12.)  Brethren:  Be 
mindful  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  risen  again  from  the 
dead,  of  the  seed  of  David  according  to  my  gospel.  Wherein 
I  labour  even  unto  bands,  as  an  evil  doer :  but  the  word  of 
God  is  not  bound.  Therefore  I  endure  all  things  for  the  sake 
of  the  elect,  that  they  also  may  obtain  the  salvation,  which 
is  in  Christ  Jesus,  with  heavenly  glory.  But  thou  hast  fully 
known  my  doctrine,  manner  of  life,  purpose,  faith,  long- 
suffering,  love,  patience,  persecutions,  afflictions:  such  as 
came  upon  me  at  Antioch,  at  Iconium,  and  at  Lystra:  what 
persecutions  I  endured,  and  out  of  them  all  the  Lord  delivered 
me.  And  all  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  shall  suffer 
persecution. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ALPIIONSUS  MARIA  LIGUORI.   (\$\ 


GOSPEL.  (Luke  x.  1  — 9.)  At  that  time:  The  Lord  ap- 
pointed other  seventy-two;  and  he  sent  them  two  and  two 
before  his  face  into  every  city  and  place  whither  he  himself 
was  to  come.  And  he  said  to  them :  The  harvest  indeed  is 
great,  but  the  labourers  are  few.  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord 
of  the  harvest,  that  he  send  labourers  unto  his  harvest.  Go: 
behold,  I  send  you  as  lambs  among  wolves.  Garry  neither 
purse,  nor  scrip,  nor  shoes;  and  salute  no  man  by  the  way. 
Into  whatsoever  house  you  enter,  first  say:  Peace  be  to  this 
house,  and  if  the  son  of  peace  be  there,  your  peace  shall  rest 
upon  him:  but  if  not,  it  shall  return  to  you.  And  in  the 
same  house  remain,  eating  and  drinking  such  things  as  they 
have.  For  the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  Remove  not 
from  house  to  house.  And  into  what  city  soever  you  enter, 
and  they  receive  you,  eat  such  things  as  are  set  before  you; 
and  heal  the  sick  that  are  therein,  and  say  to  them  :  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
ALPHONSUS  MARIA  LIGUORI, 

BrSHOP  OF  ST.  AGATHA  OF  THE  GOTHS,  IN  ITALY, 
FOUNDER  OF  THE  CONGREGATION  OF  OUR  HOLY  REDEEMER. 

f August  2J 

Lphonsus,  a  jewel  to  the  Church  during  the 
18th  century,  was  born  Sept.  27th,  1696, 
descending  from  the  ancient  and  noble  Nea- 
politan family,  the  Liguories.  His  pious 
parents,  Joseph  Liguori  and  Anne  Catharine 
Cavalieri,  delivered  him  very  early  to  a  vir- 
tuous priest,  in  order  to  secure  for  him  a 
sound  and  pious  education;  and,  indeed,  under  such  guidance 
Alphonsus  progressed  rapidly  both  in  piety  and  in  science.  He 
succeeded  equally  well  in  the  higher  branches  of  study,  so  much 
so,  that  he  already  merited  and  obtained  the  title  of  Doctor  of 
laws  even  before  his  twentieth  year  of  age. 

Having  imbibed  the  best  of  principles  and  having  received  his 
education  at  the  hands  of  the  then  most  celebrated  lawyers,  he 
entered  upon  his  public  career  at  the  courts  of  Naples,  a  true 
lover  of  justice  and  defender  of  innocence.   He  soon  enjoyed  the 


44" 


692 


INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  FEAST 


Htii 


repute  of  an  able  and  most  trustworthy  advocate,  whence  he  be- 
came the  refuge  of  many  parties  both  of  home  and  abroad. 

Though  it  may  not  be  doubted,  that  Liguori  had  felt  great  in- 
clinations to  the  ecclesiastical  state  of  life,  already  previous  to 
entering  upon  his  public  career,  yet  the  immediate  occasion  of  his 
change  of  state  was  the  fastidious  acuteness  of  his  opponent,  ex- 
perienced at  a  lawsuit  between  two  nobles,  in  which  he  defended 
his  cause  more  warmly  than  usually.  Exclaiming:  "0  world,  now 
have  I  learned  to  know  thee,"  he  at  once  broke  with  his  mode  of 
living.  In  his  undisturbed  solitude  and  amid  tears  and  incessant 
prayer  his  design  to  leave  the  world  and  join  the  ecclesiastical 
state  of  life  began  to  mature;  his  father  also  yielded  to  his  inten- 
tions, though  only  after  all  attempts  to  dissuade  him  had  been 
frustrated.  Liguori  at  once  joined  the  Congregation  of  Missions  at 
Naples,  and,  in  order  to  prepare  himself  fitly  for  the  duties  of  his 
call,  he  practised  a  most  rigorous  observance  of  the  rules  prescribed, 
omitting  no  exercise  of  piety.  Full  of  ardour  to  preach  the  gospel 
he  already  as  deacon  ascended  the  pulpit,  around  which  there 
soon  accumulated  numerous  hearers,  not  being  able  to  resist  his 
singular  power  of  speech.  Truly,  his  ardour  was  blessed  by  God 
with  abundant  fruit,  which  increased  the  more,  when  he  as  priest 


OF  ST.  ALPHONSUS  MARIA  LIGUORI,  BISHOP,  &c.  6(J3 

began  to  labour  in  the  Confessional,  where  he  by  the  force  of  his 
words  moved  to  penance  even  the  most  obdurate  hearts. 

Upon  occasion  of  recruiting  his  health  after  a  severe  disease, 
the  saint  in  company  with  several  priests  went  to  the  town  of 
Scala,  where  he  had  likewise  laboured  with  singular  energy  in  the 
work  of  saving  souls;  here  he  was  advised  by  a  pious  nun,  that  it 
was  the  will  of  God,  he  should  found  a  Congregation  of  priests, 
for  the  purpose  of  instructing  youth  and  particularly  of  convert- 
ing the  peasantry  to  a  pious  life.  Though  the  saint  felt  himself 
too  weak  for  such  an  important  undertaking,  yet  he  confided  the 
matter  to  his  superiors,  having  well  considered  it,  and  only  after 
having  had  recourse  to  most  assiduous  prayer.  His  superiors, 
however,  viewing  it  as  the  design  of  God,  urged  him  to  execute 
this  holy  work.  Accordingly  the  saint,  despite  the  many  hindran- 
ces and  even  persecutions,  which  he  was  ob  iged  to  surmount, 
actually  founded  a  Congregation  of  pious  priests  (1728)  calling  it 
the  "Congregation  of  Priest  of  the  most  holy  Redeemer";  he  chose 
the  bishop  of  Castellamare  to  be  their  head.  » 

Although  these  men,  so  zealous  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  had 
no  other  than  poor  and  small  houses  as  their  homes,  where  they 
could  expect  only  the  most  necessary  bodily  food,  vet  their  number 
increased  to  such  a  degree,  that  the  saint  was  obliged  to  found  a 
second  and  a  third  mission. 

He  now  thought  of  compiling  specific  rules  for  his  Congrega- 
tion, which  he  also  with  the  aid  of  God  and  the  counsel  of  pious 
and  prudent  men  completed.  It  would  be  a  difficulty  to  tell  all  the 
good  this  congregation  accomplished  as  to  missions,  preaching, 
catechising  and  other  public  instructions  on  the  one  hand,  and 
specially  in  the  Confessional  on  the  other  hand.  Hence  the  repute 
of  Alphonsus'  sanctity  could  no  longer  remain  a  hidden  thing.  It 
was  soon  abroad,  what  he  and  his  congregation  effected  towards 
promoting  God's  honour  among  men  and  the  salvation  of  souls. 
Hence  many  provinces  endeavoured  to  secure  for  themselves  the 
benefit  of  this  blessed  institution,  which  Pope  Benedict  XIV.  also 
confirmed. 

Ever  intent  upon  preserving  and  perfecting  the  spirit  of  piety 
in  his  congregation,  Liguori,  in  his  truly  paternal  love,  was  equally 
accessible  to  all  of  his  subordinates,  and  by  this  was  he  enabled 
to  introduce  them  to  all  spiritual  exercises,  whilst  he  hesitated 
not  to  punish  failings  with  due  severity. 

Nor  was  his  zeal  limited  to  a  small  country;  of  the  extensive 
kingdom  of  both  Sicilies  there  was  scarcely  a  town,  that  had  not 
enjoyed  the  benefit  of  his  apostolic  labours;  before  even  finishing 
one  mission,  he  was  already  invited  to  another.  In  order  to  reward 
the  saint,  Charles  III.,  King  of  both  Sicilies,  offered  him  the  arch- 
bishopric of  Salerno,  which,  however,  the  saint  most  humbly  de- 
clined; but  soon  after  this,  Pope  Clement  XHL  nominated  him 
bishop  of  St.  Agatha,  which  dignity  he  was  at  length  obliged  to 


694  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ALPHONSUS  MARIA  LIGUORI. 

accept  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  the  pope,  although  he  strove  by 
all  means  to  evade  this  honor.  When  bishop  he  observed  the 
rules  of  his  institution  with  no  less  zeal  than  before,  choosing  at 
the  same  time  to  live  in  poverty,  as  he  did  as  simple  priest. 

His  main  object  in  view  was  to  increase  piety  and  science 
among  the  clergy  of  his  diocese,  and  he  introduced,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, among  his  clergy  in  general  the  rules  of  his  congregation ; 
thus  the  seminary  of  St.  Agatha  soon  became  a  school  of  the  fear 
of  God  and  of  christian  erudition. 

The  saint  also  introduced  nuns,  such  as  were  already  establish- 
ed at  Scala,  called  "of  our  Redeemer";  he  encouraged  them  in 
the  love  to  Jesus  and  in  the  veneration  of  the  B.  V.  Mary;  he  in- 
culcated especially  the  worthy  use  and  frequentation  of  the  holy 
Sacraments,  and  advised  them  in  particular  to  avoid  all  super- 
fluous conversation  with  worldly-minded  people.  He  was  inde- 
fatigable in  leading  profligate  women  back  to  a  virtuous  course  of 
life ;  he  did  all  in  his  power  to  preserve  young  women  in  their 
innocence,. when  they  were  in  any  danger  of  losing  it;  he  was  a 
solicitous  father  and  a  general  aid  to  poor,  disconsolate  and  af- 
flicted souls;— in  short,  he  was  in  every  respect  the  example  for 
all  good  deeds. 

After  the  saint  had  thus  for  thirteen  years  filled  his  office  with 
utmost  fidelity,  even  though  oppressed  with  bodily  infirmity,  and 
after  having  enriched  the  Church  with  so  many  most  valuable 
writings,  he  repeatedly  begged  of  the  Holy  See  to  be  remitted  his 
office,  specially  as  his  infirmities  increased  from  day  to  day. 

At  length  the  Pope,  Pius  VI.,  though  reluctantly,  conceded  in 
the  year  1775.  The  saint  recommended  the  care  of  his  congre- 
gation to  his  Vicar-general,  the  Rev.  P.  Andreas  Villaut,  and  at 
once  he  prepared  himself  for  his  approaching  final  hour.  With 
glowing  ardour  he  received  the  holy  Sacraments,  and,  according 
to  the  wish  of  his  confessor,  he  blessed  each  member  of  his  con- 
gregation. During  his  last  moments  he  pressed  a  crucifix  and  a 
picture  of  our  Lady  of  dolors  to  his  breast,  and  in  presence  of  his 
disconsolate  brethren  he  returned  his  amiable  soul  to  the  hands 
of  its  Creator,  on  the  first  day  of  August  1787,  being  in  the  nine- 
tieth year  of  his  age.— The  Lord  glorified  him  with  miracles  both 
during  his  life  and  after  death. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  God,  who  hast  enriched 
Thy  Church  with  a  new  offspring  through  the  blessed  Alphon- 
sus  Maria,  Thy  Confessor  and  Bishop,  so  zealous  for  the  sal- 
vation of  souls,  we  beseech  Thee,  that,  taught  by  his  salutary 
admonitions  and  confirmed  by  his  example,  we  may  safely 
come  to  Thee.  Thro1. 

The  Epistle  and  Gospel  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Ignatius  Loyola. 


695 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE 
ST.  DOMINIC. 

FEAST  OF 

[August  4.J 

T.  Dominic  was  born,  in  1170,  at  Calaruega  in 
Spain.  His  mother  whilst  she  was  with  child  of  him, 
dreamed  that  she  brought  forth  a  whelp,  that  car- 
ried in  its  mouth  a  burning  torch,  with  which  it 
set  the  whole  world  on  fire.  After  his  birth  it  was 
her  first  care  to  procure  him  speedily  the  grace  of 
baptism.  By  her  early  instructions  he  was  taught 
to  turn  the  first  dawning  of  his  reason  towards  his  Creator.  Such 
was  his  fervor  in  his  childhood,  that  he  accustomed  himself  to  rise 
often  in  the  night  to  pray.  At  fourteen  years  of  age  the  saint  was 
seat  to  the  public  schools  of  Palentia.  Dominic  here  laid  in  a  solid 
stock  of  learning,  and  became  a  great  proficient  in  rhetoric,  philo- 
sophy and  theology.  He  grew  not  only  in  wisdom,  but  also  in  ho- 
liness. He  kept  his  senses  in  constant  subjection  by  austere  mor- 
tification; even  with  the  virtuous  he  made  his  conversation  very 
short;  boards  or  the  floor  were  the  only  bed,  on  which  he  took  his 
rest.  From  his  mother's  example  he  had  learned  a  tender  devotion 
to  the  holy  Mother  of  God  and  an  extraordinary  affection  for  the 
poor ;  to  assist  whom  in  a  famine  he  not  only  gave  all  his  money 
and  goods,  but  sold  even  his  books  and  his  own  writings.  As  soon 
as  Dominic  had  finished  his  studies,  he  preached  the  word  of  God 
to  the  people  at  Palentia  with  wonderful  success.  Every  one 
looked  upon  the  man  of  God  as  an  oracle,  consulted  him  in  all 
doubts  and  acquiesced  in  his  decisions.  In  1198  St.  Dominic  left 
Palentia  at  the  invitation  of  Azebedo,  Bishop  of  Osma,  and  re- 
ceived the  habit  of  the  regular  canons  of  St.  Austin,  being  then 
twenty-eight  years  old.  He  now  subjected  his  body  to  still  greater 
austerities.  Although  he  studied  to  conceal  from  the  eyes  of  men 
as  much  as  possible  this  holy  severity,  its  effects  appeared  sen- 
sibly in  the  decay  of  his  strength.  His  bishop  therefore  ordered 
him  to  mix  a  little  wine  with  the  water  which  he  drank.  The 
bishop  of  Osma,  being  sent  on  an  embassy  into  France,  took  Do- 
minic with  him.  In  their  way  they  passed  through  Languedoc, 
which  was  then  filled  with  the  abominations  of  the  heresy  of  the 
Albigenses.  Being  pierced  to  the  heart  with  compassion  for  the 
unhappy  condition  of  these  heretics,  the  bishop  and  Dominic  went 
to  Rome,  to  ask  of  Pope  Innocent  III.  leave  to  stay  in  Languedoc 
to  labor  among  the  Albigenses.  The  pope  readily  granted  this 
permission.  They  immediately  returned  into  Languedoc.  Dominic 
and  the  bishop,  who  were  joined  by  some  Cistercian  abbots,  pro- 
posed', that  to  laboor  with  success,  they  ought  to  employ  persuasion 
rather  than  terror;  and  that 'they  should  imitate  the  poverty  of 
Christ  and  the  apostles,  travelling  on  foot,  without  money  or  pro- 


696 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  DOMINIC. 


visions.  St.  Dominic  now  labored  unceasingly  in  these  missions. 
He  never  complained  of  any  affronts  or  evils  which  he  received, 
courageously  encountered  every  danger  wherever  the  good  of 
souls  called  him.  So  ardent  was  his  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
that  he  was  consumed  with  a  burning  desire  to  sacrifice  for  them 
his  liberty,  health  and  life.  To  his  incredible  labors  he  added  the 
austerities  of  penance.  He  often  allowed  himself,  especially  during 
all  lent,  no  other  nourishment  than  bread  and  water;  and  spend- 


INSTRUCTION  FOK  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  DOMINIC.       (J97 

ing  with  his  companion  a  great  part  of  the  night  in  prayer,  he 
reserved  only  a  short  time  for  rest,  which  he  took,  lying  on  a 
board.  St.  Dominic  saw  with  grief  that  many  children  of  catholic 
parents,  for  want  of  the  means  of  procuring  a  proper  education, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  those  that  corrupted  their  morals  or  their 
faith.  To  cut  off  the  source  of  this  fatal  disorder,  he  founded  the 
famous  nunnery  of  Pronille.  This  monastery  was,  the  motherhouse 
of  all  the  nuns  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic.  After  two  years  the 
bishop  of  Osma  had  to  leave  the  mission,  and  return  to  his  dio- 
cese. At  his  departure,  he  appointed  St.  Dominic  as  his  successor 
in  the  office  of  superior  of  the  mission.  The  saint,  vested  with  this 
authority,  established  wholesome  regulations  to  be  observed  by 
the  zealous  preachers,  who  laboured  under  him.  About  this  time 
St.  Dominic  instituted  the  celebrated  devotion  of  the  Rosary,  con- 
sisting of  the  recital  of  fifteen  Our  Fathers  and  a  hundred  and  fifty 
Hail  Marys,  in  honour  of  the  fifteen  principal  mysteries  of  the  life 
and  sufferings  of  our  Blessed  Saviour,  and  of  his  holy  Mother. 
This  prayer  is  equally  adapted  to  persons  of  the  weakest  under- 
standing, and  to  those  that  are  most  learned,  or  the  most  ad- 
vanced in  the  exercises  of  sublime  contemplation.  All  find  in  it  a 
most  inexhausted  fund  of  the  highest  acts  of  faith,  hope,  divine 
love,  praise  and  thanksgiving,  with  a  supplication  for  succor  in 
all  spiritual  and  corporal  necessities. 

St.  Dominic  had  spent  ten  years  in  preaching  in  Languedoc, 
when  in  1215  he  founded  his  religious  Order  of  Preaching  Friars, 
the  plan  of  which  he  had  meditated  some  time  before.  He  esta- 
blished an  order  of  religious  men,  who  with  the  strictest  retire- 
ment and  assiduous  exercises  of  contemplation,  should  join  a  close 
application  to  sacred  studies,  and  all  the  functions  of  an  apostolic 
life,  especially  that  of  preaching. 

He  prescribed  austere  fasts,  perpetual  abstinence  from  flesh, 
and  the  most  severe  poverty,  ordaining  that  his  friars  should  re- 
ceive their  coarse  subsistence  from  the  alms  of  the  faithful.  The 
principal  aim  of  the  saint  by  this  institution  was  to  multiply  in  the 
,  Church  zealous  preachers,  whose  spirit  and  example  might  be  a 
means  more  easily  to  spread  the  light  of  faith,  and  the  fire  of 
divine  charity.  Sixteen  of  his  fellow  missionaries  came  readily 
into  his  project;  and  Peter  Cellani,  one  of  this  number,  gave  some 
houses  he  was  possessed  of  in  Toulouse,  in  which  they  formed 
themselves  into  a  regular  community,  under  the  protection  of  the 
bishop.  This  was  the  first  convent  of  the  Order.  To  establish  it, 
the  founder  was  obliged  to  go  to  Rome.  Pope  Innocent  III.  re- 
ceived the  saint  with  great  demonstrations  of  kindness,  on  account 
of  the  reputation  of  his  sanctity.  Nevertheless  the  pope  made  at 
first  some  difficulty  to  approve  this  order,  upon  late  complaints 
that  too  great  a  multiplication  of  orders  would  bring  confusion, 
and  that  it  was  better  to  reform  those  that  were  already  establish- 
ed. In  the  night  following  the  pope  dreamed,  he  saw  the  Lateran 


698  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  DOMINIC. 

Church  in  danger  of  falling,  and  that  St.  Dominic  stept  in  and 
supported  it  with  his  shoulders.  Hereupon  the  pope  approved 
the  new  order  by  word  of  mouth,  bidding  the  founder  draw  up 
the  Constitutions  and  lay  them  before  him.  St.  Dominic  returned 
to  Toulouse,  and  after  a  mature  consultation  with  his  sixteen  col- 
leagues made  choice  of  the  rule  of  the  canons  of  St.  Austin.  He 
added  certain  particular  constitutions. 

When  St.  Dominic  returned  to  Rome  Pope  Innocent  III.  had 
meanwhile  died,  and  Honorius  III.  had  been  chosen  in  his  place. 
The  new  pope  confirmed  St.  Dominic's  order  by  two  bulls,  both 
dated  on  the  26th  of  December,  of  1216.  He  also  detained  the 
saint  several  months  in  Rome  to  preach  in  that  city;  this  com- 
mission the  saint  executed  with  incredible  applause  and  success. 
At  length  he  returned  with  the  consent  of  his  Holiness  to  Tou- 
louse, and  spent  some  time  in  forming  his  religious  brethren  in 
the  practice  of  the  most  perfect  maxims  of  an  interior  life.  He 
exhorted  them  strenuously  to  attend  in  the  first  place  to  the 
sanctification  of  their  Own  souls.  He  added  excellent  instructions 
on  humility,  a  perfect  distrust  in  themselves,  and  an  entire  confi- 
dence in  God  alone.  After  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption  of  our 
Lady  in  the  year  1217  he  dismissed  some  of  his  religious  to  Spain 
and  Portugal,  and  some  to  Paris.  The  extraordinary  reputation 
of  St.  Dominic  and  his  preaching  friars  drew  many  learned  doc- 
tors and  other  eminent  men  into  this  new  order,  and  the  saint 
settled  convents  at  Lyons,  Montpellier,  &c.  St.  Dominic  went 
again  to  Rome  in  1217,  and  the  pope  desirous,  that  his  order 
should  have  a  house  in  that  city,  gave  him  the  Church  of  St. 
Sixtus.  During  this  stay  at  Rome  God  honored  his  ministry  with 
so  many  illustrious  miracles,  that  Dominic  acquired  the  name  of 
Thaumaturgus.  Among  others,  he  also  recalled  to  life  two  per- 
sons. In  1218  the  saint  undertook  a  journey  from  Rome  through 
Languedoc  into  Spain,  and  founded  a  famous  convent  at  Segovia 
and  another  at  Madrid.  In  the  next  year  he  journeyed  to  Tou- 
louse and  Paris.  He  did  not  stay  many  weeks  in  this  capital,  but 
gained  souls  to  God  by  his  sermons  and  instructions,  and  re- 
ceived into  his  Order  many  persons  of  eminence.  In  1220  the 
saint  waited  on  Pope  Honorius  III.  at  Viterbo.  Until  then  Dominic 
had  taken  no  other  title,  but  that  of  superior;  the  pope  now  com- 
manded him  to  be  styled  general. 

Wherever  the  saint  travelled,  he  frequently  preached;  and 
always  with  that  incredible  success,  which  can  only  be  the  fruit 
of  continual  prayer.  Though  he  was  superior,  he  was  distinguished 
in  nothing  from  the  lowest  among  his  brethren,  but  by  his  more 
profound  humility  and  more  rigorous  abstinence.  To  nourish  in 
his  heart  a  perfect  contempt  of  the  world,  he  was  a  sincere  lover 
of  holy  poverty.  He  took  all  possible  precautions  to  prevent  riches 
ever  becoming  the  portion  and  the  bane  of  his  order.  He  never 
began  to  instruct  any  one,  without  first  imploring  on  his  knees 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  LAWRENCE,  MARTYR       (J<J9 

the  intercession  of  the  Mother  of  God.  In  conversing  with  others 
it  was  his  delight  to  speak  only  of  God  and  heavenly  things.  St. 
Dominic  never  ceased  to  pray  for  the  conversion  of  infidels  and 
sinners.  He  would  have  all  his  religious  applied  to  this  great 
work,  every  one  according  to  his  capacity.  To  this  great  function 
he  prepared  his  religious  by  long  habits  of  virtue,  especially  of 
prayer,  humility,  selfderiial  and  obedience.  He  taught  his  mis- 
sionaries the  art  of  preaching  to  the  heart  by  animating  them 
with  an  ardent  zeal  and  charity.  Being  once  asked  after  preach- 
ing, in  what  book  he  had  studied  his  sermon?  "In  no  other," 
said  he,  "than  in  that  of  charity." 

St.  Dominic  made  frequent  missionary  excursions,  founded 
many  convents  in  Italy  and  sent  some  of  his  religious  into  Mo- 
rocco, Portugal,  Sweden,  Norway,  Ireland  and  England. 

Long  before  his  death  St.  Dominic  had  a  forsight  of  it.  Setting 
out  on  a  journey  from  Bologna  for  Milan  he  said  to  his  friends  there : 
"You  now  see  me  in  health;  but  before  the  glorious  Assumption 
of  the  Virgin  Mother,  I  shall  depart  hence  to  the  Lord."  He 
returned  to  Bologna  in  the  summer,  and  was  seized  with  a  burning 
fever.  Having  throughout  his  sickness  undergone  severe  pains 
with  the  greatest  cheerfulness,  he  received  the  last  Sacraments, 
and  continued  in  secret  prayer  till  he  calmly  expired  on  the  6th 
of  August  1221.  St.  Dominic  was  canonized  by  Gregory  IX.  in 
1234. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  hast  deigned 
to  illumine  Thy  Church  through  the  merits  and  teachings  of 
Thy  Confessor,  blessed  Dominic,  grant  through  his  interces- 
sion, that  she  may  not  become  destitute  of  temporal  helps, 
and  may  always  advance  in  spiritual  increase.   Thro'. 

The  Epistle  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  and  the  Gospel 
as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Anthony. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
LAWRENCE,  MARTYR 

[August  10] 

T.  Lawrence,  a  youth  endowed  with  rare  gifts  of 
body  and  soul,  who  had  the  best  of  fortunes  to 
expect  from  the  world,  for  the  love  of  God  and 
from  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul  put  the 
world  with  all  its  honor,  and  riches  and  pleasures, 
beneath  his  feet,  and  dedicated  himself  to  the 
.  priesthood,  at  a  time  when  the  Christians  and 
especially  the  clergy,  were  continually  persecuted.  He  was  at  a 
very  early  age,  on  account  of  his  remarkable  merit  and  know- 


700     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  LAWRENCE,  MARTYR. 

ledge,  his  fidelity  and  prudence,  and  notwithstanding  his  youth, 
appointed  archdeacon  by  Pope  Sixtus,  in  which  office,  besides  his 
service  at  the  altar,  he  had  charge  of  the  Church  treasury  and  the 
money  for  the  poor,  which  led  to  his  martyrdom.  By  command 
of  the  Emperor  Valerian,  who  ordered  the  bishops  and  priests  to 
be  sought  after  to  be  executed,  the  holy  Pope  Sixtus  was  taken 
prisoner,  sentenced  to  death,  and  executed.  Lawrence  burning  with 
desire  for  a  martyr's  death,  wished  to  die  with  his  spiritual  fa- 
ther, and  for  this  purpose  followed  him  to  the  place  of  death, 
saying:  "Where  are  you  going,  my  father,  without  your  son?" 
But  the  pope  ordered  him  to  return  and  guard  the  treasures  of 
the  Church.  When  these  words  were  reported  to  the  officers, 
Lawrence  was  taken  and  the  treasure  demanded  of  him.  He  asked 
for  three  days  in  which  to  consider  the  demand,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  called  the  poor  and  sick  to  him,  led  them  before  the 
tyrant,  and  said:  "These  are  the  treasures  of  the  Church  which 
I  promised  you."  The  tyrant  became  furious  and  ordered  the 
saint  to  be  bound  and  burnt  upon  a  glowing  grate.  The  saint 
bore  this  horrible  death  with  joy  and  with  indifference  to  the  fire, 
and  after  a  time  said  to  the  tyrant:  "I  am  now  roasted  enough 
on  this  side,  let  them  turn  me  over."  And  the  tyrant  had  him 
turned  to  the  other  side,  upon  which  the  saint  remarked:  "My 
flesh  is  now  well  roasted,  eat  if,  if  it  pleases  thee."  Having  then 
with  his  eyes  raised  to  heaven,  prayed  for  the  conversion  of  Rome 
and  for  the  spreading  of  the  gospel  throughout  the  whole  country, 
the  saint  slept  quietly  in  the  Lord,  on  the  tenth  of  August,  258. 

The  Introit  reads:  Praise  and  beauty  are  before  him: 
holiness  and  majesty  in  his  sanctuary.  Sing  ye  to  the 
Lord  a  new  canticle:  sing  to  the  Lord  all  the  earth. 
(Ps.  xcv.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Enable  us,  we  beseech 
Thee,  0  Almighty  God,  to  extinguish  in  ourselves  the  noxi- 
ous heat  of  sin,  by  whose  grace  blessed  Lawrence  triumphed 
over  flames  and  the  most  exquisite  torments.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE,  (ii.  Cor.  ix.  6—10.)  Beethren:  He  who  soweth 
sparingly,  shall  also  reap  sparingly :  and  he  who  soweth  in 
blessings,  shall  also  reap  of  blessings.  Every  one  as  he  hath 
determined  in  his  heart,  not  with  sadness,  or  of  necessity. 
For  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver.  And  God  is  able  to  make 
all  grace  abound  in  you :  that  ye  always  having  all  sufficiency 
in  all  things,  may  abound  to  every  good  work.  —  As  it  is 
written:  He  hath  dispersed  abroad,  he  hath  given  to  the 
poor:  his  justice  remaineth  for  ever.  And  he  that  minister- 
eth  seed  to  the  sower,  will  both  give  you  bread  to  eat  and 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  LAWRENCE,  MARTYR.      701 

will  multiply  your  seed,  and  increase  the  growth  of  the  fruits 
of  your  justice. 

EXPLANATION.  These  words  apply  perfectly  to  St.  Law- 
rence, who,  instead  of  making  himself  rich  with  the  Church  treas- 
ures, or  gaining  great  honors  by  giving  them  up  to  the  avaricious 
tyrant,  gave  them  to  the  poor  and  thus  gained  spiritual  and 
eternal  treasures  in  abundance.  In  this  we  should  imitate  him.  Alms- 
giving is,  as  the  apostle  says,  like  a  field,  which  the  more  it  is  sowed 
by  giving,  the  richer  harvest  it  will  bring  for  body  and  soul.  We 
should  not  be  sad  or  vexed  in  giving,  for  this  shows  parsimony; 
he  who  gives  freely  to  the  poor,  is  agreeable  to  God,  and  God 
will  repay  him  in  His  own  time  with  corporal  and  spiritual  riches, 
and  will  never  let  him  come  to  want.  That  which  we  give  to  the 
poor,  is  not  lost  to  us,  but  is  deposited  in  the  Lord's  treasury, 
whence  we  will  again  receive  it  with  great  interest. 

GOSPEL.  {John  xii.  24 — 26.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples:  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you,  unless  the  grain 
of  wheat  falling  into  the  ground,  die,  itself  remaineth  alone. 
But  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit.  He  that  loveth 
his  life,  shall  lose  it:  and  he  that  hateth  his  life  in  this  world, 
keepeth  it  unto  life  eternal.  If  any  man  minister  unto  me, 
let  him  follow  me:  and  where  I  am,  there  also  shall  my  mi- 
nister be.  If  any  man  minister  to  me,  him  will  my  Father 
honour. 

What  is  meant  by  the  grain  of  wheat  which  dies? 

Christ,  our  Lord,  who  had  to  die  and  lay  in  the  grave,  that  by 
His  death  He  might  bring  forth  the  fruit  of  redemption,  conver- 
sion, and  happiness  for  mankind;  every  true  Christian  who  mor- 
tifies his  evil  desires,  avoids  improper  inclinations,  and  the  vanity 
of  the  world,  and  brings  forth  the  fruit  of  virtue  and  good  works. 
Such  mortifications  are  a  kind  of  martyrdom,  and  like  m:  rtyrdom 
will  be  most  gloriously  rewarded  by  God.  "Crucify  thy  flesh*"  says 
St.  Chrysostom,  "that  thou  mayst  obtain  the  martyr's  crown." 
"It  is,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "a  species  of  torture,  by  which  the 
spirit  kills  the  works  of  the  flesh."  "To  patiently  endure  dis- 
grace, injustice,  and  persecution,  to  love  those  who  hate  us,  is  an 
inward  martyrdom,"  says  St.  Gregory.  "The  whole  life  of  a 
Christian,"  writes  St.  Augustine,  "if  fed  by  the  gospel,  is  a  con- 
tinual cross  and  martyrdom." 

What  does  it  mean  to  hate  one's  life? 
It  means,  to  promise  to  our  inclinations  nothing  which  is 
against  God's  commandments,  and  dangerous  to  our  salvation, 
and  this  means  at  the  same  time,  to  truly  love  our  soul  and  to 


702     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  ASSUMPTION 

preserve  it  for  eternal  life ;  on  the  contrary,  to  yield  everything 
to  our  soul's  passions  and  inclinations,  everything  for  which  it 
improperly  longs,  means  to  destroy  it.  We  hate  the  sick  man,  if 
we  give  him  that  which  he  desires,  when  it  is  injurious  to  him, 
and  love  him,  if  we  refuse  it  to  him.  In  the  same  way  he  truly 
loves  his  soul,  who  resists  its  evil  desires,  and  he  hates  it,  who 
yields  to  them.  To  such  a  hatred  or  rather  to  such  a  true  love 
for  our  souls,  we  are  admonished  by  the  Holy  Ghost:  Go  not 
after  thy  lusts,  but  turn  away  from  thy  own  will.  If 
thou  give  to  thy  soul  her  desires,  she  will  make  thee 
a  joy  to  thy  enemies.  (Eccl.  xviii.  30,21.) 

PETITION.  0  Jesus,  blessed  Fruit  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
we  thank  Thee,  that  Thou  wert  pleased  for  our  salvation  to 
become,  through  Thy  incarnation,  such  a  wonderful  grain  of 
wheat  and  die  such  a  bitter  death.  Ah!  that  we  rightly  knew 
this  grace,  and  imitated  Thee  in  our  lives,  as  have  so  many 
thousands  of  martyrs,  among  whom  shines  especially  Thy 
servant  Lawrence.  Grant  us,  that  we  may  also  be  filled  with 
the  desire  to  bear  all  sufferings  patiently  unto  the  end,  and 
so  zealously  serve  Thee  here,  that  we  may  in  the  other  world, 
as  Thou  hast  promised,  be  honored  by  Thy  Heavenly  Father, 
and  be  happy  for  all  eternity.  Amen. 


INSTRUCTION 

FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  ASSUMPTION 

OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 

f August  15.] 

Why  is  this  feast  thus  named? 
Ecause  on  this  day  the  blessed  Virgin  was  taken 
up  to  heaven. 

Why  are  herbs  arid  fruits  blessed  on  this  day? 

The  Church  does  this  to  manifest  her  joy  at 
the  glorious  victory  which  Mary  achieved  over 
death,  the  world,  and  the  devil,  and  at  her 
splendid  triumph  when  she,  adorned  with  virtues  as  with  so  many 
flowers,  entered  heaven ;  and  that  God  may  so  sanctify  and  bless 
the  herbs  and  fruits,  that  their  use  may  serve  to  our  welfare. 

At  the  Introit  of  Mass,  the  Church  invites  to  universal  joy 
by  singing:  Let  us  all  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  whilst  we  ce- 
lebrate this  festival  in  honour  of  the  B.  V.  M.  for  whose 
Assumption  the  angels  rejoice,  and  praise  the  Son  of 


OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


703 


God.   My  heart  hath  uttered  a  good  word:  I  speak  my 
works  to  the  king.    Glory,  &c. 


PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Forgive,  0  Lord,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  the  sins  of  Thy  people:  that  we,  who  are  not 
able  to  do  any  thing  of  ourselves  that  can  be  pleasing  to 
Thee,  may  be  assisted  in  the  way  of  salvation  by  the  prayers 
of  the  Mother  of  Thy  Son.   Thro',  the  same. 

LESSON.  (Eccl.  xxiv.  1 1  —  20.)  I  sought  rest  every  where, 
and  I  shall  abide  in  the  inheritance  of  the  Lord.  Then  the 
Creator  of  all  things  gave  his  orders,  and  said  to  me :  and  he 
that  made  me,  rested  in  my  tabernacle,  and  he  said  to  me: 


704  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  ASSUMPTION 

Let  thy  dwelling  be  in  Jacob,  and  thy  inheritance  in  Israel, 
and  take  root  in  my  elect.  From  the  beginning,  and  before 
the  world  was  I  created,  and  unto  the  world  to  come  I  shall 
not  cease  to  be,  and  in  the  holy  dwelling  place  I  have  minis- 
tered before  him.  And  I  was  so  established  in  Sion,  and  in 
the  holy  city  likewise  I  rested,  and  my  power  was.  in  Jeru- 
salem. And  I  took  root  in  an  honourable  people,  and  in  the 
portion  of  my  God  his  inheritance,  and  my  abode  is  in  the 
full  assembly  of  saints.  I  was  exalted  like  a  cedar  in  Liba- 
nus,  and  as  a  cypress-tree  on  Mount  Sion.  I  was  exalted  like 
a  palm-tree  in  Cades,  and  as  a  rose-plant  in  Jericho:  as  a 
fair  olive-tree  in  the  plains,  and  as  a  plane-tree  by  the  water 
in  the  streets,  was  I  exalted.  I  gave  a  sweet  smell  like  cin- 
namon, and  aromatical  balm :  like  the  myrrh  I  yielded  a 
sweet  odour. 

EXPLANATION.  The  Holy  Ghost  uses  these  words,  it  is 
true,  in  praise  of  eternal  wisdom,  but  the  Church  applies  them  to 
Mary  also,  to  describe  the  glory  and  splendor  of  her  assumption. 
For  Mary  found  her  rest  only  in  God,  the  Creator  of  all  things, 
who  created  her,  and  preserved  her  from  original  sin,  and  lived 
in  her  womb  as  in  a  tabernacle.  On  this  day  God  seems  to  say  to 
her:  "Possess  the  abode  destined  for  thee  from  all  eternity,  and 
the  inheritance  designed  for  thee  as  the  first  of  the  elect. "  Thus 
Mary  is  exalted  as  Queen  of  the  saints  and  angels  in  the  heavenly 
Sion;  and  now  in  this  holy  city,  she  enjoys  an  undisturbed  peace 
with  God,  shares  his  happiness  with  Him,  and  is  second  only  to 
Him  in  power  and  glory;  there  she  shines  in  the  most  radiant 
garments,  like  an  ever  blooming  rose-plant  in  Jericho,  from  there 
she  lets  flow  upon  the  wretched  children  of  Adam  the  oil  of  her 
mercy  as  from  a  fair  olive-tree,  shades  them  with  her  protection 
like  a  plane-tree,  and  refreshes  them  with  the  sweet  fragrance  of 
her  virtue  and  grace. 

GOSPEL.  (Lukex.  38 — 42.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  entered 
into  a  certain  town;  and  a  certain  woman  named  Martha, 
received  him  into  her  house.  And  she  had  a  sister  called 
Mary.  Who  sitting  also  at  the  Lord's  feet,  heard  his  word. 
But  Martha  was  busy  about  much  serving.  Who  stood  and 
said :  Lord,  hast  thou  no  care  that  my  sister  hath  left  me 
alone  to  serve  ?  Speak  to  her  therefore,  that  she  help  me. 
And  the  Lord  answering,  said  to  her:  Martha,  Martha,  thou 
art  careful,  and  art  troubled  about  many  things.     But  one 


OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY,  705 

thing  is  necessary.     Mary  hath  chosen  the  best  part,  which 
shall  not  be  taken  from  her. 

Why  does  the  Church  read  this  gospel  to-day? 

Because  it  can  be  well  applied  to  Mary,  who  more  worthily  and 
tenderly  even  than  Martha  received,  nourished,  and  served  the 
Son  of  God,  and  more  fervently  and  attentively  than  even  Martha's 
sister  listened  to  His  words,  preserved  them  in  her  heart  and 
sought  to  fulfil  them.  And  in  both  ways  has  she  chosen  the  best 
of  all  parts,  because  in  both  she  walked  in  perfection  and  so 
gained  the  greatest  of  rewards,  this  day  bestowed  upon  her,  never 
to  be  taken  from  her. 

What  may  we  learn  from  these  two  sisters? 

That  like  Mary,  who  is  a  type  of  the  active,  stirring  life,  we 
should  be  energetic  in  performing  the  duties  of  our  state  of  life,  but 
not  on  that  account  to  forget  to  practise  good  works,  to  do  all  for 
the  love  of  God,  seeking  in  all  things  His  pleasure,  and,  since  we 
can  no  longer  serve  Christ  in  a  material  way,  to  serve  the  poor,  of 
whom  He  says,  that  whatever  we  do  to  the  least  of  them,  He  will 
consider  and  reward  as  if  done  to  Himself.  We  are  also  like  Mary 
who  represents  the  contemplative  life,  to  be  fervent  in  prayer,  in 
listening  and  meditating  upon  the  word  of  God,  upon  the  divine 
Majesty,  its  perfections,  and  our  frailty,  thus  to  sanctify  ourselves 
and  to  make  ourselves  more  worthy  of  eternal  happiness.  This 
contemplative  life  Christ  calls  the  better  part,  but  does  not  there- 
fore set  aside  the  active  life.  We  can  easily  unite  both,  but  must 
never  lose  sight  of  the  better  part. 

Why  does  Jesus  reproach  Martha? 

Because  she  was  uneasy  and  distracted  by  her  own  carefulness 
and  anxiety,  and  forgot  to  hear  the  divine  word. — Thus  do  many 
Christians  who  find  no  time  to  work  at  the  salvation  of  their  soul, 
and  even  during  divine  service  and  the  sermon  are  thinking  of 
their  domestic  affairs,  and  so  leave  the  Church  without  having 
gained  anything  for  their  soul. 

What  is  the  one  thing  necessary? 

To  seek  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  our  soul.  He  who 
attends  to  this,  attends  to  all  his  duties,  he  is  busy  and  active,  but 
not  uneasy  and  disturbed,  and  calmly  directs  his  mind  to  God  in 
all  his  labors,  offers  his  every  step  to  Him,  and  draws  His  grace 
upon  himself. 

PETITION.  Would  that  I  had  better  attended  to  the  one 
thing  necessary!  Unhappy  hours  which  I  have  squandered 
for  the  world,  its  vanities  and  pleasures!  Where  are  you 
now  %  What  shall  I  have  from  you  in  eternity  but  sorrow  and 


45 


706    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  ASSUMPTION,  &c 

desolation?  Could  I  but  call  back  my  wasted  life?  But  since 
that  cannot  be,  give  me  Thy  grace,  I  beseech  Thee,  0  most 
beneficent  God,  to  pass  the  remaining  years  of  my  life  wholly 
in  Thy  service,  and  work  above  all  and  only  for  the  affairs 
of  my  soul. 

THOUGHTS  OF  ST.  BERNARD  OF  THE  ASSUMPTION 

OF  MARY. 

ON  this  day  the  glorified  Virgin  entered  heaven,  and  crowned 
by  her  presence  the  holy  pleasures  of  its  inhabitants.  But 
what  mind  can  conceive  the  glory  with  which  the  arrival  of  the 
Queen  of  the  world  was  celebrated  by  the  brilliant  heavenly  hosts, 
their  advance  to  greet  her,  their  chanting  as  they  led  her  to  the 
magnificent  throne?  Who  can  fancy  the  tender  gaze,  the  loving 
countenance,  the  divine  caresses  with  which  she  was  received  by 
her  Son  and  placed  over  all  created  beings,  honored  as  became 
such  a  mother,  with  the  glory  that  became  such  a  Son?  What 
lips  may  describe  the  assumption  of  Mary?  As  upon  earth  she 
before  all  others  received  special  grace,  so  in  heaven  she  before 
all  others  receives  special  glory.  If  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard,  nor  has  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  know  the  de- 
lights that  God  has  prepared  for  those  that  love  Him,  who  shall 
say  what  is  prepared  for  her  who  bore  Him  and  loved  Him  more 
than  all!  0  blessed  art  thou,  Mary!  Most  blessed  wert  thou,  when 
thou  didst  receive  the  Saviour;  most  blessed  art  thou,  when  the 
Saviour  receives  thee ! 

ST.  BERNARD'S  PRAYER  TO  MARY. 

We  accompany  thee,  on  this  day,  with  our  most  ardent 
wishes  to  thy  Son,  0  glorious  Virgin,  Queen  of  heaven!  and 
follow  thee  from  afar,  0  happy  Virgin!  Give  thy  mildness  to 
the  world,  give  of  the  grace  thou  hast  found  with  God.  Obtain 
by  thy  blessed  intercession,  grace  for  the  guilty,  recovery  for 
the  sick,  strength  for  the  fainthearted,  aid  for  those  in  peril! 
And  for  us,  thy  servants,  who  on  this  glorious  festival-day 
invoke  thy  sweetest  name,  spend,  0  gentlest  Queen,  His  grace 
for  us  Jesus  Christ,  thy  Son,  our  Lord  and  God,  to  whom  be 
glory  forever.  Amen. 


707 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
RERNARD,  ARROT. 

[August  20.] 

T.  Bernard,  the  third  son  of  Tescelin  and  Alice, 
both  of  the  highest  nobility  in  Burgundy,  was 
born  in  1091  at  Fontaines,  a  castle  near  Dijon. 
His  parents  were  persons  of  great  piety,  and  His 
mother  not  content  to  offer  him  to  God  as  soon 
as  he  was  born,  afterwards  consecrated  him  to  his 
•  service  in  the  church.    Bernard  was  sent,  when 
still  young,  to  Chatillon  on  the  Seine,  to  pursue  a  complete  course 
of  studies.    Even  then  he  loved  to  be  alone;  he  was  always  re- 
collected, obedient,  obliging  to  all,  and  modest  beyond  what  can 
be  expressed.    He  made  it  his  continual  earnest  prayer  to  God, 
that  He  would  never  suffer  him  to  sully  his  innocence  by  sin.  The 
quickness  of  his  parts  astonished  his  masters.  Bernard  at  a  very 
early  age  entered  upon  the  studies  of  theology  and  of  the  holy 
scriptures.    He  was  nineteen  years  old,  when  his  pious  mother 
died.  At  this  time  Bernard  became  his  own  master;  for  his  father 
was  employed  at  a  distance.  He  made  his  appearance  in  the  wor  d 
with  all  the  advantages  and  talents,  which  can  make  it  amiable 
to  a  young  nobleman,  or  which  could  make  him  loved  by  it.    His 
vivacity  of  wit  and  cultivated  genius,  his  prudence  and  natural 
modesty,  his  affability  and  sweetness  of  temper,  made  him  beloved 
by  all.    But  these  very  advantages  had  their  snares.    His  first 
danger  was  from  false  friends;  but  the  light  of  grace  made  him 
discover  the  first  attempts  and  resolutely  repulse  them.    Once  he 
happened  to  fix  his  eyes  on  the  face  of  a  woman,  but  immediately 
reflecting  that  this  was  a  temptation,  he  ran  to  a  pond  and  leaped 
up  to  the  neck  into  the  water,  which  was  then  as  cold  as  ice. 
Bernard  was  affrighted  at  the  dangers  of  the  world,  and  began  to 
think  of  forsaking  it,  and  retiring  to  Citeaux,  where  God  was 
served  with  great  fervor.    His  brothers  and  friends  endeavored 
to  dissuade  him  from  it;  but  he  so  pleaded  his  cause,  as  to  draw 
them  all  over  to  join  him  in  his  courageous  undertaking.  Thus  it 
came,  that  in  the  year  1113  Bernard  arrived  at  Citeaux,  accom- 
panied by  thirty  noblemen.  This  holy  company  prostrating  them- 
selves before  St.  Stephen,  the  founder  of  Citeaux,  begged  to  be 
admitted  to  join  the  monks  in  their  penitential  lives.   ISt.  Stephen 
seeing  their  fervor,  received  them  with  open  arms,  and  gave  them 
the  habit.    St.  Bernard  was  then  twenty  three  years  old.    He 
entered  this  house  in  the  desire  to  die  to  the  remembrance  of 
men,  to  live  hidden,  that  he  might  be  occupied  only  with  God. 
To  renew  his  fervor  against  sloth,  he  repeated  often  to  himself: 
"Bernard,  Bernard,  why  earnest  thou  hither?"    He  studied  to 
mortify  his  senses  and  to  die  to  himself  in  all  things.    After  a 


45* 


708 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BERNARD. 


I    I 


year's  noviciate,  he  did  not  know  whether  the  top  of  his  cell  was 
covered  with  a  ceiling,  nor  whether  the  church  had  more  than 
one  window.  In  1114  he  made  with  his  companions  his  profession 
in  the  hands  of  St.  Stephen.  He  set  out  witn  extraordinary  ardor 
in  all  his  monastic  exercises.  At  his  work  in  the  fields  or  in  the 
forest  his  soul  was  continually  occupied  with  God,  and  he  used 
afterwards  to  say,  that  he  never  had  any  other  master  in  his  studies 
of  the  holy  scriptures  but  the  oaks  and  beeches  of  the  forest.   He 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BERNARD.       709 

almost  always  labored  under  some  bodily  infirmity,  but  he  suf- 
fered all  his  distempers  without  ever  speaking  of  them.  He  was  a 
great  lover  of  poverty  in  his  habit,  cell,  and  all  other  things: 
but  called  dirtiness  a  mark  of  sloth  or  affectation.  His  chief  sus- 
tenance was  coarse  bread  softened  in  warm  water. 

The  number  of  monks  being  grown  too  great  at  Citeaux,  St. 
Stephen  founded  other  monasteries,  and  in  1115  selected  St.  Bernard 
as  abbot  of  twelve  monks  to  found  a  new  house  in  the  diocese  of 
Langres  in  Champagne.  They  walked  in  procession  singing  psalms, 
with  their  new  abbot  at  their  head,  and  settled  in  a  desert  called 
the  Valley  of  Wormwood,  encompassed  by  a  wild  forest.  This 
young  colony  had  often  much  to  suffer,  and  being  several  times 
in  extreme  necessity,  was  as  often  relieved  in  some  sudden  unex- 
pected manner.  The  reputation  of  this  house  in  a  short  time  be- 
came so  great,  that  the  number  of  monks  in  it  amounted  to  one 
hundred  and  thirty,  and  the  country  gave  this  valley  the  name  of 
Clara-vallis  or  Clairvaux. 

St.  Bernard  now  seemed  to  set  no  bounds  to  the  austerities 
which  he  practised  himself.  This  severity  brought  upon  him  a 
severe  distemper,  and  his  life  was  almost  despaired  of  about  the 
end  of  the  year  1116.  He  was  therefore  obliged  by  the  general 
chapter  of  the  order  to  submit  to  the  authority  of  William  of 
Champeaux,  who  commanded,  that  Bernard  should  lodge  outside 
of  the  enclosure,  that  he  should  not  observe  the  rule  of  the  monas- 
tery as  to  eating  and  drinking,  and  that  he  should  be  entirely  dis- 
charged from  all  care  of  the  affairs  of  his  community.  After  a  year 
St.  Bernard  returned  in  good  health  to  his  monastery,  and  to  the 
practice  of  his  former  austerities.  He  founded  many  monasteries, 
and  by  his  sanctity  and  learning  in  the  wisdom  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
drew  great  numbers  of  the  most  eminent  men  into  his  order.  So 
great  was  the  reputation  of  his  learning  and  piety,  that  all  princes 
desired  to  have  their  differences  settled  by  him;  bishops  regarded 
his  decisions  as  oracles,  and  referred  to  him  the  most  important 
affairs  of  their  churches;  the  popes  looked  upon  his  advice  as  the 
greatest  support  of  the  holy  see. 

After  the  death  of  Honorius  II.  in  1130,  Innocent  II.  was 
chosen  pope  by  the  greater  number  of  cardinals.  But  at  the  same 
time  a  faction  attempted  to  invest  with  that  supreme  dignity 
cardinal  Peter,  who  took  the  name  of  Anacletus,  and  was  so  power- 
ful, that  he  got  all  the  strongholds  about  Rome  into  his  hands. 
Upon  this  occasion  it  was  St.  Bernard,  whom  God  used  as  an  in- 
strument to  restore  peace  to  his  church.  In  a  council  of  French 
bishops  he  strenuously  maintained  the  justice  of  Innocent's  cause; 
he  persuaded  Henry  I.,  King  of  England,  to  acknowledge  Innocent, 
and  convinced  the  Emperor  Lothaire  of  the  validity  of  the  elec- 
tion ;  in  a  public  conference  at  Salerno  in  Southern  Italy,  Bernard 
convicted  Anaclet's  partisans  of  schism,  and  brought  over  many 
persons  of  distinction  to  the  union  of  the  church. 


710  INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BERNARD. 

The  saint  exerted  the  same  zeal  in  maintaining  the  purity  of 
the  catholic  faith,  which  he  employed  in  the  support  of  its  unity. 
He  caused  the  writings  of  Peter  Abelard  and  of  Gilbert  de  ia 
Porree  to  be  condemned,  and  by  his  learning  and  mildness  suc- 
ceeded, that  both  retracted  their  errors. 

In  1145  Bernard  of  Pisa,  Abbot  of  the  Cistercian  monastery  of 
the  Three  Fountains  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rome,  was  chosen 
pope  and  took  the  name  of  Eugene  III.  He  had  been  a  monk  at 
Clairvaux  under  St.  Bernard.  St.  Bernard  was  struck  with  sur- 
prise at  the  news,  and  fearing  lest  so  great  an  exaltation  should 
make  him  forget  himself,  he  wrote  to  him  five  books,  of  consi- 
deration, pressing  upon  him  without  flattery  the  various  duties 
of  his  station,  and  strongly  recommending  to  him  always  to  reserve 
time  for  selfexamination  and  daily  meditation. 

About  this  time  the  newly  founded  Christian  kingdom  of  Je- 
rusalem was  in  the  greatest  danger.  Pope  Eugene  III.,  coming 
into  France  in  1147  held  there  several  councils  to  promote  a  second 
crusade  and  commissioned  St.  Bernard  to  preach  the  Holy  War. 
This  the  abbot  executed  with  incredible  success  in  all  the  chief 
provinces  of  France,  and  afterwards  did  the  same  in  the  principal 
cities  of  Germany.  King  Lewis  VII.  of  France,  and  the  Emperor 
Konrad  took  part  in  this  crusade,  but  it  ended  disastrously.  The 
ill  success  must  partly  be  attributed  to  the  treachery  of  the  Greeks ; 
but  the  finger  of  God  was  visible  in  chastising  the  sins  of  the 
Christians;  for  a  great  part  of  those  who  composed  the  crusad- 
ing army  were  led  by  no  other  motive  than  the  prospect  of  plun- 
der, and  committed  every  kind  of  disorder  in  their  march.  This 
unfortunate  expedition  raised  a  great  storm  against  St.  Bernard, 
because  he  had  seemed  to  promise  success.  His  answer  was,  that 
he  confided  in  the  divine  mercy  for  a  blessing  on  an  enterprise 
undertaken  for  the  honor  of  His  divine  name ;  but  that  the  sins 
of  the  army  were  the  cause  of  their  misfortunes. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1153,  St.  Bernard  fell  into  a  decay. 
He  had  long  dwelt  in  heaven  in  desire,  sighing  continually  under 
the  weight  of  his  banishment  from  God ;  though  his  desire  by 
humility  he  ascribed  to  pusillanimity,  not  to  charity.  After  six 
months  of  suffering,  he  with  inflamed  sighs  of  compunction  and 
holy  love  prepared  himself  for  his  last  moment,  in  which  he  hap- 
pily yielded  up  his  soul  to  God  on  the  20th  of  August,  1153.  His 
name  was  solemnly  enrolled  among  the  saints  bv  Alexander  HI. 
in  1165. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  hast  given  to 
Thy  people  blessed  Bernard  as  a  minister  of  eternal  salvation, 
grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  we  may  merit  to  have  him  as 
an  intercessor  in  heaven,  whom  we  have  had  as  a  teacher  on 
earth.  Thro'. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BERNARD.  7J  { 

EPISTLE.  (Eccl.  xxxix.  6  —  14.)  He  will  give  his  heart 
to  resort  early  to  the  Lord,  that  made  him,  and  he  will  pray 
in  the  sight  of  the  Most  High.  He  will  open  his  mouth  in 
prayer,  and  will  make  supplications  for  his  sins.  For  if  it 
shall  please  the  great  Lord,  he  will  fill  him  with  the  spirit 
of  understanding :  And  he  will  pour  forth  the  words  of  his 
wisdom  as  showers,  and  in  his  prayer  he  will  confess  to  the 
Lord.  And  he  shall  direct  his  counsel,  and  his  knowledge, 
and  in  his  secrets  shall  he  meditate.  He  shall  shew  forth  the 
discipline  he  hath  learned,  and  shall  glory  in  the  law  of  the 
covenant  of  the  Lord.  Many  shall  praise  his  wisdom,  and  it 
shall  never  be  forgotten.  The  memory  of  him  shall  not  depart 
away,  and  his  name  shall  be  in  request  from  generation  to 
generation.  Nations  shall  declare  his  wisdom,  and  the  church 
shall  shew  forth  his  praise. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  v.  13—19.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples :  You  are  the  salt  of  the  earth.  But  if  the 
salt  lose  its  savor,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted?  It  is  good  for 
nothing  any  more  but  to  be  cast  out,  and  to  be  trodden  on 
by  men.  You  are  the  light  of  the  world.  A  city  seated  on  a 
mountain,  cannot  be  hid.  Neither  do  men  light  a  candle  and 
put  it  under  a  bushel,  but  upon  a  candlestick,  that  it  may 
shine  to  all  that  are  in  the  house.  So  let  your  light  shine 
before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  Do  not  think  that  I  am  come 
to  destroy  the  law,  or  the  prophets.  I  am  not  come  to  des- 
troy, but  to  fulfil.  For  amen  I  say  unto  you,  till  heaven  and 
earth  pass,  one  jot,  or  one  tittle  shall  not  pass  from  the  law, 
till  all  be  fulfilled.  He  therefore  that  shall  break  one  of 
these  least  commandments,  and  shall  so  teach  men,  shall  be 
called  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  But  he  that  shall 
do  and  teach,  he  shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 


712 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
BARTHOLOMEW,  APOSTLE. 

j  [August  24] 

Artholomew,  a  native  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  is  pro- 
bably that  Nathaniel  whom  Philip,  when  called  by 
Christ,  took  with  him  to  the  Lord.  When  called  by 
Christ  to  be  an  apostle,  Bartholomew  left  all  at 
once,  followed  Him,  and  witnessed  His  sufferings 
,  and  death,  His  resurrection  and  ascension.  When 
he  had  received  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  preached  the  gospel  first  to  the 
Jews,  and  gaining  but  little  fruit  from  their  stubbornness,  turned  to 
the  heathens  in  India,  where  he  carried  a  copy  of  the  gospel  of  St. 
Matthew;  from  India  St.  Bartholomew  went  to  Phrygia  and  Ly- 
caonia,  everywhere  preaching  the  faith  of  the  cross,  coming  finally 
to  Great  Armenia,  where  after  gaining  a  rich  harvest  for  the  faith, 
he  received  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  In  Great  Armenia  he  smote 
with  dumbness  the  devil  who  had  been  prophetizing  in  a  temple 
of  the  idols,  freed  the  king's  daughter  of  an  evil  spirit,  and  con- 
verted the  king  and  many  of  his  court  to  the  Christian  religion. 
Enraged  at  this,  the  priests  of  the  idols  swore  an  oath  to  put  him 
to  death,  and  at  their  instigation  the  saint  was  killed  after  fright- 
ful tortures  by  Astyages,  a  brother  of  the  converted  king  and  a 
zealous  idolator.  The  general  belief  is,  that  he  was  crucified  with 
his  head  downwards,  and  while  still  alive  the  skin  stripped  from 
his  body.  His  sacred  relics  were  brought  to  Benevent,  Italy,  in 
the  year  809,  and  to  Rome  in  983,  where  they  are  venerated  in  a 
Church  dedicated  to  him. 

[The  Introit  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Andrew.] 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  Almighty  and  eternal 
God,  who  comfortest  Thy  people  by  the  sacred  and  venerable 
solemnity  of  Thy  blessed  apostle  Bartholomew:  grant,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  that  we  may  love  what  he  believed,  and  practise 
what  he  taught.  Thro1. 

EPISTLE,  (i.  Cor.  xii.  27—31.)  Beethken:  You  are  the 
body  of  Christ,  and  members  of  a  member.  And  God  indeed 
hath  set  some  in  the  church,  first  apostles,  secondly  prophets, 
thirdly  doctors,  after  that  miracles,  then  the  graces  of  heal- 
ings, helps,  governments,  kinds  of  tongues,  interpretations  of 
speeches.  Aj:e  all  apostles'?  Are  all  prophets?  Are  all  doctors? 
Are  all  workers  of  miracles?  Have  all  the  grace  of  healing? 
Do  all  speak  with  tongues?  Do  all  interpret?  But  be  ye 
zealous  for  the  better  gifts. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW,  APOSTLE.     713 

EXPLANATION.  The  apostle  here  gives  a  beautiful  picture 
of  the  holy  Church.  He  teaches,  that  all  faithful  Catholics  com- 
pose the  body  of  Christ,  the  universal  Church ;  every  true  Catholic 
is,  indeed,  a  member  of  a  single  Church  (diocese,  congregation), 
and  this  a  member  of  the  universal  Church.  No  one  is  the  whole 
body,  each  one  is  only  a  member,  some  members  higher  than 
others,  superiors  of  the  Church,  bishops,  priests,  and  preachers, 
but  no  one  should  raise  himself  above  the  others;  for  as  in  a  body 
all  the  members  are  necessary,  so  all  the  members  of  the  body  of 
Christ,  the  Church,  are  necessary,  though  they  stand  on  the  low- 
est step.  But  those  members  of  the  Church  who  do  not  possess 
the  gifts  which  the  apostle  describes,  and  whom  God  has  not  called 
to  special  office  in  His  Church,  should  not  seek  places  and  posi- 
tions which  are  not  in  their  vocation,  but  as  every  member  keeps 
the  place  on  the  body  which  is  given  it,  so  should  every  member 
of  the  body  of  Christ,  the  Church,  keep  the  place  which  God  has 
appointed  to  him,  and  work  according  to  his  ability  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  whole  Church.  Has  God  placed  you  in  a  farmer's  place? 
then  envy  not  the  nobles  and  the  officers ;  is  another  more  skilful 
than  you  and  fills  a  higher  position?  then  murmur  not:  for  as  all 
the  members  of  a  body  cannot  be  eyes,  so  in  the  moral  body  of 
the  Church  all  cannot  be  in  a  high  office  or  position,  but  all  the 
members  of  Christ's  body,  all  the  faithful  of  the  Church,  can  be 
zealous  for  the  more  special  gifts,  for  greater  sanctity  and  per- 
fection, each  in  his  own  position,  and  for  a  perfect  love  of  God ; 
for  upon  this  path  the  king  and  the  beggar  may  journey  together 
to  eternal  life. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  vi.  12 — 19.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  went 
out  into  a  mountain  to  pray,  and  he  passed  the  whole  night 
in  the  prayer  of  God.  And  when  day  was  come,  he  called 
unto  him  his  disciples :  and  he  chose  twelve  of  them  (whom 
also  he  named  Apostles) :  Simon  whom  he  surnamed  Peter, 
and  Andrew  his  brother,  James  and  John,  Philip  and  Bar- 
tholomew, Matthew  and  Thomas,  James  the  son  of  Alpheus, 
and  Simon  who  is  called  Zelotes,  and  Jude  the  brother  of 
James  and  Judas  Iscariot  who  was  the  traitor.  And  coming 
down  with  them,  he  stood  in  a  plain  place,  and  the  company 
of  his  disciples,  and  a  very  great  multitude  of  people  from  all 
Judea  and  Jerusalem,  and  the  sea-coast  of  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
who  were  come  to  hear  him,  and  to  be  healed  of  their  dis- 
eases. And  they  that  were  troubled  with  unclean  spirits 
were  cured.  And  all  the  multitude  sought  to  touch  him,  for 
virtue  went  out  from  him,  and  healed  all. 


714     INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW,  APOSTLE. 

Why  did  Jesus  go  out  into  a  mountain  to  pray  ? 
Because,  as  St.  Bonaventura  says,  as  a  mountain  is  high,  so 
also  must  our  prayer  raise  us  to  God,  and  from  the  low  valleys 
of  the  temporal  life,  we  must  elevate  ourselves  in  all  our  thoughts 
and  desires  to  God,  if  our  prayer  is  to  avail  us. 

Why  did  Christ  pray  in  the  night? 

To  teach  us  that  night  is  the  best  time  for  prayer,  because 
every  thing  is  then  quiet  and  we  can  better  collect  our  thoughts ; 
also  that  we  may  preserve  ourselves  by  prayer  from  the  snares 
and  temptations  which  the  devil  spreads  for  us  at  night;  that  we 
should  pray  at  night  for  the  graces  which  during  the  day  we  have 
found  necessary  for  ourselves  and  our  neighbor.  St.  Gregory  says, 
that  on  this  account  Christ  was  accustomed  to  pray  during  the 
night,  and  during  the  day  to  work  by  teaching  and  by  miracles 
for  the  salvation  of  souls.  For  these  reasons,  prayers  are  said  in 
monasteries  in  the  night,  as  advised  by  David  (Ps.  cliii.  2.),  and  it 
is  a  commendable  custom  for  families  to  say  the  rosary,  a  litany, 
and  the  night  prayer  in  common. 

Why  did  Christ  pray  during  this  particular  night? 
Because  He  was  to  choose  His  twelve  apostles  in  the  morning, 
and  He,  therefore,  prayed  to  His  Heavenly  Father  to  give  them 
all  the  graces  required  by  the  mighty  mission.  In  the  same  spirit 
the  Church  prays  four  times  during  the  year,  on  the  Ember  days, 
for  those  who  are  dedicated  to  the  priesthood  and  to  receive  holy 
orders,  as  Christ  prayed  and  as  the  apostles  fasted  and  prayed 
before  consecrating  Paul  and  Barnabas.  (Acts  xiii.  3.)  Besides  this, 
the  Church  has  appointed  the  fast  at  Ember  time,  and  requires 
the  faithful  to  ask  with  prayer  and  fasting  for  pious  priests,  for 
on  the  priesthood  depends  the  temporal  and  eternal  welfare  or 
grief  of  the  faithful.  Let  us  pray  fervently  and  often,  that  God 
may  give  us  zealous  and  exemplary  priests. 

Why  did  Christ  on  this  day  call  those  twelve  apostles,  who  before 
were  only  disciples? 
Because  the  apostolic  dignity  is  the  highest  after  Christ's,  and 
He  desired,  that  they  should  first,  as  disciples,  prepare  themselves 
for  it.  He  who  wishes  to  teach,  must  first  learn.  No  one  should 
enter  into  an  office  for  which  he  is  not  fitted. 

What  beautiful  example  is  given  us  in  our  Saviour's  coming  down 
from  the  mountain,  and  in  the  conduct  of  the  people  awaiting  Him? 

The  Saviour's  descending  shows  us  His  goodness  and  kindness 
to  the  poor  and  lowly,  and  to  the  sick.  He  especially  teaches  the 
great  ones  of  the  earth,  how  they  should  kindly  descend  to  their 
subjects,  the  weak  and  poor,  hear  their  complaints,  and  relieve 
them.  The  conduct  of  the  people  who  had  come  to  hear  Christ  and 
sought  to  touch  Him,  because  virtue  went  out  from  Him,  curing 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  AUGUSTINE,  BISHOP.      715 

them,  teaches  us  first  to  seek  the  salvation  of  our  soul,  the  voice 
of  Jesus,  and  then  in  our  physical  needs  to  seek  help  from  Him, 
sure  to  find  it. 

PETITION.  0  blessed  Apostle  Bartholomew!  who  left  all 
to  follow  Christ,  even  giving  thy  life  for  Him,  pray  for  us, 
that  we  also  may  give  up  all  for  Christ  that  interferes  with 
our  love  for  Him,  that  we  may  imitate  Him,  and  be  eternally 
happy.  Amen. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
AUGUSTINE,  BISHOP. 

[August  28  J 

T.  Augustine  was  born  in  the  year  354,  at  Tagaste, 
a  small  town  of  Numidia  in  Africa.  His  parents 
were  of  good  condition,  yet  not  very  rich;  his 
father  was  an  idolator,  but  by  the  holy  example 
and  prudent  conduct  of  St.  Monica,  his  wife,  he  at 
length  learned  the  humility  and  meekness  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  was  baptized  a  little  before 
his  death.  Augustine  went  to  school  first  in  his  own  town ;  then 
his  father,  who  perceived  Augustine's  excellent  genius  and  wonder- 
ful disposition  for  learning,  sent  him  to  Madoura,  a  neighboring 
city,  where  he  studied  grammar,  rhetoric  and  poetry.  "When  he 
was  sixteen  years  old,  his  father  made  him  return  to  Tagaste  and 
kept  him  a  whole  year  at  home.  During  this  time  the  young  man 
slighting  the  advice  of  his  mother,  fell  into  lewd  company,  being 
induced  to  it  by  idleness.  Towards  the  end  of  the  year  370 
Augustine  was  sent  to  Carthage.  There  he  easily  held  the  fore- 
most place  in  the  school  of  rhetoric,  and  applied  himself  to  his 
studies  with  so  much  eagerness  and  pleasure,  that  it  was  with 
great  difficulty,  that  he  was  drawn  from  them.  But  his  motives 
were  only  vanity  and  ambition.  When  he  once  desired  to  read 
the  holy  scriptures,  he  was  offended  with  the  simplicity  of  the 
style,  and  swelling  with  pride,  as  if  he  was  endued  with  a  great 
genius,  he  could  not  relish  their  humility,  or  penetrate  their  spirit. 
About  his  nineteenth  year  he  fell  into  the  sect  of  the  Manichees, 
in  which  he  continued  between  eight  and  nine  years.  In  his 
twentieth  year,  to  ease  his  mother  of  the  charge  of  his  education, 
his  father  having  already  died,  St.  Augustine  left  Carthage,  and 
set  up  a  school  of  grammar  and  rhetoric  at  Tagaste.  Here  St. 
Monica  employed  all  efforts,  admonitions,  entreaties,  severity  to 
convert  her  son,  but  all  were  vain.  By  the  loss  of  an  intimate 
friend,  who  had  been  for  several  years  the  companion  of  his 
studies,  Augustine  was  afflicted  so  grievously,  that  all  places 


71 6      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  AUGUSTINE,  BISHOP. 

and  things  where  he  had  previously  enjoyed  him,  were  turned 
into  bitter  torment.  Not  being  able  any  longer  to  bear  his  native 
country,  he  removed  to  Carthage,  where  time  and  new  connections 
wore  01  his  grief.  At  Carthage  he  opened  a  school  of  rhetoric, 
and  gained  great  applause  in  the  public  disputations.  Here  St. 
Augustine  met  the  Manichean  bishop  Faustus,  from  whom  he  ex- 
pected the  solution  of  many  doubts.  But  he  found,  that  Faustus 
was  a  good  speaker,  but  said  no  more  than  the  rest  of  the  Mani- 
chees,  only  explained  himself  with  greater  grace  and  facility.  He 
now  disapproved  entirely  of  the  Manichean  sect,  but  his  prepos- 
sessions against  the  catholic  faith  hindered  him  from  turning  his 
enquiries  on  that  side. 

Being  disgusted  by  the  disorderly  behaviour  of  the  students 
at  Carthage,  he  resolved  to  go  to  Rome.  At  Rome  he  lodged  with 
a  Manichean,  merely  on  account  of  former  acquaintance,  and  be- 
cause he  was  not  yet  resolved  to  become  a  member  of  any  other 
religion.  His  school  was  soon  frequented  by  the  greatest  wits  of 
that  age,  and  none  ever  went  from  it,  without  being  struck  with 
admiration  at  his  learning  and  parts.  But  finding  the  scholars 
there  often  unjust  enough,  not  to  pay  their  salaries  to  their  mas- 
ters, he  grew  weary  of  the  place.  It  happened  about  this  time, 
that  deputies  were  sent  from  Milan  to  Symmachus,  the  prefect  of 
Rome,  requiring  that  he  should  sent  thither  some  able  master  of 
rhetoric.  Augustine  having  given  proofs  of  his  capacity,  was  se- 
lected by  Symmachus  and  accordingly  sent.  At  Milan  he  became 
acquainted  with  the  holy  bishop  St.  Ambrose.  Augustine  frequently 
attended  his  sermons.  Although  Augustine  aimed  only  at  grati- 
fying his  ears,  and  despised  the  matter,  which  the  bishop  treated, 
yet  the  sermons  like  a  distilling  rain  insensibly  made  impres- 
sions on  his  heart,  and  caused  the  seeds  of  virtue  to  spring  forth 
therein.  In  the  search  of  truth  he  was  still  perplexed  about  the 
origin  of  evil,  and  suffered  a  secret  anguish  in  his  soul,  to  which 
only  God  was  witness.  It  happened  in  the  mean  time,  that  one 
Potitianus,  an  African,  who  had  an  honorable  employment  in  the 
emperor's  court,  and  was  a  very  religious  man,  came  one  day  to 
pay  a  visit  to  Augustine  and  his  friend  Alipius :  and  finding  a  book 
of  St.  Paul's  epistles  lying  on  the  table,  took  occasion  to  speak  to 
them  of  the  life  of  St.  Anthony,  and  was  surprised  to  find  that  his 
name  had  been  to  that  hour  unknown  to  them.  Potitianus  also 
related  the  example  of  two  friends  of  his,  who  by  reading  the  life 
of  St.  Anthony,  became  so  inflamed  with  the  love  of  God,  as  im- 
mediately to  embrace  the  same  kind  of  life.  The  discourse  of 
Potitianus  had  a  powerful  influence  on  the  mind  of  St.  Augustine. 
When  Potitianus  had  departed,  he  withdrew  from  his  friend  Ali- 
pius, threw  himself  dowrn  under  a  fig-tree,  and  there  gave  free 
vent  to  a  torrent  of  tears.  Whilst  thus  weeping  with  most  bitter 
contrition  of  heart  for  his  past  life,  he  on  a  sudden  heard  as  it 
were  the  voice  of  a  child  singing  the  words:  "Tolle,  lege,  Toll e, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  AUGUSTINE,  BISHOP.       71 7 

lege,"  that  is,  take  up  and  read,  take  up  and  read.  He  inter- 
preted the  voice  to  be  nothing  less  than  a  divine  admonition, 
remembering  that  St.  Anthony  was  converted  from  the  world  to 
a  life  of  retirement,  by  hearing  an  oracle  of  the  gospel  read.  He 
immediately  rose  up,  suppressed  his  tears,  and  returned  to  look 
for  the  book  of  St.  Paul's  epistle's.  He  opened  it,  and  read  in 
silence  the  following  words  on  which  he  first  cast  his  eyes:  "Not 
in  revelling  and  drunkenness:  not  in  impurities,  strifes 
and  envy:  but  put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
make  not  provisions  for  the  flesh  in  its  concupiscen- 
ces. {Rom.  xiii.  18.)  He  would  read  no  farther,  all  his  former 
hesitation  was  dispelled,  all  his  doubts  solved.  He  told  Alipius 
what  had  passed  in  his  soul ;  they  immediately  went  in,  and  told 
the  good  news  to  St.  Monica,  who  had  followed  her  son  into  Italy, 
and  came  to  him  at  Milan. 

The  conversion  of  St.  Augustine  happened  in  the  year  386,  the 
thirty  second  of  his  age.  At  the  same  time  he  determined  to  quit 
his  school  and  profession  of  teaching  rhetoric.  He  retired  to  a 
country-house  in  the  neighborhood  of  Milan,  where  he  wholly 
employed  himself  in  prayer  and  study.  Here  he  strenuously  la- 
bored, by  the  practice  of  austere  penance,  by  the  strictest  watch- 
fulness over  his  heart  and  senses,  and  by  most  fervent  and  humble 
prayer  to  purify  his  affections,  to  disengage  them  perfectly  from 
the  inordinate  love  of  creatures,  and  preparing  himself  for  the 
grace  of  leading  a  new  life  in  Christ,  and  becoming  in  him  a  new 
creature.  In  the  beginning  of  the  lent  of  387  Augustine  returned 
to  Milan  to  prepare  himself  for  baptism,  which  he  received  from 
St.  Ambrose  on  Easter-eve  of  the  same  year.  Soon  after,  desiring 
to  devote  himself  entirely  to  the  divine  service  in  a  life  of  solitude, 
he  resolved  to  return  into  Africa.  On  his  way  thither,  he  lost  his 
holy  mother,  St.  Monica,  who  died  in  the  seaport  of  Ostia.  He 
landed  at  Carthage  about  September  388,  made  only  a  very  short 
stay,  making  all  possible  haste  to  retire  to  his  house  in  the  coun- 
try, with  certain  devout  friends.  There  he  lived  almost  three 
years  entirely  disengaged  from  all  temporal  concerns,  serving  God 
in  fasting,  prayer,  good  works,  meditating  upon  His  law,  day  and 
night,  and  instructing  others  by  his  discourses  and  books.  In  the 
house  all  things  were  common,  and  were  distributed  according  to 
every  one's  necessities,  no  one  among  them  having  the  least  thing 
at  his  own  disposal.  The  religious  order  of  the  hermits  of  St.  Au- 
gustine dates  its  foundation  from  this  epoch  in  388.  When  St. 
Augustine  was  ordained  priest  and  removed  to  Hippo,  many  of  his 
religious  brethren  followed  thither,  and  with  the  assistance  of  his 
bishop  Valerius,  he  founded  there  a  new  monastery.  Valerius, 
who  was  a  Greek  and  had  moreover  an  impediment  in  speaking, 
appointed  Augustine  to  preach  to  the  people  in  his  own  presence. 
Augustine  preached  constantly,  sometimes  every  day,  and  some- 
times twice  on  the  same  day.    He  did  not  desist  even  when  he 


718      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  AUGUSTINE,  BISHOP. 

was  so  weak  as  to  be  scarce  able  to  speak;  but  he  seemed  to 
gather  strength  in  preaching  and  his  ardor  for  the  salvation  of 
souls  made  him  forget  the  pains  of  sickness.  Valerius  finding  him- 
self sinking  under  the  weight  of  his  years  and  infirmities,  had 
Augustine  chosen  as  his  coadjutor.  Although  the  saint  protested, 
he  was  at  length  compelled  to  acquiesce  in  the  will  of  heaven  and 
was  consecrated  in  the  year  395.  Valerius  died  the  following  year. 
In  this  new  dignity  the  saint  was  obliged  to  live  in  the  episcopal 
house;  but  he  engaged  all  the  priests,  deacons  and  subdeacons 
that  lived  with  him,  to  renounce  all  property,  and  to  engage  them- 
selves to  embrace  the  rule,  which  he  established  there.  The 
saint's  clothes  and  furniture  were  modest.  He  exercised  hospita- 
lity, but  his  table  was  frugal.  At  table  he  loved  rather  reading 
or  literary  conferences  than  secular  conversation,  and  to  warn  his 
guests  to  shun  detraction,  he  had  the  following  distich  written 
upon  his  table : 

This  board  allows  no  vile  detractor  place, 

Whose  tongue  will  charge  the  absent  with  disgrace. 

He  employed  whatever  could  be  spared  of  the  revenues  of  his 
church  in  relieving  the  poor;  he  even  sometimes  melted  down 
part  of  the  sacred  vessels  to  redeem  captives.  He  prevailed  upon 
his  flock  to  establish  the  custom  of  clothing  all  the  poor  of  each 
parish  once  a  year . 

Augustine  always  trembled  at  the  danger  of  secret  compla- 
cency, or  vain  glory  amidst  the  praise  of  others.  Sincere  humility 
made  him  love,  at  every  turn,  to  confess  his  ignorance.  Nothing 
gave  him  greater  confusion  and  mortification  than  the  esteem  of 
others,  or  their  opinion  of  his  learning.  From  this  sincere  humi- 
lity the  saint  wrote  his  Confessions,  a  book  in  which  he  divulges 
all  the  sins  of  his  youth,  and  in  which  he  shows  the  ways,  by 
which  the  divine  mercy  led  him  to  repentance  and  conversion. 

Augustine  was  indefatigable  in  refuting  the  heretics,  who  were 
at  his  time  very  numerous  in  the  northern  part  of  Africa.  Indeed 
at  Hippo,  the  Donatists  were  before  the  arrival  of  the  saint  so 
numerous  that  the  Catholics  formed  but  a  small  minority.  By  the 
learning  and  indefatigable  zeal  of  Augustine,  supported  by  the 
sanctity  of  his  life,  the  catholics  began  to  gain  ground  exceedingly. 
At  this  the  Donatists  were  so  much  exasperated,  that  some  of 
them  proposed  to  kill  him,  and  made  even  several  attempts  at 
performing  their  desire,  all  of  which,  however,  were  foiled.  He 
wrote  many  works  both  against  these  heretics,  as  also  against  the 
Manichees,  the  Pelagians,  the  Jews  and  the  pagans. 

About  the  year  428  northern  Africa  was  visited  by  a  terrible 
scourge.  The  Vandals  under  Genseric  with  an  army  of  80,000 
men  sailed  from  Spain  to  Africa.  Possidius,  Bishop  of  Calama, 
an  eye  witness,  describes  the  dreadful  ravages  by  which  the 
Vandals  filled  with  horror  and  desolation  all  those  rich  provin- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  St.  AUGUSTINE,  BISHOP.       719 

ces.  He  saw  the  cities  in  ruin,  the  houses  in  the  country  razed 
to  the  ground,  the  inhabitants  either  being  slain  or  having  fled. 
Within  a  short  time  there  were  only  three  cities  remaining,  that 
were  not  in  ruins:  Carthage,  Hippo  and  Cirta.  About  the  end  of 
May  in  the  year  430  the  Vandals  appeared  before  Hippo.  The 
siege  continued  fourteen  months.  Augustine  did  all  in  his  power 
to  alleviate  the  miseries  of  the  besieged,  he  consoled  the  dying, 
tended  the  wounded  and  fed  the  poor.  He  spoke  much  to  his 
people  on  resignation  to  the  divine  will  under  all  the  scourges 
which  their  sins  deserved,  and  the  necessity  of  averting  the  divine 
anger  by  sincere  penance.  In  the  third  month  of  the  siege  the 
saint  was  seized  with  a  fever  and  from  the  first  moments  of  his 
illness  doubted  not,  but  that  it  was  a  summons  of  God  who  called 
him  to  Himself.  He  ordered  the  penitential  psalms  of  David  to  be 
written  out,  and  hung  in  tablets  upon  the  wall  by  his  bed ;  and  as 
he  there  lay  sick,  he  read  them  with  abundance  of  tears.  Not  to 
be  interrupted  in  these  devotions,  he  desired  about  ten  days  be- 
fore his  death,  that  no  one  should  come  to  him,  except  at  those 
times  when  either  the  physicians  came  to  visit  him,  or  his  food 
was  brought  to  him.  This  was  constantly  observed,  and  all  the 
rest  of  his  time  was  spent  in  prayer.  Though  the  strength  of  his 
body  daily  and  hourly  declined,  yet  his  senses  and  intellectual 
faculties  continued  sound  to  the  last.  He  calmly  resigned  his 
spirits  into  the  hands  of  God,  on  the  28ih  of  August,  430.  The 
body  of  the  saint  was  brought  to  Sardinia,  and  thence  to  Pavia, 
where  they  now  rest  in  the  church  named  after  him,  St.  Augustine. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Attend  to  our  supplica- 
tions, 0  Almighty  God,  and  by  the  intercession  of  blessed 
Augustine,  Thy  confessor  and  bishop,  graciously  grant  the 
effect  of  Thy  wonted  mercy  to  those,  to  whom  Thou  grantest 
confidence  to  hope  for  forgiveness.  Through  our  Lord. 

EPISTLE,  (ii.  Tim.  iv.  1  —  8.)  Dearly  beloved:  I  charge 
thee  before  God  and  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  living 
and  the  dead,  by  his  coming,  and  his  kingdom :  Preach  the 
word:  be  instant  in  season,  out  of  season:  reprove,  entreat, 
rebuke  in  all  patience  and  doctrine.  For  there  shall  be  a 
time,  when  they  will  not  endure  sound  doctrine :  but  accord- 
ing to  their  own  desires  they  will  heap  to  themselves  teach- 
ers, having  itching  ears,  and  will  indeed  turn  away  their 
hearing  from  the  truth,  but  will  be  turned  unto  fables.  Be 
thou  vigilant,  labor  in  all  things,  d<p  the  work  of  an  evan- 
gelist, fulfil  thy  ministry.  Be  sober.  For  I  am  even  now 
ready  to  be  sacrificed :  and  the  time  of  my  dissolution  is  at 
hand.  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course, 


720  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ROSE  OF  LIMA. 

I  have  kept  the  faith.  As  to  the  rest,  there  is  laid  up  for 
me  a  crown  of  justice,  which  the  Lord  the  just  judge  will 
render  to  me  in  that  day:  and  not  only  to  me,  but  to  them 
also  that  love  his  coming. 

The  Gospel  as  on  the  Feast  of"  St.  Bernard. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
ROSE  OF  LIMA. 

[August  30.] 

T.  Rose  was  born  in  1586  at  Lima,  the  capital  of 
Peru,  of  poor  but  noble  Spaniards.  Her  baptismal 
name  was  Isabella,  which,  however,  was  changed 
into  Rose,  at  the  incident  of  her  mother  one  day 
perceiving  a  beautiful  rose  suspended  over  the 
face  of  the  sleeping  babe.  The  little  girl  was  of  a 
%  most  attractive  exterior,  and  of  quiet  disposition 
and  so  amiable  in  her  ways,  that  she  was  of  universal  joy  to  all 
the  house. 

In  her  tenderest  age  she  already  manifested  signs  of  her  pa- 
tience and  endurance  in  sufferings.  Once  the  cover  of  a  chest  fell 
upon  and  crushed  her  right  thumb,  but  she  kept  it  quiet  and  con- 
cealed, until  the  finger  had  festered  so  badly,  that  the  surgeon  was 
obliged  to  amputate  it;  upon  an  other  occasion,  when  a  most  painful 
cure  was  undertaken  on  her,  she  uttered  no  sound,  though  she 
trembled  for  very  pain.  It  was  the  spirit  of  religion  and  selfdenial 
that  enabled  her  to  act  thus.  Her  elder  brother  once  happened  to 
soil  her  hair,  whilst  playing  with  her;  this  vexed  her  a  little,  but 
her  brother  pithily  retorted:  "Those  long  hair  and  braids  of  3^ 
girls  are  only  so  many  snares,  with  which  the  devil  tries  to  entangle 
and  bind  young  men."  Such  words  touched  her  to  the  quick; 
apprehending  danger  on  all  sides,  she  fled  to  God,  her  only  refuge, 
entreating  Him  to  assist  her  with  His  grace ;  she  offered  her  entire 
self  to  Him,  vowing  chastity  for  life,  in  testimony  of  which  she  cut 
off  her  beautiful  hair.  Jesus,  now  her  only  love,  wonderfully  led 
her  to  a  higher  spiritual  life,  her  parents  on  the  other  hand  urging 
her  to  partake  ot  the  vanities  of  the  world.  Her  mother,  proud  of 
the  beauty  of  Rose,  always  pressed  her  to  dress  and  brush  up  as 
gayly  as  possible,  poor  as  she  was ;  she  would  have  her  decorate 
her  head  witli  flowers  and  ribands,  to  use  powders,  to  wear  corals 
and  beads  about  her  neck  and  arms.  Rose  patiently  suffered  these 
vain  commands  and  obeyed  with  bitter  grief,  but  with  the  flowers 
she  would  press  thorns  upon  her  head;  in  one  instance  she  fastened 
a  wrreath  of  flowers  with  a  pin  to  her  very  scalp  in  order  to  suffer 
more  under  the  appearance  of  vain  decoration. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ROSE  OF  LIMA.     721 


In  all  this  things  she  was  a  most  loving  and  selfsacrificing 
child;  she  labored  with  unwearied  diligence,  doing  all  in  her  power 
to  assist  her  parents,  who  had  sunk  deeply  into  poverty. 

Rose  as  she  was  by  name,  and  to  some  extent  in  fact,  she  also 
grew  up  amid  many  thorns.  When  she  had  arrived  at  the  age 
suitable  for  marriage,  she  was  to  be  espoused  to  the  son  of  a  rich 
widow;  all  negotiations  had  already  been  settled  without  the  least 
knowledge  on  the  part  of  Rose,  who  would  by  all  means  remain 
a  faithful  spouse  to  Jesus.  Rose  refused  to  give  her  hand  under 
any  condition,  though  her  mother  entreated,  threatened  and  even 
chastised  her  with  the  rod;  many  are  the  troubles  and  the  tears 
she  caused  to  Rose,  who  was  strengthened  from  above  to  resist 
all  inducements  to  change  her  holy  resolution. 

When  twenty  years  of  age,  she  obtained  permission  to  enter  the 
third  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  in  wrhich  condition  she  was  still  allowed 
to  live  at  her  home.  Having  entered  this  state  of  life,  she  increased 


46 


722  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ROSE  OF  LIMA. 

her  mortifications  to  a'  greater  extent,  than  ever  before ;  she  ate 
little  and  coarse  food  at  that;  she  nearly  always  slept  upon  little 
blocks  of  wood  and  potsherds,  at  most  she  made  use  of  simple 
boards;  she  wounded  her  tender  body  with  an  iron  girdle,  which 
she  contracted  so  far,  that  it  sunk  deeply  into  her  flesh ;  in  order 
to  be  unable  ever  to  relieve  herself  of  the  continual  pain,  she 
closed  the  girdle  with  a  padlock,  of  which  she  threw  away  the  key, 
so  that  she  could  not  find  it  again;  she  always  wore  a  wreath  of 
metal  from  which  stood  forth  many  points,  piercing  her  head. 

Her  parents  and  relatives  regarding  this  as  extreme  folly  strove 
by  every,  even  abusive,  means  to  induce  her  to  leave  her  prac- 
tices ;  these  were  wounds  the  more  painful  as  they  were  struck 
by  her  dearest  upon  earth.  With  the  invincible  power,  which  she 
drew  from  Jesus,  her  once  suffering  spouse,  she  would  not  leave 
her  holy  mode  of  life,  which  can  only  be  admired,  but  scarcely 
imitated.  Her  daily  occupations  were  prayer  and  labor,  spending 
ten  hours  in  work,  twelve  in  prayer  and  only  two  in  sleep. 

It  is  very  natural,  that  in  consequence  of  such  exceeding  mor- 
tifications she  would  often  suffer  great  bodily  pains;  scarcely  ever 
was  she  free  from  all  oppressive  sufferings.  When  broken  down 
and  exhausted  by  the  many  and  great  pains,  she  would  try  to 
conceal  it  as  well  as  possible,  and  she  suffered  everything  with  a 
patience,  which  seemed  more  angelic  than  human.  But  this  ami- 
able Rose  in  the  garden  of  God  could  not  always  enjoy  the  con- 
solations, with  which  she  was  overwhelmed,  for,  besides  the 
astonishing  sufferings  of  the  body,  she  was  to  pass  the  ordeal  of 
spiritual  dryness,  anguish  and  desertion.  It  can  not  be  told  how 
heavily  these  trials  bore  upon  her.  Besides  the  devil  himself  ap- 
pearing to  her  visibly  in  all  his  hideous  forms,  she  felt  her  soul 
all  empty  and  overcost  with  an  apparently  impenetrable  dark- 
ness. She  would  force  the  thought  of  a  speedy  death  upon  herself, 
in  order  to  console  herse'f,  but  how  cruelly  was  she  deceived? 
Instead  of  meeting  consolation  she  was  tempted  to  doubt  the 
Immortality  of  her  soul ;  moreover,  the  thought  of  being  destined 
to  eternal  hell  pressed  so  much  upon  her,  that  she  could  scarcely 
live  with  it.  In  her  undaunted  faith  she  would  in  spite  of  all 
burst  out  in  the  pitiable  words:  "0  my  God,  0  my  gracious  God, 
why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me?  0  my  God,  how  long  shalt  Thou 
yet  remain  irritated  at  me,  and  how  long  must  my  heart  yet  sigh 
for  Thee?"  It  seemed  all  should  be  in  vain,  she  was  ever  haunted 
by  the  same  cruel  thoughts  in  what  occupation  soever  she  would 
find  herself. —  She  stood  the  trial,  and  gloomy  night  was  followed 
by  a  day  so  much  the  brighter ;  henceforth  the  grace  of  God,  the 
dew  of  heaven,  refreshed  her  heart,  so  parched  by  the  fire  of  a 
terrible  trial ;  now  she  was  all  buried  in  God  and  nothing  could 
separate  her  from  the  love  of  Christ, 

Our  lovely  saint  could  scarcely  wait  for  the  day  of  her  disso- 
lution; at  length  the  day  of  her  heavenly  espousal  came  on.    She 


INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  ROSE  OF  LIMA.     723 

was  thirty  one  years  of  age,  when  she  was  attacked  with  her  last 
illness ;  her  limbs  were  all  paralyzed  and  a  painful  fever  brought 
her  near  to  death;  physicians  aid  availed  no  more;  all  stood 
amazed  at  seeing  this  living  image  of  our  suffering  Saviour. 

During  all  these  pains  St.  Rose  maintained  an  unspeakable  peace 
of  mind  and  the  full  use  of  her  senses.  Having  received  the  holy 
Eucharist,  she  bade  farewell  to  all  about  her  and  breathing  the 
words  "Jesus,  Jesus,  Jesus  be  with  me"  she  expired  on  the  24th 
of  August,  1617.  After  death  her  body  assumed  the  beauty  of  a 
living  person  and  a  sweet  smile  seemed  to  hover  about  her  lips. 
Thus  she  appeared  a  Rose  after  death,  as  she  had  been  during 
life.  Many  authentic  miracles  have  been  wrought  through  her 
intercession.  Pope  Clement  X.  canonized  her  in  1671  setting  apart 
this  day  for  her  feast.—  St.  Rose  is  the  first  canonized  saint  of 
America. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  Almighty  God,  Thou 
giver  of  all  good,  who  wouldst  have  blessed  Rose,  whom  Thou 
hast  prevened  with  the  dew  of  heavenly  grace,  to  flourish,  in 
the  Indies,  with  the  beauties  of  virginity  and  patience,  grant 
us,  Thy  servants,  that  following  the  odour  of  her  sweetness, 
we  may  deserve  to  become  the  good  odour  of  Christ,  who 
with  Thee  and  the  Holy  Ghost  liveth,  &c. 

EPISTLE,  (ii.  Cor.  x.  15.,  xi.  1—2.)  Brethren:  Let  him 
that  glorieth,  glory  in  the  Lord:  for  not  he  that  commendeth 
himself,  is  approved;  but  he  whom  God  commendeth.  Would 
to  God  you  could  bear  with  some  little  of  my  folly:  out  do 
bear  with  me.  For  I  am  jealous  of  you  with  the  jealousy  of 
God.  For  I  have  espoused  you  to  one  husband,  that  I  may 
present  you  as  a  chaste  virgin  to  Christ. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xxv.  I  — 13.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  spoke 
to  his  disciples  this  parable :  The  kingdom  of  heaven  shall 
be  like  to  ten  virgins,  who  taking  their  lamps  went  out  to 
meet  the  bridegroom  and  the  bride.  And  five  of  them  were 
foolish,  and  five  wise.  But  the  five  foolish,  having  taken 
their  lamps,  did  not  take  oil  with  them:  but  the  wise  took 
oil  in  their  vessels  with  the  lamps.  And  the  bridegroom 
tarrying,  they  all  slumbered  and  slept.  And  at  midnight 
there  was  a  cry  made:  Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh,  go  ye 
forth  to  meet  him.  Then  all  those  virgins  arose  and  trimmed 
their  lamps.  And  the  foolish  said  to  the  wise:  Give  us  of 
your  oil,  for  our  lamps  are  gone  out.     The  wise  answered, 


46* 


724 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL 


saying :  Lest  perhaps  there  be  not  enough  for  us  and  for  you, 
go  you  rather  to  them  that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves.  Now 
whilst  they  went  to  buy,  the  bridegroom  came :  and  they 
that  were  ready,  went  in  with  him  to  the  marriage,  and  the 
door  was  shut.  But  at  last  came  also  the  other  virgins, 
saying:  Lord,  Lord  open  to  us.  But  he  answered,  saying: 
Amen,  I  say  to  you,  I  know  you  not.  Watch  ye,  therefore, 
because  you  know  not  the  day  nor  the  hour. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE 
HOLY  GUARDIAN  ANGELS. 

[The  first  Sunday  in  September.] 

Why  is  this  Festival  instituted? 

Hat  we  may  thank  God,  that  He  has  given  to 
every  one  and  each  of  us  a  particular  angel, 
who  leads  him  or  her  through  the  dangers  of 
this  world  to  heaven;  2.  that  we  may  show 
ourselves  grateful  to  the  holy  angels,  who 
have  done  us  so  much  good. 

Is  it  certain,  that  every  one  has  a  special  Guardian- any  el? 

Yes;  for  many  passages  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  attest  it;  ii.  Mas. 
xxiii.SO,  21.  —  xii.  Ps.  xxxiii.  8.;  xc.  11.  —  Job  xxxiii.  23.  —  Apost. 
xii.  16.,  but  especially  the  words  of  Christ:  "Take  heed  that  you 
despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones;  for  I  say  to  you,  that  their 
angels  in  heaven  always  see  the  face  of  my  Father  who  is  in 
heaven"  {Matt,  xviii.  10.);  which  words  of  the  Saviour  the  holy 
Catholic  Church  has  always  expounded,  that  to  every  one  is  given 
a  Special  Guardian  angel. 

What  is  the  office  of  Guardian  any  els? 

To  protect  us  from  the  dangers  of  body  and  soul.  So  it  is 
written  in  Ps.  xc.  11.:  "For  he  hath  given  his  angels  charge  over 
thee:  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways.  In  their  hands  they  shall  bear 
thee  up:  lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone,"  that  means 
that  thou  dost  not  sin,  or  that  any  other  misfortune  may  not  be- 
fall thee.  "0  what  a  great  favor  of  God,"  exclaims  St.  Bernard 
at  this,  "0  what  wonderful  love!    Who  has  commanded?  .... 

God!    Whom  has  He  commanded! The  angels,  those  noble 

spirits,  who  share  God's  home!  What  has  He  commanded  them? 
. . .  To  protect  and  guard  us  poor  mortals!  0  Lord!  what  is  man 
that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him!"  The  holy  Guardian  angels  do  the 
greatest  services  to  the  soul.    They  protect  us  in  dangers  and 


OF  THE  HOLY  GUARDIAN  ANGELS.  725 

temptations,  warn  us  from  evil,  encourage  to  good,  offer  to  God 
our  prayers,  stand  by  us  in  the  hour  of  death.  Yea,  they  minister 
to  us  after  death,  as  Christ  said  that  the  poor  Lazarus  was  car- 
ried, by  the  angels,  into  Abraham's  bosom.  {Luke  xvi.  22.) 

Have  wicked  men  also  an  holy  Guardian  angel? 

It  is  credible  that  the  long  suffering  God  protects  the  body  of 
even  the  most  hardened  sinner,  by  an  angel,  that  the  sinner  may 
not  be  lost  before  the  time,  but  the  holy  angel  can  have  no  pleas- 
ure in  a  sinner.  St.  Basilius  the  Great  says:  "As  smoke  scat- 
ters the  bees,  and  bad  smell  disperses  the  doves,  so  does  horrible, 
lamentable  sin  turn  from  us  the  angel,  the  guardian  of  life.  But 
if  a  sinner  repents :  then  there  is  joy  in  heaven,  as  the  Saviour 
asserts:  There  shall  be  joy  before  the  angels  of  God  upon  one 
sinner  doiug  penance!"    {Luke  xv.  10.) 

What  do  we  owe  I  he  holy  Guardian  angel? 

According  to  the  doctrine  of  St.  Bernard:  1.)  Reverence  on 
account  of  his  presence,  on  which  account  we  must  do  nothing 
in  his  presence  we  should  be  ashamed  of  before  an  honourable 
man;  2.)  Gratitude  for  the  solicitude  he  has  for  us;  3.)  Confi- 
dence and  love,  by  virtue  of  which  we  turn  fo  him  and  entreat 
his  protection  in  all  difficulties,  desires  and  temptations. 

What  consolation  does  the  presence  of  the  holy  Guardian  angel 

give  us? 
That  of  being  fearless  and  courageous  in  all  dangers  of  the 
body  and  soul,  for  "of  whom  need  we  be  afraid,"  writes  St. 
Bernard,  "with  such  powerful  protectors?"  They  cannot  be  con- 
quered nor  be  seduced  away,  still  less  seduce  any  one  away,  they 
who  protect  us,  in  all  our  paths.  They  are  faithful,  mighty  and 
wise,  why  should  we  tremble?  Only  let  us  follow  them,  cling 
to  them,  and  remain  under  the  protection  of  God,  the  Lord  of 
Heaven. 

What  ought  we  to  do  on  the  present  dag  ? 
We  ought  to  spend  the  present  day  in  the  most  devout  manner, 
reverencing  the  holy  Guardian  angel,  and  thanking  him  for  all  the 
benefits  received  through  the  course  of  one's  whole  life,  ask  his 
pardon  for  the  vexation  we  may  have  caused  him  through  our 
sins,  recommend  ourselves  again  to  his  protection  and  promise 
him  constant  fidelity  and  obedience. 

PRAYER.  Almighty,  eternal  God!  Thou,  who  in  Thy 
great  goodness  hast  given  to  all  mankind  from  their  birth  a 
guardian  angel,  grant  that  I  may  honor,  love  and  obey  my 
guardian  angel,  that  through  Thy  grace  and  his  protection, 
I  may  be  saved  and  in  the  future  may  eternally  behold  in 
heaven  Thy  divine  face  with  him  and  all  the  Saints. 


726  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL 

0  ye  holy  guardian  angels,  defend  us  in  the  combat  that 
•we  may  not  perish  on  the  dreadful  day  of  judgment. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  mass  the  Church  sings:  Bless 
the  Lord,  all  ye  his  angels:  you  that  are  mighty  in 
strength,  and  execute  his  word,  hearkening  to  the  voice 
of  his  orders.  Allel.  Allel.  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul! 
let  all  that  is  within  me  praise  his  holy  name.  (Ps.  cii.) 
Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  in  Thy  wonder- 
ful providence,  hast  been  pleased  to  appoint  Thy  holy  angels 
as  our  guardians :  mercifully  hear  our  prayers,  and  grant 
that  we  may  rest  secure  under  their  protection,  and  enjoy 
their  fellowship  in  heaven  for  ever.  Thro'. 

LESSON.  {Exod.  xxiii.  20—23.)  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God: 
Behold,  I  will  send  my  angel,  who  shall  go  before  thee,  and 
keep  thee  in  thy  journey,  and  bring  thee  into  the  place  that 
I  have  prepared.  Take  notice  of  him,  and  hear  his  voice,  and 
do  not  think  him  <one  to  be  contemned :  for  he  will  not  for- 
give when  thou  hast  sinned,  and  my  name  is  in  him.  But  if 
thou  wilt  hear  his  voice,  and  do  all  that  I  speak,  I  will  be 
an  enemy  to  thy  enemies,  and  will  afflict  them  that  afflict 
thee.  And  my  angel  shall  go  before  thee. 

GOSPEL.  {Matt,  xviii.  1  —  10.)  At  that  time:  The  dis- 
ciples came  to  Jesus  saying:  Who,  thinkest  thou  is  the  greater 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven?  And  Jesus  calling  unto  him  a 
little  child,  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  said:  Amen  I 
say  to  you,  unless  you  be  converted,  and  become  as  little 
children,  you  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Whosoever  therefore  shall  humble  himself  as  this  little  child, 
he  is  the  greater  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And  he  that 
shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in  my  name,  receiveth  me. 
But  he  that  shall  scandalize  one  of  these  little  ones  that  be- 
lieve in  mer  it  were  better  for  him  that  a  mill-stone  should 
be  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that  he  should  be  drowned  in 
the  depth  of  the  sea.  Wo  to  the  world  because  of  scandals. 
For  it  must  needs  be  that  scandals  come :  but  nevertheless 
wo  to  that  man  by  whom  the  scandal  cometh.  And  if  thy 
hand  or  thy  foot  scandalize  thee,  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it  from 


OF  THE  HOLY  GUARDIAN  ANGELS.  -  727 

thee.  It  is  better  for  thee  to  go  into  life  maimed  or  lame, 
than  having  two  hands  or  two  feet,  to  be  cast  into  everlast- 
ing fire.  And  if  thy  eye  scandalize  thee,  pluck  it  out,  and 
cast  it  from  thee.  It  is  better  for  thee  having  one  eye  to 
enter  into  life,  than  having  two  eyes  to  be  cast  into  hell  fire. 
See  that  you  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones:  for  I  say  to 
you,  that  their  angels  in  heaven  always  see  the  face  of  my 
Father  who  is  in  heaven.  * 

LESSONS.  I.  Christ  had  often  distinguished  the  holy  apostle 
Peter  above  the  other  apostles— particularly  on  account  ol  the  zeal 
of  his  faith,  upon  which  the  others,  not  yet  enlightened  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  became  jealous  and  addressed  Jesus  with  this  ques- 
tion: Who  is  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven?  Jesus,  who 
saw  into  the  recesses  of  their  hearts  and  knew  well  that  true  hu- 
mility was  yet  wanting  to  the  apostles,  took  a  child,  placed  it  in 
their  midst  and  said:  "If  you  do  not  become  as  humble,  simple, 
open,  confiding  and  believing  as  children,  ye  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  but  if  ye  become  as  humbje  in  mind  as  a 
child:  ye  will  not  only  gain  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  gain  the 
highest  place  there. — What  a  high  and  necessary  virtue  is  then 
humility ! 

II.  From  the  dreadful  punishment,  which  Christ  threatens  him 
who  scandalizes  a  child— that  is  to  say,  who  seduces  him  by  words 
or  actions  to  wickedness  — is  to  be  inferred,  what  a  dreadful  sin 
scandal  is.  It  is  indeed  not  possible,  as  Christ  says,  on  account  of 
the  great  moral  depravity  of  the  children  of  men,  that  scandals 
should  not  come,  but  "Woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the  scandal 
cometh."  What  a  sin  must  that  be,  at  whose  wickedness  the  gentle 
Jesus  cries  out:  "Woe!"— Beware  of  giving  any  one  occasion 
to  sin,  that  upon  you  this  woe  may  not  come! 

II  [.  Christ  commands  us  to  cut  off  and  throw  away  the  mem- 
bers that  offend  us,  whereby  He  wishes  to  teach  us,  that  if  we 
love  anything  in  the  world  as  well  as  a  hand  or  an  eye  and  it  gives 
us  occasion  to  sin,  we  must  separate  ourselves  from  it  earnestly 
and  at  once.— If  therefore  thou  observest  that  thine  heart  has 
pleasure  in  anything,  in  a  person,  in  a  company,  that  does  not  lead 
to  God,  but  rather  to  sin:  then  leave  and  forsake  it,  for  it  is  better 
to  lose  a  temporal  thing,  an  earthly  joy,  for  the  sake  of  God,  than 
to  suffer  eternal  torment. 

IV.  But  the  strongest  motive,  which  is  to  keep  us  from  causing 
any  scandal,  is  because  we  offend  God  and  afflict  the  holy  angels 
by  such  an  offence,  who  for  this  will  one  day  be  our  severest  and 
strictest  accusers. 


728 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  MARYS 

NATIVITY. 

[September  8  J 

Why  does  the  Church  celebrate  this  festival? 
Ecause  the  day  of  the  blessed  Virgin's  birth,  which 
was  so  holy  and  immaculate,  is  one  of  universal 
joy  to  the  whole  world. 

Why  then  does  Mary's  birth  cause  such  yr eat  joy? 
To  this  the  Church  answers  beautifully  with 
the  Antiphon  of  the  Magnificat,  which  says:  "0 
Virgin,  Mother  of  God,  Thy  birth  has  announced  joy  to  the  whole 
world,  for  from  Thee,  has  proceeded  the  Sun  of  justice,  Christ 
our  Lord,  who,  by  taking  away  the  curse,  has  shed  benediction 
and,  who  by  confounding  death,  has  given  us  everlasting  life." 
This  curse,  caused  by  our  first  parents'  sin  in  paradise,  burdened 
the  whole  earth  and  especially  mankind,  for  "sin,  having  come 
into  the  world  by  one  man,  it  passed  upon  all,  since  all  have 
sinned  in  this  one. " 

It  was  in  consequence  to  original  sin,  that  mankind  was  cover- 
ed with  such  a  darkness,  that  led  men  to  ignore  their  Creator, 
whilst  they  on  the  other  hand  prostrated  themselves  to  creatures 
and  adored  idols  of  their  own  construction. 

Finally  the  hour  of  redemption  had  come.  The  infant  was 
born,  who  was  predestined  by  God  to  become  the  mother  of  the 
promised  Saviour,  and  who  was  consequently  to  crush  the  head  of 
the  serpent.  How  then  ought  this  festival  to  spread  joy  through 
the  world,  since  after  such  ardent  desires  salvation  is  at  last 
about  to  appear !  For  Jesus,  the  Saviour,  our  Lord  and  God,  the 
Light  of  the  world,  the  Sun  of  Justice,  is  to  come  forth  from  Mary; 
that  darkness,  which  had  overshadowed  all  nations  is  about  to 
disappear,  the  knowledge  of  God  shall  abound,  the  bonds  of  sin, 
in  which  mankind  lay  fettered,  shall  be  loosed,  the  curse  so  long 
resting  upon  creation  shall  be  taken  away,—  in  a  word,  the  ful- 
ness of  benediction  shall  reign  upon  earth.  To-day  even  death  is 
put  to  shame,  for  she  is  born,  from  whom  shall  come  forth  the 
Conqueror  of  death,  who,  depriving  death  of  its  sting,  shall  guide 
us  unto  perpetual  life.  Such  are  the  glorious  hopes,  that  Mary's 
birth  awakes  in  us,  promising  at  the  same  time  the  speedy  fulfil- 
ment of  them.  Then,  as  St.  Peter  Damian  says,  let  us  rejoice  in 
Mary,  the  most  blessed  Mother  of  God,  for  she  bears  a  new  mes- 
sage unto  the  world,  being  the  beginning  of  man's  salvation ;  let 
us  rejoice  in  the  day,  on  which  was  born  the  Queen  of  the  World, 
the  Gate  of  Heaven,  the  Portal  of  Paradise,  the  Tent  of  God,  the 
Star  of  the  Sea  and  the  Ladder  of  Heaven,  upon  which  the  Su- 
preme King  in  infinite  humility  deigned  to  descend  to  us,  and 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  MARY'S  NATIVITY.     729 

upon  which  we  may  rise  from  our  dust  to  heaven.  To-day  the  most 
glorious  Virgin  is  born,  from  whom  shall  proceed,  as  a  bridegroom 
from  his  chamber,  the  most  beautiful  of  the  sons  of  man;  to-day  she 
leaves  her  mother's  womb,  who  deserves  to  be  the  temple  of  God. 

At  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  the  Church  sings:  All  the  rich 
among  the  people  shall  entreat  thy  countenance:  after 
her  shall  virgins  be  brought  to  the  king:  her  neigh- 
bours shall  be  brought  to  tljee  in  joy  and  gladness.  My 
heart  hath  uttered  a  good  word:  I  speak  my  works  to 
the  King.  (/*#.  xliv.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  0 
Almighty  God,  that  Thy  faithful,  who  rejoice  under  the  name 
and  protection  of  the  most  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  may,  by  her 
pious  intercession,  be  delivered  from  all  evils  here  on  earth, 
and  be  brought  to  the  eternal  joys  of  heaven.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  (Prov.  viii.  22 — 35.)  The  Lord  possessed  me  in 
the  beginning  of  his  ways,  before  he  made  any  thing,  from 
the  beginning.  I  was  set  up  from  eternity,  and  of  old,  before 
the  earth  was  made.  -The  depths  were  not  as  yet,  and  I  was 
already  conceived ;  neither  had  the  fountains  of  waters  as 
yet  sprung  out;  the  mountains  with  their  huge  bulk  had  not 
as  yet  been  established :  before  the  hills  I  was  brought  forth ; 
he  had  not  yet  made  the  earth,  nor  the  rivers,  nor  the  poles 
of  the  world.  When  he  prepared  the  heavens,  I  was  present: 
when,  with  a  certain  law  and  compass,  he  enclosed  the 
depths;  when  he  established  the  sky  above,  and  poised  the 
fountains  of  waters;  when  he  compassed  the  sea  with  its 
bounds,  and  set  a  law  to  the  waters  that  they  should  not 
pass  their  limits;  when  he  balanced  the  foundations  of  the 
earth;  I  was  with  him,  forming  all  things,  and  was  delight- 
ed every  day,  playing  before  him  at  all  times,  playing  in  the 
world :  and  my  delights  were  to  be  with  the  children  of  men. 
Now,  therefore,  ye  children,  hear  me:  blessed  are  they  that 
keep  my  ways.  Hear  instruction,  and  be  wise,  and  refuse  it 
not.  Blessed  is  the  man  that  heareth  me,  and  that  watcheth 
daily  at  my  gates,  and  waiteth  at  the  posts  of  my  doors.  He 
that  shall  find  me,  shall  find  life,  and  shall  have  salvation 
from  the  Lord. 

EXPLANATION  AND  APPLICATION.  Above  all  this  lesson 
is  a  eulogy  on  the  divine,  uncreated  Wisdom,  the  eternal  Son  of 
God,  through  whom  all  is  made,  arranged  and  provided  for,  who 


730  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  MARY'S  NATIVITY. 

rejoices  at  and  loves  his  works,  and  invites  man  to  love,  follow 
and  worship  Him,  whilst  He  extends  to  him  temporal  and  eternal 
happiness  in  turn  for  it.  The  Church,  however,  reads  this  lesson 
on  this  festival,  because  the  most  of  it  is  also  applicable  to  Mary. 
For,  truly,  she  can  be  said  to  excel  all  creatures  in  holiness,  and 
to  enjoy  a  place  nearer  to  God,  than  any  other  being.  And  for 
this  reason  does  the  Church  refer  to  her  these  words  of  the  Wise 
Man:  "I  came  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Most  High,  the  first-born 
before  all  creatures."  {Eccli  xxiv.  5.)  For  she  is,  as  says  St. 
Richard,  the  most  worthy  of  all,  and  that  no  one  can  ever  arrive 
at  the  full  measure  of  her  purity  or  any  other  of  her  supernatural 
gifts;  nor  does  therefore  any  creature  display  the  wonders  of 
Cod's  bounty  in  a  degree  equal  to  that  of  Mary.  Do  thou  then 
also,  0  pious  soul,  admire  this  masterwork  of  the  Almighty  and 
rejoice  in  it.  But  let  not  mere  admiration  suffice,  hear  the  words, 
that  Mary  addresses  to  you  in  this  lesson:  "Now,  therefore,  ye 
children,  hear  me:  ''Blessed  are  they  that  keep  my  ways"  (Prov. 
viii.  32.),  which  means,  follow  her  footprints,  walking  before  God 
in  humility,  innocence  and  meekness  as  she  has  done.  "Blessed 
is  the  man  that  heareth  me,  and  that  watcheth  daily  at  my  gates, 
and  waiteth  at  the  posts  of  my  doors."  {lb.  34.)  According  to  St. 
Alphonsus  Mary  also  calls  upon  us:  "Blessed  he,  who  listeneth 
to  my  counsels,  and  fatigueeth  not  at  the  gate  of  my  mercy,  in- 
voking my  intercession  and  aid.  He  that  shall  find  me,  shall  find 
life,  and  shall  have  salvation  from  the  Lord."  St.  Bonaventure 
also  exclaims:  "Ye  all,  who  thirst  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  0 
hear  what  is  promised  you,  namely  life  and  salvation,  if  ye  but 
honor  Mary."  Therefore  often  make  use  of  the  following  words 
of  St.  Chrysostom:  "Hail  Mary,  Mother  of  God  and  of  us,  hail 
heaven  in  which  dwelleth  God.  Himself,  hail  Throne  of  grace, 
whence  God  distributeth  his  graces  unto  us,  oh,  ever  intercede  for 
us  with  Jesus,  so  that  owing  to  thy  prayer  we  may  obtain  pardon 
of  our  sins  and  eternal  happiness." 

GOSPEL.  {Matt.  i.  1  —  16.)  The  book  of  the  generation 
of  Jesus  Christ,  the  son  of  David,  the  son  of  Abraham.  Abra- 
ham begot  Isaac;  and  Isaac  begot  Jacob;  and  Jacob  begot 
Judas,  and  his  brethren;  and  Judas  begot  Phares  and  Zara 
of  Thamar;  and  Phares.  begot  Esron;  and  Esron  begot  Aram; 
and  Aram  begot  Aminadab;  and  Aminadab  begot  Naasson; 
and  Naasson  begot  Salmon;  and  Salmon  begot  Booz  of  Ra- 
hab;  and  Booz  begot  Obed  of  Ruth;  and  Obed  begot  Jesse; 
and  Jesse  begot  David  the  king.  And  David  the  king  begot 
Solomon,  of  her  that  had  been  the  wife  of  Urias;  and  Solo- 
mon begot  Roboam;  and  Roboam  begot  Abia;  and  Abia  begot 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  MARY'S  NATIVITY.  731 

Asa;  and  Asa  begot  Josaphat;  and  Josaphat  begot  Joram; 
and  Joram  begot  Ozias;  and  Ozias  begot  Joatham;  and  Joa- 
tham  begot  Achaz;  and  Achaz  begot  Ezechias;  and  Ezechias 
begot  Manasses;  and  Manasses  begot  Anion;  and  Anion  begot 
Josias;  and  Josias  begot  Jechonias  and  his  brethren,  in  the 
transmigration  of  Babylon.  And,  after  the  transmigration 
of  Babylon,  Jechonias  begot  Salathiel;  and  Salathiel  begot 
Zorobabel;,  and  Zorobabel  begot  Abind;  and  Abiud  begot 
Eliacim;  andEliacim  begot  Azor;  and  Azor  begot  Sadoc;  and 
Sadoc  begot  Achim;  and  Achim  begot  Eliud;  and  Eliud  begot 
Eleazar;  and  Eleazar  begot  Mathan;  and  Mathan  begot  Ja- 
cob; and  Jacob  begot  Joseph,  the  husband  of  Mary,  of  whom 
was  born  Jesus,  who  is  called  Christ. 

Why  does  St.  Matthew  commence  his  gospel  by  enumerating 
Christ's  birth  according  to  the  flesh? 

In  order  to  confute  those  sectarians,  who  denied,  that  Christ 
has  a  real  body,  maintaining  that  it  was  but  a  phantom-body. 
Hence  it  is,  that  St.  Matthew  enumerates  singly  the  forefathers 
from  whom  Christ  descended  according  to  His  sacred  humanity. 

Why  are  even  sinful  women  mentioned  in  the  genealogy  of  Christ? 

In  order  to  show,  that  Christ,  who  for  the  sake  of  sinners  came 
down  from  heaven,  disdained  not  to  descend  from  such,  thus  to  in- 
spire all  sinners  with  the  hope  of  salvation  and  to  extinguish  the 
sins  of  all.  Moreover,  this  is  to  teach  us,  that  we  need  not  blush 
at  the  faults  of  parents  or  relatives,  provided  we  share  them  not; 
nor  need  we  at  all  be  ashamed  of  their  humble  conditions,  in  like 
manner  as  genuine  nobility  is  displayed  in  own  virtues  and  not  in 
the  deeds  of  ancestors. 

Why  is  Joseph's,  and  not  Mary's,  genealogy  read? 

Because  it  was  custom  among  the  Jews,  that  wards  should  re- 
ceive the  name,  and  also  inherit  the  rights  of  their  fosterfathers, 
such  as  Joseph  was  to  Jesus ;  and  Mary,  being  the  only  daughter 
of  her  father  and  therefore  sole  heiress,  was  obliged  to  take  a 
husband  out  of  her  own  tribe  and  family,  according  to  the  law 
(iv.  Mos.  xxxvi.  6.);  hence  it  follows  also  that  Mary  was  of  the  tribe 
of  David.  St.  Luke  details  this  in  chapter  iii.  (23—38.)  of  his  gos- 
pel, where  he  gives  Mary's  genealogy,  enumerating  her  ancestors 
from  Adam  to  Heli,  that  is  Joachim,  the  father  of  Mary. 
Why  does  St.  Matthew  not  say,  Joseph  begot  Jesus,  but  only  mentions 
Joseph  as  Mary's  husband? 

To  evince,  that  Jesus  was  not  begotten  in  Mary  by  Joseph, 
but  supernaturally  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  {Luke  i.  31—35.) 


732  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST 

0  most  pure  and  spotless  Virgin!  how  beautiful  and  perfect 
thou  art.  Never  hast  thou  suffered  from  a  single  stain.  I  desire, 
that  all  the  world  should  recognise  thee  as  that  perfect  and  spot- 
less dove,  which  thy  divine  bridegroom  declares  thee  to  be;  as 
that  closed  up  garden,  the  favorite  dwelling  place  of  God,  as  that 
white  lily  growing  among  thorns,  that  is  the  children  of  Adam, 
who  come  into  the  world  already  sullied  with  sin  and  as  enemies 
to  God.  I  too  am  born  a  sinner,  yea,  after  baptism  I  have  volun- 
tarily stained  my  soul  with  sins.  Oh,  then,  immaculate  Mother, 
do  thou  assist  me  in  recovering  my  innocence,  so  that  Jesus,  thy 
Son,  may  at  the  hour  of  my  death  receive  me  into  the  number  of 
his  elect.    Amen. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
EXALTATION  OF  THE  HOLY  CROSS. 

[September  14.] 

From  what  does  this  feast  derive  its  name? 

Rom  the  consecration  of  the  Church  of  the  holy 
Cross  at  Jerusalem,  built  by  the  Emperor  Con- 
stantine,  Son  of  St.  Helena,  and  in  which  on 
this  day  the  wood  of  the  holy  Cross  is  upheld 
\  for  public  veneration. 

When  was  this  festival  with  especial  solemnity  celebrated? 

When  the  Cross,  which  Cosroes,  King  of  the  Persians,  had 
captured  at  the  conquest  of  Jerusalem  and  had  for  forty  years  in 
his  power,  was  recaptured  by  the  Emperor  Heraclius,  who  carried 
it  himself  on  his  own  shoulders  to  Mount  Calvary  into  the  Church 
of  the  holy  Cross. 

What  miracle  occurred  on  this  occasion? 

When,  the  Emperor  from  reverence  wished  to  carry  the  Cross 
upon  his  own  shoulders  to  its  appointed  place,  he  was  unable  to 
lift  it,  until,  advised  by  the  Patriarch  Zacharias,  he  laid  aside  his 
imperial  garments,  clothed  himself  poorly,  took  off  his  shoes,  and 
made  himself  like  the  humble  Saviour. 

Let  us  learn  from  this,  how  the  divine  Saviour  dislikes  extra- 
vagance in  dress,  and  how  in  all  humility  and  poverty  we  should 
follow7  Him  who  was  poor  and  humble. 

fFor  further  Instruction  on  the  holy  Cross,  as  also  the  Epistle 
of  this  day,  see  the  Festival  of  the  Finding  of  the  holy  Cross.] 

GOSPEL.  {John  xii.  31 — 36.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  the  multitude  of  the  Jews :  Now  is  the  judgment  of  the 
world :  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out.    And 


OF  THE  EXALTATION  OF  THE  HOLY  CROSS.         733 

I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  things  to 
myself.  (Now  this  he  said  signifying  what  death  he  should 
die.)  The  multitude  answered  him :  we  have  heard  out  of  the 
law,  that  Christ  abideth  for  ever:  and  how  sayest  thou:  The 
Son  of  Man  must  be  lifted  up?  Who  is  this  Son  of  Man? 
Jesus  therefore  said  to  them:  Yet  a  little  while,  the  light  is 
among  you.  Walk  whilst  you  have  the  light,  that  the  dark- 
ness overtake  you  not.  And  he  that  walketh  in  darkness, 
knoweth  not  whither  he  goeth.  Whilst  you  have  the  light, 
believe  in  the  light,  that  you  may  be  the  children  of  light. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  this  day  fillest 
Thy  people  with  joy,  by  the  yearly  solemnity  of  the  Exalta- 
tion of  the  Holy  Cross :  grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  as  we 
believe  the  sacred  mystery  of  our  redemption  in  this  mortal 
life,  so  we  may  feel  the  effects  thereof  in  the  life  to  come. 
Thro1. 

SHORT  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  WAY  OF  THE  CROSS. 

TWhat  is  meant  by  the  Way  of  the  Cross? 
He  Way  of  the  Cross  is  a  devotion,  approved  by  the  Pope, 
in  which,  as  the  custom  was  in  old  times,  we  commemorate 
Christ's  sufferings,    and  especially  the  last  journey  to  Mount 
Calvary. 

How  did  this  devotion  originate '? 

In  this  manner:  The  path-way  which  our  LordJesus  Christ  had 
to  follow  from  Jerusalem  to  Mount  Calvary,  where  He  suffered 
the  death  of  the  cross,  was  the  real  Way  of  the  Cross.  His 
holy  Mother  and  other  pious  women  as  also  the  beloved  disciple 
St.  John,  went  this  painful  way  with  Him  (Matt,  xxvii.  56.;  John 
xix.  25,  26.),  and  the  apostles  and  early  Christians  animated  by 
veneration  for  these  places,  made  sacred  by  the  sufferings  and 
death  of  Jesus,  often  followed  the  same  path-way.  In  the  same 
spirit  in  later  times  came  many  from  the  most  distant  countries 
to  Jerusalem,  to  visit  these  sacred  places  and  fire  their  devo- 
tion. In  time  pictures,  representing  different  scenes  in  the  suf- 
ering  of  our  Lord,  were  erected  along  this  route  and  were  called 
Stations;  and  when  the  Saracens  conquered  the  Holy  Land, 
so  that  visits  to  it  were  most  perilous,  the  Roman  pontiffs  per- 
mitted the  erection  of  stations  of  the  cross  in  other  countries. 
The  first  to  erect  stations  in  their  Churches,  were  members  of  the 
Franciscan  Order,  and  by  degrees  this  devotion,  supported  by 
the  Roman  pontiffs  and  favored  by  indulgences,  spread  through- 
out the  entire  Church.   A  path- way  was  sought  which  led  to  ele- 


734      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MATTHEW,  APOSTLE. 

vated  ground ;  this  elevation  was  called  the  Mount  of  the  Cross 
or  Mount  Calvary,  and  along  the  route  pictures  representing  our 
Lord's  sufferings,  as  related  by  the  evangelists  or  made  known  by 
tradition,  were  erected,  or  else  the  pictures  were  hung  in  Churches, 
and  the  place  where  they  stood  or  the  pictures  themselves,  were 
called  stations ;  there  are  generally  fourteen  of  these. 

Is  the  practice  of  this  devotion  of  the  Way  of  the  Cross  of  great 

value? 
Next  the  Sacrifice  of  holy  Mass  and  holy  Communion,  there 
is  certainly  no  devotion  which  better  represents  to  us  the  suffer- 
ings and  death  of  Christ  than  the  Way  of  the  Cross.  St.  Albert 
the  Great  says:  "A  simple  remembrance  of  Christ's  sufferings  is 
worth  more  than  fasting  on  bread  and  water  on  every  Friday 
for  a  year,  and  scourging  one's  self  until  the  blood  comes."  St. 
Bernard  gives  us  the  reason  of  this,  when  he  says:  "Who  can 
consider  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and  be  so  devoid  of  religion  as 
to  remain  untouched  by  them?  so  proud,  that  he  will  not  humble 
himself,  so  vindictive,  that  he  will  not  forgive,  so  fond  of  pleasure,- 
that  he  wilLnot  abstain  from  it,  so  hardhearted,  that  he  does  not 
repent  of  his  sins?"  And  St.  Augustine  says:  "What  pride,  what 
avarice,  what  anger  can  be  cured  otherwise  than  by  the  humility, 
by  the  poverty,  the  patience  of  the  Son  of  God?  And  all  these 
virtues  are  found  in  careful  meditation  on  that  way  of  pain  which 
our  Sauour  went,  and  along  which  we  should  follow  Him."  On 
this  account  several  of  the  popes,  among  others  Clement  XII.  and 
Benedict  XIV.,  have  granted  many  indulgences  for  the  perform- 
ance of  this  devotion,  indulgences  which  may  be  applied  to  the 
suffering  souls  in  purgatory. 

[For  the  manner  of  meditating  on  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  see 
the  Instruction  for  Good  Friday] 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
MATTHEW,  APOSTLE. 

j^^Sgfe^K^      p        [September  21] 

Atthew,  before  his  conversion  called  Levi, 
was  a  Galilean,  a  son  of  Alpheus  (Mark'\\.  14.), 
consequently  a  brother  of  St.  James  the  Less, 
another  of  the  apostles.  {Mark  iii.  18.)  Mat- 
thew was  a  collector  of  the  toll  which  the 
.—4)  Jews  were  obliged  to  pay  to  the  Roman  em- 
v&T^  perors,  and  was  called  from  his  custom- 
house by  our  Lord  to  be  an  apostle.  In  his  gospel  which  he 
wrote  later,  he  calls  himself  from  humility  always  by  his  early 
designation,  Matthew  the  Publican.    He  followed  Jesus  faith- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MATTHEW,  APOSTLE.       735 

fully,  and  after  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  remained,  as  the 
historical  writers  Eusebius  and  Epiphanus  inform  us,  in  Judea 
and  its  neighborhood,  until  just  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem when  the  apostles  dispersed,  and  went  into  foreign  lands  to 
preach  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  When  obliged  to  separate  from  the 
recent  converts  in  Jerusalem,  Matthew  wrote  his  gospel  to  leave 
with  them  in  place  of  his  presence  among  them,  and  was  the  first 
to  write  concerning  our  Lord's  life  upon  earth.  He  led  a  rigorous 
life,  prayed  much,  never  touched  meat,  and  lived  on  herbs,  roots, 
and  wild  fruits.  He  was  at  last  stabbed  by  the  Ethiopian  King 
Hirtakus,  as  the  generality  of  writers  inform  us,  while  standing 
at  the  altar  and  offering  the  sacrifice  of  Mass,  because  the  saint 
had  refused  consent  to  the  king's  marriage  with  the  virgin  Eugenia 
who  was  dedicated  to  God.  His  sacred  remains  were,  in  the  tenth 
century,  brought  to  Salerno,  Naples,  where  they  are  still  highly 
venerated. 

Matthew  was  the  first  to  write  a  gospel.  How  proper  it  is, 
that  he  who  after  many  sins  becomes  converted,  should  be  the 
first  to  announce  the  infinite  mercy  of  the  Redeemer  who  came 
into  this  world  not  to  call  the  just,  but  sinners. 

In  the  Introit  of  the  Mass,  the  Church  sings:  The  mouth 
of  the  just  man  shall  meditate  wisdom,  and  his  tongue 
speak  judgment:  the  law  of  his  God  is  in  his  heart.  Be 
not  emulous  of  evil  doers,  nor  envy  them  that  work 
iniquity.    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Grant,  0  Lord,  we  may 
be  aided  by  the  prayers  of  blessed  Matthew,  the  apostle  and 
evangelist :  that  what  we  cannot  obtain  by  our  own  weak- 
ness, may  be  granted  us  by  his  intercession.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  (Ezech.  i.  10—14.)  The  likeness  of  the  four 
living  creatures  was  this :  there  was  the  face  of  a  man,  and 
the  face  of  a  lion  on  the  right  side  of  all  the  four ;  and  the 
face  of  an  ox  on  the  left  side  of  all  the  four;  and  the  face  of 
an  eagle  over  all  the  four.  And  their  faces  and  their  wings 
were  stretched  upward:  two  wings  of  every  one  were  joined, 
and  two  covered  their  bodies.  And  every  one  of  them  went 
straight  forward :  whither  the  impulse  of  the  spirit  was  to 
go,  thither  they  went,  and  they  turned  not  when  they  went. 
And  as  for  the  likeness  of  the  living  creatures,  their  appear- 
ance was  like  that  of  burning  coals  of  fire,  and  like  the  ap- 
pearance of  lamps.  This  was  the  vision  running  to  and  fro 
in  the  midst  of  the  living  creatures,  a  bright  fire,  and  light- 
ning going  forth  from  the  fire.  And  the  living  creatures  ran 
and  returned  like  flashes  of  lightning. 


736      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MATTHEW,  APOSTLE. 

EXPLANATION.  The  four  living  creatures  who  were  Che- 
rubim, that  is,  powers  of  heaven,  many  holy  fathers  understand 
to  be  emblems  of  the  four  Evangelists,  as  these  represent  Christ 
in  His  fourfold  attributes  of  Man,  King,  Priest,  and  God.  The 
emblem  of  man  is  given,  therefore,  to  St.  Matthew,  because  he 
relates  the  birth  of  Christ  according  to  humanity;  of  a  lion  to  St. 
Mark,  because  he  describes  Christ  as  King;  of  an  ox  who  was 
slaughtered  by  the  Jews  as  a  sacrifice  to  St.  Luke,  because  he  re- 
presents Christ  as  High  Priest  who  was  Himself  the  sacrifice ;  of 
an  eagle  to  St.  John,  because  he  soared  like  an  eagle  to  the  heav- 
enly heights,  and  relates  the  divinity  of  Christ  and  His  eternal 
origin. 

Let  us  agree  with  heart  and  with  lips  to  the  sacred  doctrines 
of  the  four  Evangelists,  and  let  us  be  staggered  by  nothing  we 
find  in  their  writing. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  ix.  9 — 13.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  saw  a 
man  sitting  in  the  custom-house,  named  Matthew;  and  he 
said  to  him:  Follow  me.  And  he  arose  up,  and  followed  him. 
And  it  came  to  pass  as  he  was  sitting  at  meat  in  the  house, 
behold  many  publicans  and  sinners  came,  and  sat  down  with 
Jesus  and  his  disciples.  And  the  Pharisees  seeing  it,  said  to 
his  disciples:  Why  doth  your  master  eat  with  publicans  and 
sinners?  But  Jesus  hearing  it,  said:  They  that  are  in  health, 
need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that  are  ill.  Go  then  and 
learn  what  this  meaneth.  I  will  have  mercy,  and  not  sacri- 
fice. For  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  just,  but  sinners. 

Why  were  the  publicans  so  hated  dp  the  Jews? 

Because  the  Jews  regarded  it  as  most  unjust  and  sinful,  that 
they  should  be  subjected  to  the  pagan  Romans  and  Obliged  to  pay 
taxes  to  them,  and  as  the  publicans  hired  the  collection  of  the 
taxes  from  the  Romans,  and  were  desirous  to  receive  a  large  pro- 
portion of  them  for  themselves,  they  were  guilty  of  much  injus- 
tice and  extortion,  were  therefore  hated  by  the  Jews,  and  regarded 
as  so  unprincipled,  that  the  words  publican  and  sinner  became 
synonymous. 

What  do  we  learn  from  Matthew's  immediate  following  of  Christ? 

That  we  should  at  once  obey  the  call  to  penance,  that  Christ 
may  not  cease  to  call,  and  draw  His  grace  from  us ;  that  we  should 
not  only  avoid  sin  but  also  the  occasions  of  it,  as  Matthew  not 
only  avoided  sin,  but  abandoned  the  business  of  a  publican,  which 
gave  him  opportunities  for  sin,  and  followed  Christ. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MATTHEW,  APOSTLE.      737 

How  did  he  live  after  his  conversion? 
After  his  conversion  Matthew  strove  to  be  like  Christ  poor 
and  humble,  meek  and  patient,  good  and  charitable ;  for  he  who 
wishes  to  follow  Christ,  must  walk  as  He  walked  {John  ii.  6.), 
must  take  up  his  cross  of  daily  trials,  and  patiently  carry  it  after 
Christ.  Matthew  did  this  unceasingly  all  his  life. 

Why  was  Jesus  willing  to  eat  with  sinners  ? 

That  He  might  use  the  occasion  to  convert  them  by  giving 
their  souls  His  words  for  food. 

Well  would  it  be  for  us,  if  at  our  meals,  instead  of  vain  and 
often  quarrelsome  conversation,  we  were  to  speak  of  God  and, 
sacred  things,  thus  gaining  by  God's  grace  souls  for  God  and 
heaven,  and  promoting  His  honor.  As  St.  Dionysius  says,  among 
all  good  things  which  are  agreeable  to  God,  the  greatest,  the  di- 
vine one,  so  to  say,  is  to  aid  in  the  conversion  of  sinners. 

Who  are  those  in  health,  who  the  sick,  who  the  physician? 

Those  in  health  are  the  just  who  live  in  the  grace  of  God.  0 
what  a  valuable  life  is  this,  and  what  great  care  is  required  to 
preserve  it!  The  sick  are  the  sinners,  for  every  sin  makes  the  soul 
unclean,  wounds  and  even  kills  it,  that  is,  robs  it  of  the  grace  and 
good-pleasure  of  God,  in  which  consists  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
soul.  How  hateful,  then,  is  sin,  which  steals  from  her  the  highest 
good !  The  physician  is  Christ,  of  whom  it  is  said  in  Psalm  cvi. : 
He  sent  his  word  (Christ)  and  healed  them.  If  thou  hast 
sinned,  go  to  this  physician  to  be  healed,  that  thou  mayst  regain 
thy  soul  s  health. 

Why  does  Christ  say :  I  will  have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice? 

Because  the  Pharisees  thought  every  thing  of  external  sacri- 
fice and  considered  if  they  only  diligently  oifered,  that  they  were 
already  pleasing  to  God,  even  though  they  showed  no  mercy  and 
combatted  not  against  their  corrupt  inclinations  to  anger,  envy, 
malice,  and  pride.  But  the  sacrifice  of  our  prayers,  our  good 
works  and  mortifications,  will  not  please  God,  unless  they  come 
from  pure  love  to  Him,  far  less  if  they  come  from  a  proud,  vin- 
dictive and  impure  heart,  and  if  we  out  of  regard  for  ourselves  fail 
to  do  deeds  of  mercy  to  our  neighbor. 

What  did  Christ  mean  by  saying :  I  am  not  come  to  call  the 
just  but  sinners? 

Sts.  Hilary,  Jerome  and  Bede  understand  these  just  to  be  the 
Pharisees,  who  pretended  to  be  just  in  all  things,  and  would  not 
receive  the  call  of  Jesus,  even  if  he  had  called  them ;  Jesus  know- 
ing this,  he  called  those,  whom  the  Pharisees  regarded  very  great 
sinners,  who,  however,  humbly  heard  and  followed  the  call  of 
Jesus. 


47 


738 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST 


PRAYER  TO  ST.  MATTHEW.  0  holy  Apostle,  who  after 
thy  conversion  didst  prepare  Christ  a  fine  banquet,  and  a  yet 
more  glorious  feast  for  us  in  thy  holy  gospel,  for  it  is  like 
the  book  which  the  angel  gave  to  Ezechiel  to  eat  and  which 
was  as  sweet  as  honey  in  his  mouth  {Ezech.  iii.  3.),  may  it 
be  a  food  for  my  soul.  Implore  for  me  the  grace  to  read  it 
with  attention  and  in  the  spirit  and  meaning  of  the  holy 
Catholic  Church,  to  meditate  upon  it,  and  to  live  in  accordance 
with  thy  words,  written  by  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
so  that  I  may  say  with  the  Psalmist:  How  sweet  are  thy 
words  to  my  palate;  more  than  honey  to  my  mouth. 
(Ps.  cxviii.  103.) 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
HOLY  ARCHANGEL  MICHAEL. 


[September  29.] 


He  Prophet  Daniel  calls  the  holy  Angel  Michael 
the  prince  of  the  angels  (x.  13.);  the  holy 
Apostle  Judas  names  him  an  archangel,  and 
John  in  the  Apocalypse  describes  the  contest 
between  him  and  Lucifer,  in  which  St.  Michael 
drove  the  other  out  of  heaven.  Who  then  can 
doubt,  that  the  Archangel  Michael  from  the 
beginning  of  the  wurld's  creation  has  been  highly  honored  by  God? 
Several  miraculous  visions  of  this  holy  archangel  on  Mount  Gar- 
gnno  in  Italy  and  at  Tuba  in  France,  and  many  wonderful  graces 
which  God  granted  trough  his  intercession,  gave  special  occasion 
in  the  sixtli  and  seventh  centuries  to  his  public  veneration  and  to 
the  instituting  of  festivals  in  his  honor.  He  is  also  deserving  of 
special  honor,  because  God  has  given  him  to  His  holy  Church 
as  her  protector,  as  He  had  previously  given  him  to  the  Jewish 
synagogues;  as  he  carefully  guarded  the  Jewish  people  entrusted 
to  him,  so  he  guards  the  children  of  God's  Church,  placed  under 
his  care,  preserving  them  in  the  true  faith,  defending  them 
against  temptations  in  life,  but  especially  against  the  attacks 
of  Satan  in  the  hour  of  death,  for  which  reason  our  mother,  the 
Church,  exhorts  us  often  to  turn  to  this  holy  archangel,  saying: 
"Holy  Archangel  Michael,  protect  us  in  the  battle,  that  we  may 
not  perish  at  the  terrible  judgment. " 

The  Introit  of  Mass  as  on  the  Feast  of  the  Guardian  Angels, 
as  also  the  Gospel,  which  treats  of  scandal,  is  read  on  this  day, 
because  St.  Michael  so  bravely  resisted  the  scandal  of  Satan, 


OF  THE  HOLY  ARCHANGEL  MICHAEL.  739 

conquering  him  and  driving  him  with  his  followers  from  heaven. 
(Apoc.  xii.  7—9.) 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who,  by  a  wonder- 
ful order,  hast  regulated  the  ministry  of  angels  and  men, 
grant  that  those  who  are  always  ministering  before  Thee 
in  heaven,  may  defend  our  lives  here  on  earth.   Thro'. 

LESSON.  (Apoc.  i.  1 — 5.)  In  those  days:  God  gave  unto 
him  to  make  known  to  his  servants  the  things  which  must 
shortly  come  to  pass :  and  signified,  sending  by  his  angel  to 
his  servant  John :  who  hath  given  testimony  to  the  word  of 
God,  and  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  what  things  soever 
he  hath  seen.  Blessed  is  he,  that  readeth  and  heareth  the 
words  of  this  prophecy :  and  keepeth  these  things  which  are 
written  in  it.  For  the  time  is  at  hand.  John  to  the  seven 
churches  which  are  in  Asia.  Grace  be  unto  you  and  peace 
from  him  that  is,  and  that  was,  and  that  is  to  come,  and 
from  the  seven  spirits  which  are  before  his  throne;  and  from 
Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  faithful  witness,  the  first  begotten  of 
the  dead,  and  the  prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  who  hath 
loved  us,  and  hath  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood. 

EXPLANATION.  This  lesson  is  the  beginning  of  the  my- 
sterious revelation  which  St.  John  received  on  the  Island  of  Pat- 
mos,  and  in  which  in  a  series  of  allegories  he  presents  a  perfect 
picture  of  the  fate  of  the  Church  of  God  from  its  first  contest 
until  its  final  victory  at  the  end  of  the  world.  The  seven  spirits 
before  the  throne  of  God,  are  those  holy  angels  to  whom  God  has 
given  the  greatest  power  to  work  for  our  salvation,  among  them 
the  holy  Archangel  Michael. 

See  how  good  God  is  to  us,  since  He  gives  us  such  powerful 
spirits,  the  nearest  to  His  throne,  to  be  our  special  protectors. 

[For  the  Gospel  see  the  Feast  of  the  Guardian  Angels.] 

PRAYER  TO  THE  ARCHANGEL  MICHAEL. 
Great  prince  of  heaven,  St.  Michael,  I  commend  my  body 
and  soul  to  thy  protection,  from  this  day  henceforth  I  choose 
thee  for  my  daily  protector  and  intercessor,  and  I  beseech 
thee  graciously  to  assist  me  now  and  at  all  times,  but  espe- 
cially at  the  end  of  my  life.  Keep  me  from  timidity  and 
obtain  for  me  from  God  the  remission  of  my  sins  and  com- 
plete resignation  to  His  divine  will,  so  that  my  soul,  consoled 
and  cheerful,  may  leave  my  body ;  receive  her  then  accord- 
ing to  thy  office,  and  lead  her  through  the  ranks  of  thy  holy 


47" 


740   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  HOLY  ROSARY. 

comrades  to  the  face  of  God,  in  the  enjoyment  of  whose  pre- 
sence she  will  be  eternally  blessed.  Amen. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE 
HOLY  ROSARY. 

[On  the  first  Sunday  in  October.] 

W/  Hen  St.  Dominic,  in  1208,  had  preached  for  a  long  time 
T  T  with  burning  zeal  against  the  heresy  of  the  Albigenses, 
but  had  moved  but  few  to  return  to  the  Church,  he  redoubled  his 
prayers  and  penitential  works,  turning  himself  with  special  devo- 
tion to  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  Mary,  praying  to  her  with  tears  to 
move  the  hearts  of  these  heretics  and  to  assist  him  in  his  labors 
for  the  salvation  of  souls.  The  Mother  of  Mercy  then  appeared 
to  him  and  taught  him  the  prayer  of  the  rosary,  which  he  then, 
strengthened  by  the  high  privilege  shown  him  by  the  Mother  of 
God,  everywhere  announced  and  taught.  In  a  short  time  over  a 
hundred  thousand  heretics  were  brought  back  to  the  bosom  of  the 
holy  Catholic  Church,  and  the  devotion  spread  rapidly  over  the 
whole  Christian  world.  Fraternities  were  formed  and  the  Supreme 
Pontiff  permitted  the  Brothers  Preachers,  to  celebrate  the  Festival 
of  the  Rosary ;  this  was  observed  with  great  solemnity.  On  the 
seventh  of  October  of  the  1571,  the  Christians,  under  the  special 
protection  of  Mary,  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  gained  a  glorious  vic- 
tory over  the  Turks,  the  Festival  of  the  Rosary  being  at  that 
time  celebrated  at  Rome  and  in  the  provinces  with  public  pro- 
cessions, in  order  that  by  her  intercession  the  Turks  might  be 
restrained  in  their  oppressions.  This  victory  was  justly  con- 
sidered as  the  effect  or  Mary's  intercession,  and  the  holy  Pope 
Pius  V.  instituted  a  festival  of  gratitude  for  this  day,  which  was 
called  "Mary  of  Victory".  This  was  united  by  Pope  Gregory  XIII. 
with  the  Festival  of  the  Rosary  and  fixed  for  the  first  Sunday  in 
October.  On  account  of  a  victory  gained  by  Mary's  intercession 
over  the  Turks,  Pope  Clement  XI.  ordered  it  to  be  celebrated  by 
the  whole  Church,  "that  the  hearts  of  the  faithful  might  be 
thereby  incited  to  the  greater  veneration  of  the  blessed  Virgin, 
and  that  the  grateful  remembrance  of  the  great  help,  received 
from  above,  might  never  pass  away. " 

What  is  the  rosary  ? 

It  is  a  form  of  prayer  in  which  there  is  said  the  Apostles' 
Creed,  the  doxology  "Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c",  and  fifty 
times  the  "Hail  Mary",  with  an  "Our  Father"  before  each  ten 
"Hail  Marys";  each  decade  of  "Hail  Mary"  is  followed  by  a 
meditation  upon  one  of  the  mysteries  of  the  redemption.  This  is 
the  smaller  and  more  common  rosary.    The  larger  consists  of  the 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  HOLY  ROSARY.    741 


apostles'  creed,  of  fifteen  decades,  every  decade  of  ten  "Hail 
Mary",  preceded  by  an  "Our  Father",  and  of  fifteen  meditations 
on  the  mysteries  of  our  redemption.  It  is  called  the  psalter,  be- 
cause it  contains  a  hundred  and  fifty  "Hail  Marys"  as  David's 
psalter  contains  a  hundred  and  fifty  psalms. 

This  prayer  is  called  the  rosary,  because  every  Hail  Mary  is 
like  a  flower  in  the  wreath  crowning  the  heavenly  Queen,  whom 
the  Church  calls  by  the  significant  title  of  "Mystical  Rose".  Every 
rose  has  green  leaves  and  sharp  thorns  besides  the  flower  itself; 
in  the  rosary  the  thorns  represent  the  sorrowful,  the  green  leaves 
the  joyful,  and  the  flower  the  glorious  mysteries  of  the  redemp- 
tion which  are  meditated  upon  in  the  rosary.  The  holy  fathers 
also  compare  this  devotion  to  a  crown,  of  which  they  say :  "  Its 
twelve  diamonds  are  the  twelve  articles  of  the  apostles'  creed,  the 


742   INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  HOLY  ROSARY. 

fifteen  "Our  Fathers"   so  many  brilliant  golden  stars,  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  "Hail  Marys"  roses." 

How  many  parts  are  there  in  the  rosary? 
Three:  the  joyful,  the  sorrowful,  the  glorious. 

I.  The  joyful  are  the  first  five  decades  by  which  we  recall 
and  meditate  upon  the  mysteries  of  the  incarnation  and  the  joy 
of  Mary's  heart  in  her  divine  chi'd: 

1.  Whom  thou  hast  conceived  white  still  a  virgin; 

2.  Whom  thou  hast  borne  to  Elizabeth; 

3.  Whom  thou,  still  a  virgin,  !  ast  brought  forth; 

4.  Whom  thou  hast  offered  to  God  in  the  temple; 

5.  Whom  thou  hast  found  in  the  temple. 

This  rosary  is  usually  said  from  Advent  until  Lent,  during  which 
time  the  Church  commemorates  the  joyful  coming  of  Christ. 

II.  The  sorrowful  has  also  five  decades  in  which  are  espe- 
cia'ly  represented  for  meditation  the  sorrowful  mysteries  of  the 
sufferings  of  Christ: 

1.  Who  sweat  blood  for  us; 

2.  Who  was  scourged  for  our  sins; 

3.  Who  was  crowned  with  thorns; 

4.  Who  bore  the  cross  for  us ; 

5.  Who  died  on  the  cross  for  us. 

This  rosary  is  usually  said  during  Lent,  because  the  Church  at 
that  time  places  the  sufferings  of  Jesus  especially  before  us. 

III.  The  glorious  mysteries  have  likewise  five  decades,  in 
which  we  meditate  upon  the  glory  of  Christ  and  His  blessed  Mo- 
ther, and  we  commemorate  Him : 

1.  Who  rose  from  the  dead; 

2.  Who  ascended  into  heaven ; 

3.  Who  sent  down  the  Holy  Ghost; 

4.  Who  received  thee,  0  Virgin,  into  heaven; 

5.  Who  crowned  thee,  0  Virgin,  in  heaven. 

This  rosary  is  said  from  Easter  to  Advent,  because  the  Church 
then  presents  us  these  mysteries  for  our  veneration  and  meditation. 

Are  the  unbelievers,  and  those  who  call  themselves  enlightened  Ca- 
tholics, right  when  they  look  with  contempt  upon  the  rosary? 

Certainly  not,  for  they  despise  that  which  they  neither  practise 
nor  understand;  for  whoever  considers  the  arrangement  and  sig- 
nificance of  this  most  honorable  prayer,  must  esteem  it  most 
highly  and  practise  it  for  His  soul's  salvation.  Without  taking 
into  consideration  that  the  greatest  saints  said  this  prayer  daily, 
such  saints  as  St  Francis  de  Sales,  St.  Alphonsus  Liguori,  and 
others,  it  is  a  confession  of  our  holy  Roman  Catholic  faith,  a  re- 
peated adoration  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity,  and  an  authorized 


INSTKUCTION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  HOLY  ROSARY.   7  4.3 

veneration  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  whom  the  Holy  Ghost  has  pro- 
nounced blessed.  It  is  at  the  same  time  a  grateful  recollection 
and  meditation  upon  the  most  profound  and  most  sacred  mysteries 
of  our  holy  religion,  and  especially  of  our  redemption  through  the 
incarnation,  sufferings,  and  death  of  our  Lord.  And  in  regard  to 
the  frequent  repetition  of  the  "Our  Father"  and  "Hail  Mary", 
do  not  the  angels  and  saints  before  the  throne  of  the  Most  Holy 
Trinity  again  and  again  repeat:  "Holy,  Holy,  Holy!"  Can  the 
heart  'filled  with  the  true,  sincere  love  of  God  and  Mary,  often 
enough  repeat  their  praises  ?  Can  any  one  ever  have  enough  of 
this  exaltation  of  love  and  praise?  Do  we  not  daily,  even  often 
during  the  day,  partake  of  the  same  kind  of  bread,  without  its 
becoming  indifferent,  annoying,  or  distasteful  to  us? 

How  acceptable  to  God  is  this  holy  rosary --this  beautiful 
garland  of  fragrant,  heavenly  flowers  of  prayer  and  meditation— 
and  what  power  it  has  at  the  throne  of  His  omnipotence  and  mercy! 
This  God  manifested  at  its  introduction,  as  He  has  always  since  in 
a  marvellous  manner,  especially  upon  occasions  of  great  and  par- 
ticular hardships  and  cares;  and  on  this  account  the  Church  ex- 
horts the  faithful  to  its  diligent  practice,  attaching  many  indul- 
gences to  its  devout  performance  in  a  spirit  of  penance,  when  in 
a  state  of  grace.*) 

Do  not,  therefore,  my  dear  Christian,  permit  yourself  to  be 
misled  by  those,  who  not  only  do  not  perform  this  devotion,  but 
even  despise  it,  and  in  their  overweening  presumption  often  do 
not  pay  attention  to  the  gravest  regulations  of  the  Church.  To 
them  are  applicable  the  words  of  Christ:  I  confess  to  Thee, 
0  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  because  Thou 
hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and 
hast  revealed  them  to  little  ones.  (Matt.xi.  25.)  Practise 
this  devotion  all  the  more  zealous'y  in  the  spirit  and  sense  of  our 
holy  Church,  and  you  will  perceive  in  yourself  the  beneficent  good 
that  will  accrue  to  your  soul  from  it. 

How  should  we  say  the  rosary? 
Attentively  and  devoutly.  To  pray  devoutly  we  must  pray  not 
with  the  lips  only,  but  with  the  heart;  we  must  meditate  upon  the 
mystery  under  consideration,  with  great  recollection  and  concen- 
tration of  thought,  must  rejoice  with  Mary  in  the  joyful  rosary  and 
thank  God  for  the  incarnation,  compassionate  His  sufferings  in  the 
sorrowful,  and  be  sorry  of  our  sins  which  inflicted  those  suffer- 
ings upon  Him ;  wish  happiness  to  Him  and  His  Virgin  Mother 
at  the  glorious  mysteries  for  their  magnificence,  and  firmly  re- 
solve with  the  grace  of  God  to  make  use  of  every  means  in  our 
power  to  obtain  for  ourselves  the  glory  of  heaven.  If  the  rosary 
is  said  in  this  way,  we  shall  assuredly  reap  great  benefit  from  it. 

*)  As  by  Tope  Alexander  IV.  in  the  year  1291,  Sixtus  V.  in  1474,  and 
Pius  V.  an  indulgence  of  live  years  and  forty  days. 


7  44      1NSTRU  CTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISE 

We  should  let  nothing  prevent  us  from  saying  the  rosary,  and 
never  be  ashamed  to  carry  our  rosary  with  us  always  as  a  sign, 
that  we  love  and  honor  Jesus  and  Mary.  For  the  rosary  has 
justly  become  a  badge  of  the  true  follower  of  Jesus  and  Mary,  of 
the  real  Catholic;  and  who  is  ashamed  of  being  a  Catholic? 

[The  Introitof  the  Mass  as  on  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption.] 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  whose  only  Son, 
by  his  life,  death,  and  resurrection,  hath  obtained  for  us  the 
rewards  of  eternal  salvation :  grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that 
meditating  on  these  mysteries  in  the  most  holy  Rosary  of  the 
B.  V.  M.  we  may  imitate  what  they  contain,  and  come  to  the 
happiness  which  they  promise.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  (Eccl.  xxiv.  14—16.)  From  the  beginning,  and 
before  the  world,  was  I  created,  and  unto  the  world  to  come 
I  shall  not  cease  to  be,  and  in  the  holy  dwelling  place  have 
I  ministered  before  him.  And  so  was  I  established  in  Sion, 
and  in  the  holy  city  likewise  I  rested,  and  my  power  was  in 
Jerusalem.  And  I  took  root  in  an  honourable  people,  and  in 
the  portion  of  my  God  his  inheritance,  and  my  abode  is  in 
the  full  assembly  of  saints. 

[For  Explanation  see  the  Festivals  of  the  Assumption  and  the 
Immaculate  Conception.  The  Gospel  and  its  Explanation  will  be 
found  in  the  Instruction  for  the  third  Sunday  of  Lent,  beginning 
with  the  twenty  seventh  verse.] 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
FRANCIS  OF  ASSIST 

[October  4] 

T.  Francis  was  born  at  Assisi,  a  city  in  the  duke- 
dom of  Spoleto,  Italy,  in  the  year  1181.  His  father, 
a  rich  merchant,  destined  him  for  the  same  busi- 
ness, in  which  Francis  did  really  and  skillully 
engage.  Although  fond  of  show  he,  at  a  very 
early  age,  manifested  a  great  love  for  the  poor. 
Agreeable  and  kindhearted,  amiable  and  pleasant 
to  all,  he  was  beloved  by  all  surrounding  him,  and  the  world 
sought  to  secure  him  for  its  own,  but  the  love  of  God  conquered 
the  love  of  the  world;  enlightened  from  on  high  and  rendered  by 
heavenly  visions  attentive  to  the  coming  call,  he  followed  the 
guidings  of  grace  wrhich  drew  him  to  follow  Christ  in  humility 
and  poverty.    He  one  day  heard  at  Mass  the  words:    Do  not 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSIS1.       745 


possess  gold  nor  silver,  nor  money  in  your  purses,  nor 
scrip  for  jour  journey,  nor  two  coats,  nor  shoes,  nor  a 
staff,  and  struck  by  them  he  regulated  his  whole  life  by  them, 
commenced  immediately  to  preach  penance  with  such  evangelical 
poverty  and  with  so  much  power,  that  all  his  hearers  were  moved 
to  tears.  He  was  disinherited  by  his  avaricious  father,  who  was 
greatly  displeased  at  his  poverty  and  generosity  to  the  poor,  so 
that  Francis  threw  himself  entirely  upon  the  providence  of  his 
Father  in  heaven,  begging  from  door  to  door,  and  dividing  the 
alms  he  thus  obtained  with  the  poor. 

This  extraordinary  way  of  life  soon  brought  him  disciples,  for 
whom,  as  their  number  increased,  he  prescribed  a  rule  of  life,  and 
then  journeyed  to  Rome  to  have  it  approved  by  the  nope.  He 
returned,  full  of  holy  rejoicing,  that  all  had  succeeded  at  Home 
as  he  wished,  and  settled  beside  a  little  Church,  belonging  to  the 
Benedictines,  about  a  mile  from  the  place  of  his  birth,  which  he 
called  Portiuncula  (small  portion).  Here  he  lived  in  the  per- 
formance of  the  strictest  penance,  here  he  prayed  day  and  night, 
and  here  he  laid  the  foundation  of  that  order,  which  was  to  fill 
the  whole  earth  with  the  radiance  of  its  virtues.  In  this  Church, 
which  was  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mother  of  Christ  and  to  the 


746       INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI. 

holy  angels,  he  received  from  Christ  Himself  the  celebrated  in- 
dulgence known  by  the  whole  Christian  world  as  the  Portiuncula 
Indulgence. 

For  when,  in  the  year  1221  on  the  anniversary  of  the  Church's 
consecration,  the  saint  was  praying  there  with  fervent  devotion, 
our  Lord  appeared  to  Him,  and  said:  "Francis,  demand  what 
thou  wilt  for  the  salvation  of  nations."  "I  ask,"  replied  the  saint, 
"the  remission  of  the  guilt  and  punishment,  a  plenary  indulgence 
for  all  that  shall  visit  this  Church  with  a  contrite  heart  and  con- 
fess their  sins."  "Go,  then,"  said  our  Lord,  "to  my  representa- 
tive, the  pope,  and  demand  this  indulgence  in  my  name. "  Francis 
went  at  once  to  the  Pope  Honorius  III.,  who  first  by  word  of 
mouth,  and  later  by  a  proper  Bull  confirmed  the  indulgence,  which 
was  afterwards  extended  to  all  the  Churches  of  the  Franciscan 
Order. 

Thus  burning  for  the  salvation  of  nations,  Francis  with  his 
brothers  whom  he  sent  out  two  by  two  to  preach  penance  and  the 
peace  of  God,  exerted  himself  to  spread  everywhere  the  kingdom 
of  God.  His  love  for  sinners  and  his  ardent  zeal  for  the  salvation 
of  souls,  urged  him  to  travel  over  far  distant  parts  of  the  world 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  infidels.  And  for  this  also  God  re- 
warded him  with  marvellous  graces,  among  which  may  be  espe- 
cially noticed  those  which  he  received  on  Mount  Alverno.  While, 
as  was  his  frequent  habit,  he  was  here,  removed  from  the  world, 
fasting  and  praying  for  forty  days,  our  Lord  appeared  to  him  in 
the  form  of  a  Seraph  on  a  cross,  and  imprinted  the  five  wounds  of 
His  own  body  upon  the  body  of  the  saint.  On  this  account  and 
because  of  his  burning  love  for  Christ  crucified,  St.  Francis  re- 
ceived the  surname  of  the  Seraph. 

After  this  the  saint  lived  for  two  years  in  many  varieties  of 
physical  distress  and  sickness,  without  murmur  or  complaint,  and 
with  perfect  resignation  to  the  will  of  God.  Sometime  before  his 
death  he  made  his  will,  in  which  he  left  poverty  as  an  inheritance 
to  his  brethren,  in  which  they  would  find  heavenly  treasures.  As 
the  hour  of  his  dissolution  drew  near,  he  had  the  history  of  the 
passion  of  our  Lord  read  to  him,  then  said  the  one  hundred  and 
forty  first  psalm  and  expired  at  the  words:  "Bring  my  soul  out 
of  prison,  that  I  may  praise  thy  name."  This  on  the  4th  of  October 
in  the  year  1226,  in  the  forty  fifth  year  of  his  age. 

St.  Francis  founded  three  orders :  the  first  and  proper  Fran- 
ciscan Order ;  the  Order  of  the  Friars  Minor ;  the  Order  of  the 
Franciscan  Nuns,  the  Clares,  so  called  from  their  first  Prioress 
St.  Clara;  and  lastly  that  called  the  Third  Order  for  the  people  in 
the  world,  of  both  sexes,  who  aim  at  perfection,  but  do  not  desire 
to  take  the  vows  of  the  cloister.  This  last  order,  which  has  been 
sanctioned  by  many  popes,  especially  by  Gregory  IX.,  Innocent  IV., 
and  Nicholas  IV.,  has  spread  throughout  the  whole  world,  and  is 
becoming  even  in  our  days  mere  and  more  flourishing. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  WENDELIN.  747 

LESSON.  {Eccl.  xxxi.  8 — 11.)  Blessed  is  the  man  that 
is  found  without  blemish;  and  that  hath  not  gone  after 
gold,  nor  put  his  trust  in  money  nor  in  treasures.  Who  is 
he,  and  we  will  praise  him,  for  he  hath  done  wonderful  things 
in  his  life.  Who  hath  been  tried  thereby,  and  made  perfect, 
he  shall  have  glory  everlasting.  He  that  could  have  trans- 
gressed, and  hath  not  transgressed:  and  could  do  evil  things, 
and  hath  not  done  them.  Therefore  are  his  goods  established 
in  the  Lord,  and  all  the  church  of  the  saints  shall  declare 
his  alms. 

[The  Gospel  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Matthias.] 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  the  exem- 
plary virtues  of  blessed  Francis,  didst  enlarge  Thy  church  by 
a  new  offspring :  grant  we  may  follow  him  in  despising  the 
things  of  this  world,  and  be  blessed  in  the  perpetual  enjoy- 
ment of  Thy  heavenly  grace.  Thro1. 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
WENDELIN. 

iM^g^^flf  [October  20 J 

T.  Wendelin  was  born  of  the  reigning  royal  family 
of  Scotland,  in  the  year  554.  He  was  the  eldest 
son  and. heir  to  the  throne,  and  was  entrusted  by 
his  father  to  a  pious  bishop  for  education,  whose 
efforts  were  blessed  by  God ;  for  Wendelin  became 
a  virtuous  youth  whose  heart  belonged  entirely 
to  God.  By  the  light  of  faith  he  saw,  how  vain  and  transitory  is 
everything  earthly,  and  made  the  deliberate  choice  of  leaving  his 
father's  kingdom,  to  serve  God  in  all  humility,  seeking  to  change 
the  royal  crown  which  he  held  in  prospect,  for  the  imperishable 
crown  of  heaven,  to  give  an  earthly  kingdom  for  a  heavenly  one; 
dressed,  therefore,  as  a  poor  pilgrim,  lie  secretly  left  his  parents 
and  their  kingdom,  and  travelled  to  Rome,  the  Capital  of  the  Ca- 
tholic world,  where  he  presented  himself  to  Pope  Benedict  I.,  and 
made  known  to  him  his  intentions.  The  holy  father  encouraged 
him  to  proceed  on  the  road  he  had  taken,  following  Christ  in  all 
humility,  and  to  preserve  faithfully  in  his  purpose.  Wendelin, 
then,  continued  his  journey,  went  across  the  Alps,  through  Switzer- 
land and  Alsace,  and  came  to  "Westrich  in  the  Palatinate  of  the 
Rhine,  as  it  is  called  to-day;  thence  he  travelled  to  Treves,  and 
settled  himself  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city  in  a  pleasant  valley,  near 
a  spring,  where  he  built  himself  a  hut  and  lived  as  a  hermit, 


748  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  WENDELIN. 

spending  his  time  in  prayer,  meditation,  and  mortification,  begg- 
ing his  bread  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  country.  After  some 
time  he  conceived  a  great  desire  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  Treves 
and  visit  its  Churches ;  on  the  way  lie  begged  an  alms  from  the 
nobleman  who  owned  the  land  in  which  the  saint  lived.  This 
nobleman,  taking  Wendelin  to  be  a  beggar  unwilling  to  work,  re- 
buked him  harshly,  but  Wendelin  calmly  and  tranquilly  replied: 
"  My  Lord,  I  have  no  work. "  "  Then  guard  my  cattle  and  earn 
thy  bread,"  replied  the  nobleman.  The  saint  received  the  office 
with  pleasure,  went  to  the  land  of  the  nobleman,  and  he,  the  son 
of  a  king,  guarded  swine.  But  it  was  a  joy  to  him  to  be,  for 
Christ's  sake,  despised  and  unknown.  But  tie  found  before  a  great 
while,  that  the  service  he  had  undertaken,  left  him  little  time  to 
pray,  and  he  was  constrained  to  ask  the  nobleman  to  relieve  him 
from  the  care  of  the  swine,  which  request,  as  his  lord  had  come 
to  love  Wendelin  on  account  of  his  obedience  and  faithfulness, 
was  granted,  and  the  care  of  the  cows  was  given  him  instead. 
This  pleased  the  saint  better,  and  God  so  evidently  blessed  the 
herd,  that  the  nobleman  understood  well  that  he  had  to  thank 
the  prayers  of  his  pious  herdsman  for  it,  and  therefore  honored 
him  highly. 

After  the  saint  had  guarded  the  cows  for  a  long  time,  he  asked 
to  have  the  care  of  the  sheep,  which  was  given  to  him.  He  drove 
the  sheep  to  the  neighborhood  of  Tholey  and  often  near  to  his 
old  hermitage ;  as  often  as  the  sheep  rested,  he  knelt  down  and 
prayed.  His  heart  was  always  with  God,  and  God  blessed  his 
nock,  they  were  preserved  from  all  sickness  and  increased  mar- 
vellously, while  the  nobleman  came  to  like  him  always  more  and 
more.  But  the  more  he  was  favored  by  his  master  the  more  he 
was  hated  by  the  servants,  who  degraded  and  slandered  him, 
whenever  they  could;  but  Wendelin  endured  their  sneers  and  de- 
rision and  their  persecutions  with  heavenly  patience,  and  gave 
them  good  for  evil.  The  conduct  of  his  servant  did  not  escape 
the  notice  of  the  master;  from  day  to  day  he  perceived  more 
plainly,  that  his  shepherd  was  a  holy  servant  of  God,  and  on  this 
account  was  not  willing  to  let  him  longer  guard  his  sheep,  but 
wished  to  give  him  some  rich  present  and  dismiss  him.  But  Wen- 
delin would  not  accept  any  other  present  than  the  granting  of  one 
request:  that  the  nobleman  would  promise  to  desist  from  his 
present  evil  way  of  living,  give  up  his  unjust  ways,  and  lead  a  life 
acceptable  to  God;  he  accompanied  this  request  with  such  im- 
pressive exhortations,  that  the  nobleman  became  frightened  at 
his  sins,  and  promised  to  reform  his  life. 

Wendelin,  then,  put  on  the  dress  of  a  hermit  once  more,  and 
settled  at  Wendel's  well  not  far  from  Tholey,  where  he  could 
attend  divine  service.  He  begged  his  simple  food  from  door  to 
door,  and  then  shared  it  with  the  poor.  The  people  of  the  neigh- 
borhood liked  him  very  much  and  sought  advice,  aid,  and  conso- 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  WENDELIN.  749 

lation  from  him.  When  at  one  time  a  frightful  disease  appeared 
among  the  cattle,  the  terrefied  country  people  came  and  implored 
the  saint  to  help  them;  Wendelin  prayed  and  the  disease  disap- 
peared and  the  sick  cattle  became  well  again.  Thus  his  name 
became  well  known,  and  from  far  and  near  people  came  to  him 
with  their  sick  cattle  to  have  him  bless  and  cure  them.  He  prayed, 
made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  the  disease  would  leave  then.  The 
saint  spent  seven  years  thus  in  praying  and  doing  good,  and  at 
the  end  of  that  time  was  called  to  take  the  position  of  Abbot  of 
the  Benedictine  Monastery  at  Tholey.  Under  his  government  the 
monastery  flourished  exceedingly.  Ordained  a  priest  by  Bishop 
Gunderich  of  Treves,  Wendelin  sought  with  tireless  zeal  to  feed 
immortal  souls  and  heal  their  wounds;  the  monastery  in  which 
he  lived,  was  the  refuge  of  the  poor;  he  was  continually  employed 
in  making  himself  and  others  equal  to  the  saints,  and  in  following 
Christ  in  all  things. 

He  was  taken  sick  about  the  year  617,  and  feeling  his  end  near, 
requested  the  Archbishop  Severinus  of  Treves  to  come  and  ad- 
minister the  Sacraments  to  him.  When  the  saint  was  about  to 
receive  the  holy  Communion,  two  angels  with  a  white  cloth  ap- 
peared by  his  bed,  spread  the  cloth  before  him,  knelt  in  humble 
adoration,  while  he  received  Communion,  and  then  arose  again 
and  returned  to  heaven.  The  saint,  then,  made  known  his  descent 
and  life  to  the  archbishop,  begging  him  to  make  it  known  after 
his  death  to  the  brethren  of  his  order,  and  soon  after  died  calmly 
in  the  Lord,  on  October  20th,  617.  His  sacred  remains  were 
buried,  as  he  had  requested,  in  a  chapel  near  his  old  hermitage, 
and  as  Cod  honored  his  burial  place  by  many  miracles,  more  and 
more  pilgrims  constantly  visited  it,  and  thus  originated  the  town 
of  St.  Wendel,  which  the  Emperor  Louis  made  a  city.  A  very 
beautiful  Church  now  stands  over  the  grave  St.  Wendelin,  and 
to  this  day  thousands  and  thousands  of  Catholic  people  venerate 
his  memory  and  implore  his  intercession. 

Introit:  The  mouth  of  the  just  man  shall  meditate 
wisdom  and  his  tongue  speak  judgment.  (Ps.  xxxvi.  30.) 
Be  not  emulous  of  evil  doers,  nor  envy  them  that  work 
iniquity.  {Ps.  xxxvi.  1.)    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  May  the  intercession,  0 
Lord,  of  the  blessed  Abbot  St.  Wendelin,  recommend  us  to 
thee:  that  what  we  cannot  hope  for  through  our  own  merits, 
we  may  obtain  by  his  prayers.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  {Eccl.  xlv.  1—6.)  This  saint  was  beloved  of 
God  and  men :  whose  memory  is  in  benediction.  He  made 
him  like  the  saints  in  glory,  and  magnified  him  in  the  fear 
of  his  enemies.     And  with  his  words  he  made  prodigies  to 


750  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  WENDELIN. 

cease.  He  glorified  him  in  the  sight  of  kings,  and  gave  him 
commandments  in  the  sight  of  his  people,  and  shewed  him 
his  glory.  He  sanctified  him  in  his  faith  and  meekness,  and 
chose  him  out  of  all  flesh.  For  he  heard  him  and  his  voice, 
and  brought  him  into  a  cloud.  And  he  gave  him  command- 
ments before  his  face,  and  a  law  of  life  and  instruction. 

EXPLANATION.  These  beautiful  words  of  praise,  given  to 
Moses  in  the  holy  Scriptures,  apply  in  many  points  to  St.  Wen- 
delin.  He,  too,  was  beloved  of  God,  and  his  memory  is  held  in 
benediction  by  men;  his  name  has  been  truly  glorified  before 
kings,  for  he  is  now  a  prince  of  heaven,  exalted  above  all  princes 
of  the  earth.  On  account  of  his  faithfulness  in  great  and  small 
things,  and  because  of  the  meekness  with  which  he  bore  all  in- 
juries, God  sanctified  him  and  raised  him  from  the  dust  of  low- 
liness to  which  he  willingly  sank  in  his  humility. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  xix.  27—29.)  At  that  time:  Petrus 
said  to  Jesus:  Behold,  we  have  left  all  things,  and  have  fol- 
lowed thee:  what  therefore  shall  we  have?  And  Jesus  said 
to  them:  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  that  you  who  have  followed 
me  in  the  regeneration,  when  the  Son  of  Man  shall  sit  on  the 
seat  of  his  majesty,  you  also  shall  sit  on  twelve  seats  judg- 
ing the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  And  every  one  that  hath  left 
house,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife, 
or  children,  or  lands  for  my  name's  sake,  shall  receive  an 
hundred  fold,  and  shall  possess  life  everlasting. 

What  did  Jesus  mean  by  regeneration  ? 
The  resurrection  of  the  dead  on  the  Last  Day,  for  then  the 
whole  man  will  be  renewed  and  regenerated,  so  to  speak,  body 
and  soul.  This  renewal  or  regeneration  will  be  a  glorious  one  for 
the  pious  and  just,  but  a  fearful  one  for  the  wicked. 

What  is  meant  by  sitting  on  the  twelve  thrones  and  judging  the 
twelve  tribes  of  Israel  ? 
That  the  apostles  and  all  those  Christians  who  like  the  apostles 
have  left  all  for  Christ's  sake,  following  the  Saviour  in  poverty, 
despising  and  crucifying  their  flesh,  shall  take  part  in  the  glory 
of  Christ  on  the  Last  Day;  they  will  appear  in  magnificence  with 
Him,  and  with  Him  will  judge  and  condemn  the  wicked. 

Does  Jesus  desire  us  to  leave  father  and  mother  ? 
Christ  who  commands  us  to  honor  our  parents,  does  not  wish 
us  to  leave  our  father  and  mother,  or  relations  in  their  necessities 
or  to  withhold  our  help,  if  they  need  it.    He  only  requires,  that 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  SIMOM,  &c. 


751 


we  should  not  allow  ourselves  to  be  prevented  by  our  parents  or 
relations  from  leading  a  pious  life,  and  that  in  case  the  call  to  lead 
a  more  perfect  life  should  come  to  us  from  the  Lord,  whe  should 
be  prepared  to  leave  every  thing,  even  father  and  mother,  the 
more  fervently  and  impartially  to  serve  Christ,  for  which  we  shall 
be  a  hundredfold  rewarded;  for  Christ  Himself  will  then  take 
the  place  of  father  and  mother,  and  share  unto  us  the  richest 
measure  of  purest  joy  both  here  and  in  heaven. 


UN  STRUGTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  SIMON 
AND  ST.  JUDAS  THADDEUS,  APOSTLES. 

[October  28] 

T  is  not  known,  when,  where,  or  in  what  manner 
St.  Simon,  surnamed  the  Zealot,  and  by  birth  a 
Galilean,  was  called  by  Christ  to  be  an  apostle. 
Like  the  other  apostles  he  became  after  his  call 
a  constant  witness  of  the  actions  and  doctrines, 
of  the  humiliation  and  exaltation  of  his  divine 
%t  Master,  and  after  the  reception  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  he  made  himself  worthy  of  his  surname,  by  his  zeal  in 
preaching  the  gospel.  He  preached  the  gospel  in  Egypt  and  other 
countries  of  Africa,  and  finally  met  the  Apostle  St.  Judas  in  Persia, 
where  they  both  received  the  palm  of  martyrdom. 

St.  Judas,  son  of  Mary,  who  was  an  aunt  to  the  blessed  Virgin,  was 
a  near  relation  of  the  Saviour,  and  called,  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  Jews,  His  brother;  he  was  surnamed  Thaddeus,  to  distinguish 
him  from  Judas  Iscariot.  Of  St.  Judas  it  is  also  unknown,  at  what 
time  and  in  what  manner  he  came  to  be  one  of  the  disciples ;  in 
the  gospel  he  is  mentioned  as  the  one,  who,  when  our  Lord  at  the 
Last  Supper  said,  that  He  would  manifest  Himself  to  those  who 
loved  Him,  asked:  uLord,  how  is  it  that  thou  wilt  manifest  thy- 
self to  us  and  not  to  the  world?"  After  receiving  the  Holy  Ghost, 
Judas  preached  the  gospel  in  Judea  and  Samaria,  then  in  Syria 
and  Mesopotamia.  After  meeting  with  St.  Simon  in  Persia,  both 
were  martyred,  St.  Judas  being  beheaded  with  an  axe.  St.  Judas' 
glowing  zeal  for  the  purity  of  faith  is  shown  in  an  epistle,  which 
he  wrote  to  the  faithful  to  encourage  them  to  perseverance  in  faith. 

[For  the  Introit  of  the  Mass  see  the  Feast  of  St.  Andrew.] 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  by  Thy  blessed 
Apostles,  Simon  and  Jude,  hast  taught  us  to  know  Thee, 
grant  we  may  solemnize  their  eternal  glory  with  true  devo- 
tion, and  by  observing  their  festival,  improve  in  the  love  of 
Thee.  Thro'. 


752  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  SIMON 

EPISTLE.-  (Ephes.  iv.  7  —  13.)  Brethren:  To  every  one  of 
us  is  given  grace  according  to  the  measure  of  the  giving  of 
Christ.  Wherefore  he  saith:  Ascending  on  high  he  led  capti- 
vity captive :  he  gave  gifts  to  men.  Now  that  he  ascended, 
what  is  it,  but  because  he  also  descended  first  into  the  lower 
parts  of  the  earth.  He  that  descended  is  the  same  also  that 
ascended  above  all  the  heavens,  that  he  might  fill  all  things. 
And  he  gave  some  apostles,  and  some  prophets,  and  other 
some  evangelists,  and  other  some  pastors  and  doctors.  For 
the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for 
the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ :  until  we  all  meet  into  the 
unity  of  faith  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto 
a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  age  of  the  fulness  of 
Christ. 

EXPLANATION.  St.  Paul  here  instructs  us,  that  graces  are 
given  to  all  men  not  in  the  same  measure,  but  distributed  ac- 
cording to  the  wise  providence  of  God.  Therefore  we  should  not 
envy  one,  who  possesses  more  gifts  than  we,  nor  should  we  be 
uplifted  on  account  of  those  he  possesses,  for  God  gives  to  each 
as  many  as  are  useful  and  necessary  for  him.  The  psalmist's 
word's:  Ascending  on  high,  he  led  captivity  captive;  he 
gave  gifts  to  men,  mean  that  Christ,  after  descending  into 
limbo  and  redeeming  the  patriarchs  from  their  captivity,  led  them, 
on  the  day  of  His  ascension,  in  triumph  to  heaven,  and  ten  days 
afterwards  bestowed  upon  the  men  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Of  these  gifts  some  were  ordered  to  the  apostles,  who  were  to 
preach  the  gospel  everywhere  and  to  found  congregations;  others 
to  the  prophets,  who  had  the  gift  of  prophesying  and  expounding 
the  Scriptures,  subject  to  the  superintendence  of  the  apostles; 
others  to  the  evangelists,  who  managed  the  spiritual  affairs  of 
single  congregations,  for  the  perfection  of  the  faithful,  who  are 
all  called  to  sanctity,  for  the  performance  of  the  service,  that  is, 
preaching,  celebrating  the  holy  Sacrifice,  administering  the  Sa- 
craments, and  edifying  the  body  of  Christ,  that  is,  His  Church, 
that  we  may  all  obtain  unity  and  perfection  in  faith  and  love,  and 
be  not  any  longer  like  weak,  fickle  children,  but  perfect  men,  and 
like  to  Christ. 

Let  us  then  give  God  thanks,  that  He  gives  us  so  many  apos- 
tolic men  for  our  teachers,  who  strengthen  us  in  faith,  and  show 
us  the  way  to  heaven.  Let  us  also  pray,  that  there  may  some  day 
be  one  fold  and  one  flock,  and  that  all  the  faithful  will  follow 
Christ  on  earth,  that  they  may  become  like  to  Him  in  heaven  and 
like  to  Him  in  glory. 


AND  ST.  JUDAS  THADDEUS,  APOSTLES.  75'J 

GOSPEL.  {John  xv.  17  —  25.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  his  disciples:  These  things  I  command  you,  that  you  love 
one  another.  If  the  world  hate  you,  know  ye  that  it  hath 
hated  me  before  you.  If  you  had  been  of  the  world,  the 
world  would  love  its  own:  but  because  you  are  not  of  the 
world,  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the 
world  hateth  you.  Remember  my  word  that  I  said  to  you: 
The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  master.  If  they  have 
persecuted  me,  they  will  also  persecute  you:  if  they  have 
kept  my  word,  they  will  keep  yours  also.  But  all  these  things 
they  will  do  to  you  for  my  name's  sake :  because  they  know 
not  him  that  sent  me.  If  I  had  not  come,  and  spoken  to 
them,  they  would  not  have  sin :  but  now  they  have  no  ex- 
cuse for  their  sin.  He  that  hateth  me,  hateth  my  Father 
also.  If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works  that  no  other 
man  hath  done,  they  would  not  have  sin :  but  now  they  have 
both  seen  and  hated  both  me  and  my  Father.  But  that  the 
word  may  be  fulfilled,  which  is  written  in  their  law :  They 
hated  without  cause. 

INSTRUCTION.  I.  Since  Christ,  His  apostles  and  disciples 
were  hated  and  persecuted  by  the  world,  the  greatest  courage 
and  consolation  should  be  found  with  those,  who  have  to  suffer 
from  this  world,  because  they  are  not  of  it,  that  is,  do  not  wish 
to  go  by  its  false  and  foolish  principles,  its  vain  and  vexatious 
customs,  its  many  mockeries,  its  contempt  and  persecutions.  Only 
shame  can  be  reaped  from  these  words  by  those,  who  suffer  noth- 
ing for  Christ's  sake,  who  to  escape  the  world's  mockery  and  its 
hatred  would  rather  keep  friendship  with  it  than  with  Christ,  and 
who  will,  therefore,  not  reign  with  Him  in  heaven.  For  as  it  is 
considered  a  great  honor  for  a  servant  to  resemble  his  lord,  so  it 
is  considered  shameful  for  him  to  seek  to  be  greater  than  his  lord. 
The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  master,  says  Christ. 
If  then  Christ,  our  Lord,  has  suffered  the  hatred  and  persecution 
of  the  world,  why  should  His  servants  refuse  to  suffer  it  also? 
Can  the  world's  hatred  harm  us,  when  God  loves  us?  Does  not 
this  very  hatred  serve  to  separate  us  more  from  the  world  and 
unite  us  more  with  God?  And  is  it  not  better  to  have  the  world 
for  our  enemy  than  God? 

II.  Priests  can  derive  great  consolation  from  this,  that  the 
servant  is  not  greater  than  the  master,  when,  notwithstanding  all 
their  toil  and  trouble,  they  produce  no  good  and  receive  only  the 


48 


754  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  SIMON,  &c. 

world's  sneers  and  derision.  Did  not  Christ,  the  Word  made  Flesh, 
endure  the  same?  are  you  disturbed  and  distressed,  that  to  you,  a 
weak  man,  there  occurs  the  same?  Besides,  our  reward  consists 
not  in  the  good  accomplished,  which  does  not  depend  upon  us,  but 
in  this,  that  we  work  for  the  honor  of  God  and  the  salvation  of 
souls;  the  reward  will  not  be  withheld,  though  we  gain  none  or  but 
a  single  soul  for  God. 

III.  Ignorance  is  not  always  an  excuse  for  sin;  for  Christ  says, 
the  Jews  cannot  excuse  themselves  for  not  acknowledging,  but 
hating  and  persecuting  Him,  because  if  they  had  wished,  they 
might  have  known  Him  by  His  works.  They  are  thus  to  be  greatly 
punished  and  deserve  to  be  cast  awray.  In  the  same  way  the  here- 
tics are  punishable,  and  indeed  all  Catholics  who,  like  the  Jews, 
could  easily  learn  what  they  have  to  believe  and  do,  but  omit 
learning  it,  either  through  negligence  or  fear  of  the  world,  and  thus 
by  their  own  fault  remain  in  ignorance,  committing  sin,  and  thereby 
causing  their  condemnation  ior  all  eternity.  It  is  different  with 
those  who  through  no  fault  of  theirs,  have  never  heard  of  Christ 
and  the  true  faith;  for  they  will  not  be  condemned,  because  of  their 
ignorance  of  the  faith,  for  which  they  are  not  reprehensible,  but 
on  account  of  the  sins  which  they  commit  against  their  conscience 
and  the  natural  law  which  is  written  in  every  man's  heart,  the 
observance  of  which  would  result  in  their  being  enlightened  by 
God,  who  would  show  them  the  way  to  the  true  faith. 

IV.  Christ  says  of  the  Jews,  that  they  hated  Him  without  reason , 
this  is  true  of  all  sinners.  God  so  loved  men,  that  He  gave  His  only 
begotten  Son  to  the  death  of  the  cross,  and  He  was  not  only  offered 
on  the  cross,  but  daily  offers  Himself  for  them,  giving  them  His 
blood  to  drink  and  His  body  for  their  food,  and  bestowing  upon 
them  every  moment  infinite  benefits  for  body  and  soul.  If  after 
all  this  they  yet  commit  sin,  what  is  it  but  hating  God  without 
reason? 

SUPPLICATION.  We  earnestly  beseech  Thee,  o  most 
loving  Jesus,  whose  heart  burns  for  us  with  the  purest  love, 
to  inflame  our  cold  hearts  with  that  heavenly  fire,  so  that  we 
may  love  our  neighbor  like  ourselves  according  to  Thy  ex- 
ample and  precept,  and  never  be  beguiled  by  envy  or  hatred 
from  this  love,  while  always  remembering  that  we,  Thy  poor 
servants,  are  not  greater  than  Thou,  our  Lord  and  God,  and 
therefore  not  to  complain  if,  like  Thee,  we  are  hated  and 
persecuted  by  the  world.  Strengthen  us  by  Thy  grace,  that 
we  may  patiently  endure  all  things  wdrich  Thy  divine  will 
sends  to  us,  that  we  may  live  and  die,  after  Thy  example, 
in  the  love  of  God  and  our  neighbor.  Amen. 


755 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
WOLFGANG,  BISHOP. 

[October  31] 

T.  Wolfgang,  the  descendant  of  an  illustrious  family 
ofSuabia,  was  educated  at  the  Abbey  ofReichenau, 
near  Constance.  He  here  contracted  a  warm  friend- 
ship with  a  young  nobleman,  named  Henry,  brother 
of  the  Bishop  of  Wurtzburg.  Together  with  Henry 
he  went  to  Wurtzburg  in  order  to  enjoy  a  celebrat- 
ed teacher;  but  this  teacher,  a  very  proud  person, 
became  envious  of  Wolfgang's  rapid  progress  in  science,  and  in 
many  ways  imbittered  his  life.  But  Wolfgang  who,  while  studying, 
had  not  neglected  the  practice  of  the  Christian  virtues,  quietly 
endured  all  for  Christ's  sake,  diligently  continuing  his  studies,  and 
finally  resolving  to  leave  the  world  to  enter  a  monastery.  When 
his  friend  Henry,  who  in  the  mean  time  had  become  Archbishop 
of  Treves,  heard  of  this  decision,  he  ceased  not  to  implore  him  to 
come  to  him  at  Treves,  which  Wolfgang  finally  did,  taking  the 
position  of  instructor  of  youth,  where  by  his  words  and  example 
he  made  such  an  impression  upon  the  young  people,  that  the  most 
beautiful  fruits  of  piety  were  seen  in  them.  The  archbishop  en- 
trusted to  him  the  education  of  his  young  priests,  and  raised  him 
to  the  office  of  Dean  of  the  Cathedral ;  but  even  in  this  favorable 
position  Wolfgang  remained  poor  and  humble;  whatever  he  could 
save,  he  gave  to  the  poor.  In  964  his  friend,  the  Archbishop, 
died,  and  Wolfgang  no  longer  allowed  anything  to  detain  him  from 
being  a  monk;  he  entered  the  Monastery  of  Einsiedeln,  where  his 
science  and  especially  his  solid  piety  soon  became  well  known. 

Having  been  ordained  a  priest  he  went  to  Hungary,  in  972, 
accompanied  by  several,  who  were  longing  to  announce  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  there.  Wolfgang  was  urged  to  this  journey  by  a  vision; 
St.  Othmar  appearing  to  him,  he  said:  "For  the  love  of  Cod  thou 
shalt  leave  this  country,  and  in  an  other  country  thou  shalt  re- 
ceive a  rich  diocese.  If  thou  fulfillest  thine  office  faithfully,  thou 
shalt  die  in  22  years  to  enter  heaven."  When  Wolfgang  with 
burning  zeal  had  preached  the  gospel  in  Hungary,  and  had  con- 
verted five  thousand  heathens,  he  came  on  his  return  to  Passau, 
where  the  Bishop  Peregrin  detained  him  and  recommended  him 
to  the  Emperor  Otto  II.  for  the  vacant  bishopric  of  Ratisbon. 
Wolfgang  was  elected  bishop,  but  would  not  accept  the  episcopal 
dignity  until  he  had  received  the  express  commands  of  his  abbot. 
Having  prepared  for  his  holy  office  by  persistent  prayer  and  rigor- 
ous mortification,  Wolfgang's  first  care  was  to  urge  the  religious 
and  secular  clergy  to  a  pious  life,  and  to  improve  the  morals  of 
the  people. 


j_ft* 


756      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  WOLFGANG,  BISHOP. 

He  visited  the  monasteries  at  Ratisbon  and  revived  their  old 
discipline;  the  secular  clergy  followed  his  noble  example,  while  by 
his  eloquent  sermons  and  his  friendly  admonitions  he  won  the  hearts 
of  the  people.  On  account  of  his  pious  life,  which  was  rewarded 
by  God  with  the  gift  of  miracles,  the  bishop  received  honor  from 
all  sides;  but  this  very  homage  of  the  world  saddened  the  humble 
man  beyond  measure.  Fearing  to  fall  a  prey  to  pride  and  thus 
to  offend  God,  he  secretly  left  Ratisbon  and  hid  himself  near  it, 
at  Falkenberg,  where  he  built  himself  a  hut  and  chapel.  Here  he 
lived  for  five  years  as  a  hermit,  unknown  to  the  world.  Meanwhile 
great  distress  on  account  of  the  bishop's  absence  prevailed  at  Ra- 
tisbon, and  many  prayers  were  said  for  his  return;  and  the  prayers 
were  heard.  A  hunter  one  day  discovered  the  holy  bishop  to  the 
great  joy  of  the  people,  who  so  urged  his  return,  that  Wolfgang 
could  not  resist  this  request,  but  went  back  to  Ratisbon  and  re- 
sumed his  episcopal  duties  to  the  great  blessing  of  the  whole 
diocese. 

The  wellknown  wisdom  and  sanctity  of  the  Bishop  of  Ratisbon, 
caused  the  Duke  of  Bavaria,  Henry  II.,  to  confide  to  him  the  edu- 
cation of  his  children,  two  princes  and  two  princesses.  Wolfgang 
so  well  understood  how  to  lead  the  hearts  of  these  children  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  that  the  oldest  prince  and  princess,  Henry  and 
Gisela,  are  venerated  as  saints,  and  the  others,  Bruno  and  Brigitta, 
died  in  the  odor  of  sanctity.  The  saintly  bishop  predicted  the  future 
position  of  each  of  these  children,  and  was  accustomed  to  call 
Henry  king,  Bruno  bishop,  Gisela  queen,  and  Brigitta  abbess,  and 
as  he  said,  so  it  really  happened. 

But  Wolfgang  was  not  satisfied  with  leading  high  and  low,  by 
practice  and  precept,  to  sanctity,  he  sought  to  aid  his  flock  in 
their  temporal  wants  also.  The  poor  found  a  father  in  him ;  he 
suffered  and  economized,  that  he  might  the  better  aid  those  in 
need.  At  the  time  of  a  great  famine,  he  ordered  his  steward  to  give 
his  provisions  for  a  very  small  price  to  those  who  came  from  the 
country  to  procure  grain,  so  that  from  the  provisions  which  they 
bought,  they  were  able  to  support  the  poor  of  their  neighborhood. 
The  poor  of  the  city  he  supplied  bountifully;  his  house  was  open 
to  all.  When  once  a  beggar,  who  had  stolen  something  from  his 
room,  was  caught,  the  saint  tenderly  reproached  him,  presented 
him  with  a  new  coat,  and  then  released  him,  for  his  heart  was 
overflowing  with  charity;  love  and  meekness  lived  in  it.  Some 
poor  were  daily  at  his  table ;  he  supported  whole  families  secretly, 
as  it  is  commanded:  Let  not  thy  left  hand  know  what  thy 
right  hand  doth. 

For  twenty  one  years  this  servant  of  God  had  carried  the  cross 
in  fervent  love,  when  official  business  called  him  to  Pechlarn,  in 
Southern  Austria;  but  being  attacked  by  a  severe  fever  on  his. 
journey,  he  was  obliged  to  stop  at  Pupping,  a  small  village  in  the 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ALL  SAINTS. 


757 


Southern  part  of  Austria.  There  he  felt  his  end  approaching,  and 
had  his  attendants  carry  him  to  the  Church  of  St.  Othmar,  where, 
lying  on  the  floor  at  the  foot  of  the  altar,  he  received  the  last  Sa- 
craments. When  the  sexton  endeavoured  to  send  away  the  crowd, 
Wolfgang  forbade  him,  saying,  "the  people  should  not  be  prevented 
from  seeing  their  bishop  die."  In  ardent  devotion  to  God  he  poured 
out  his  soul,  endured  his  pains  with  humility  and  holy  joy,  and 
finally  with  the  words :  "  May  the  good  God  have  mercy  on  me,  a 
poor  sinner,"  he  expired,  on  the  31st  of  October,  994. 

[The  lntroit  of  the  Mass,  the  Epistle  and  Gospel  as  on  the 
Feast  o[  St.  Nicholas,  December  6. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  didst  give 
blessed  Wolfgang  to  Thy  people  as  a  minister  of  eternal 
salvation:  grant  we  beseech  Thee,  that  he  who  was  the  in- 
structor of  our  life  here  on  earth,  may  become  our  inter- 
cessor in  heaven.  Thro1. 


INSTRUCTION 
FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ALL  SAINTS. 

[November  1J 

Why  has  the  Church  instituted  this  festival? 
0  give  praise  to  God  in  His  saints  (Ps.  cl.), 
and  to  pay  to  the  saints  themselves  the  honor, 
which  they  merited  by  having  made  the  pro- 
motion of  the  honor  of  God  the  work  of  their 
whole  earthly  life.  2.  To  impress  vividly 
upon  our  minds,  that  we  are  members  of  that 
holy  Catholic  Church  which  believes  in  the  communion  of  saints, 
that  is,  in  the  communion  of  all  true  Christians,  who  belong  to  the 
Church  triumphant  in  heaven,  to  the  Church  suffering  in  purga- 
tory, or  to  the  Church  militant  upon  earth ;  but,  more  particul- 
arly, to  cause  us  earnestly  to  consider  the  communion  of  the 
saints  in  heaven  with  us,  who  are  yet  battling  on  earth.  3.  To  ex- 
hort us  to  raise  our  eyes  and  hearts  especially  to-day  to  heaven, 
where  before  the  throne  of  God  is  gathered  the  innumerable 
multitude  of  saints  of  all  countries,  times,  nationalities,  and  ranks 
of  life,  who  have  faithfully  followed  Christ  and  left  us  glorious 
examples  of  virtues,  which  we  ought  to  imitate.  We  can  imitate 
them,  for  the  saints  too,  were  weak  men  they  fought  and  con- 
quered only  with  the  grace  of  God,  which  will  not  be  denied  to  us. 
4.  To  honor  those  saints,  for  whom  there  is  no  special  festival  ap- 
pointed by  the  Church  during  the  year.  5.  Finally,  that  in  answer 
to  so  many  intercessors  God  may  grant  us  perfect  reconciliation, 


758        INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ALL  SAINTS. 

may  permit  us  to  share  in  their  merits,  and  may  give  us  grace  to 
enjoy  with  them,  some  day,  the  bliss  of  heaven. 

Who  first  instituted  this  festival? 

Pope  Boniface  IV.  gave  the  first  suggestion  of  this  festival, 
when  in  610  he  ordered,  that  the  Pantheon,  a  pagan  temple  at 
Rome,  dedicated  to  all  the  gods,  should  be  turned  into  a  Christian 
Church,  and  the  relics  of  the  saints,  dispersed  through  the  different 
Roman  cemeteries,  taken  up  and  placed  in  it.  He  then  dedicated 
the  Church  to  the  honor  of  the  blessed  Virgin  and  of  all  martyrs, 
and  thus  for  the  first  time  celebrated  the  Festival  of  All  Saints, 
directing  that  is  should  be  observed  in  Rome  every  year.  Pope 
Gregory  IV.  extended  its  celebration  to  the  whole  Catholic  Church, 
and  fixed  the  day  for  it  on  the  first  of  November. 

At  the  Introit  the  Church  sings:  Let  us  all  rejoice  in 
the  Lord,  and  celebrate  this  festival  in  honour  of  all 
the  saints,  on  whose  solemnity  the  angels  rejoice  and 
praise  the  Son  of  God.  Rejoice  in  the  Lord,  0  ye  just: 
praise  becometh  the  upright.    Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Almighty  and  eternal 
God,  by  whose  favour  we  honour  on  one  solemnity  the  merits 
of  all  Thy  saints :  grant  we  may  obtain  a  plentiful  blessing 
of  Thy  so  much  desired  mercy,  since  we  have  so  many  peti- 
tioners in  our  behalf.  Thro1. 

LESSON.  (Apoc.  vii.  2—12.)  In  those  days:  Behold  I, 
John,  saw  another  angel  ascending  from  the  rising  of  the 
sun,  having  the  sign  of  the  living  God:  and  he  cried  with  a 
loud  voice  to  the  four  angels,  to  whom  it  was  given  to  hurt 
the  earth  and  the  sea,  saying :  Hurt  not  the  earth,  nor  the 
sea,  nor  the  trees,  till  we  have  signed  the  servants  of  our 
God  in  their  foreheads.  And  I  heard  the  number  of  them 
that  were  signed,  an  hundred  forty -four  thousand  were 
signed,  of  every  tribe  of  the  children  of  Israel.  Of  the  tribe 
of  Juda,  were  twelve  thousand  signed.  Of  the  tribe  of  Ruben, 
twelve  thousand  signed.  Of  the  tribe  of  Gad,  twelve  thousand 
signed.  Of  the  tribe  of  Aser,  twelve  thousand  signed.  Of  the 
tribe  of  Nephtali,  twelve  thousand  signed.  Of  the  tribe  of 
Manasses,  twelve  thousand  signed.  Of  the  tribe  of  Simeon, 
twelve  thousand  signed.  Of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  twelve  thousand 
signed.  Of  the  tribe  of  Issachar,  twelve  thousand  signed.  Of 
the  tribe  of  Zebulon,  twelve  thousand  signed.  Of  the  tribe 
of  Joseph,  twelve  thousand  signed.  Of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
twelve  thousand  signed.  After  this  I  saw  a  great  multitude, 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ALL  SAINTS.  75«J 

which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  nations  and  tribes,  and 
peoples  and  tongues :  standing  before  the  throne  and  in  sight 
of  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes  and  palms  in  their 
hands  and  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying:  Salvation  to 
our  God  who  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb.  And 
all  the  angels  stood  round  about  the  throne,  and  the  ancients, 
and  the  four  living  creatures:  and  they  fell  down  before  the 
throne  upon  their  faces,  and  adored  God,  saying:  Amen. 
Benediction,  and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiving,  hon- 
our, and  power,  and  strength  to  our  God  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen. 

EXPLANATION.  The  words  of  this  lesson  relate  and  to  the 
general  judgment.  At  this  judgment  there  will  be  chosen  ones 
from  each  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  But  that  it  might  not 
be  thought,  that  the  elect  are  principally  Christian  converts  from 
Judaism,  St.  John  was  shown  a  much  greater  and  countless  mul- 
titude of  Christians  from  heathen  lands,  by  which  it  is  seen,  that 
it  is  the  heathens,  who  will  principally  fill  the  Church  of  Christ 
and  heaven.  This  multitude  clothed  in  white  and  carrying  palms 
in  the  hands,  stands  before  the  throne  of  God  and  before  the 
Lamb,  that  is,  Christ.  The  white  robes  are  tokens  of  their  innocence ; 
the  palm  is  the  emblem  of  their  glory  and  of  their  victory  over 
the  temptations  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  They  shall 
adore  God,  and  forever  sing  to  Him  in  communion  with  all  the 
heavenly  spirits  a  canticle  of  praise  for  the  power  and  glory,  which 
He  has  bestowed  upon  them. 

Let  us  strive  so  to  live,  that  we  may  one  day  be  among  these 
chosen  ones. 

GOSPEL.  (Matt.  v.  1  — 12.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  seeing 
the  multitude,  went  up  into  a  mountain,  and  when  he  was 
set  down,  his  disciples-  came  unto  him.  And  opening  his 
mouth  he  taught  them,  saying:  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit: 
for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Blessed  are  the  meek: 
for  they  shall  possess  the  land.  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn: 
for  they  shall  be  comforted.  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger 
and  thirst  after  justice:  for  they  shall  have  their  fill.  Blessed 
are  the  merciful:  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy.  Blessed  are 
the  clean  of  heart:  for  they  shall  see  God.  Blessed  are  the 
peace  makers :  for  they  shall  be  called  the  children  of  God. 
Blessed  are  they  that  suffer  persecution  for  justice  sake:  for 
their's  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.    Blessed  are  ye  when  they 


760 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ALL  SAINTS. 


shall  revile  you,  and  persecute  you,  and  speak  all  that  is 
evil  against  you,  untruly,  for  my  sake;  be  glad  and  rejoice, 
for  your  reward  is  very  great  in  heaven. 

Why  is  the  Gospel  of  the  Eight  Beatitudes  read  on  this  day? 

Because  they  form,  so  to  speak,  a  scale  of  steps,  on  which  the 
saints  courageously  ascended  to  heaven. 

If  you  desire  to  be  with  the  saints  in  heaven,  you  must  also 
mount  these  steps  with  patience  and  perseverance,  in  doing  which 
God's  hand  will  assuredly  aid  you. 


761 


EXPLANATION  OF  THF  EIGHT  BEATITFDES. 


I.  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  their' s  is  the  kingdom  of 

heaven. 

They  are  poor  in  spirit,  who,  like  the  apostles,  leave  all  tem- 
poral things  for  Christ's  sake  and  become  poor;  they,  who 
have  lost  their  property  by  misfortune  or  injustice,  and  patiently 
bear  this  loss  with  resignation  to  God's  will;  they,  who  are  con- 
tented with  their  poor  and  lowly  station  in  life,  do  not  strive  for 
greater  fortune  or  a  higher  position,  and  would  rather  suffer  want 
than  make  themselves  rich  by  unlawful  means;  they,  who  though 
rich  do  not  love  wealth,  nor  set  their  hearts  upon  it,  but  use  their 
wealth  to  aid  the  poor;  and  especially  they,  who  are  humble,  that 
is,  who  have  no  exalted  opinion  of  themselves,  but  are  convinced 
of  their  weakness  and  inward  poverty,  have  a  low  estimate  of 
themselves  and  therefore  feel  always  their  need,  like  poor  men- 
dicants, to  continually  implore  God's  grace  and  assistance. 

II.  Blessed  are  the  meek,  for  they  shall  %)ossess  the  land. 

He  is  meek  who  represses  every  rising  impulse  of  anger,  im- 
patience, and  desire  of  revenge,  and  willingly  puts  up  with  every 
thing  that  God,  to  prove  him,  decrees  or  permits  to  happen  to 
him  or  men  to  inflict  upon  him.  He  who  thus  controls  himself,  is 
like  a  calm  and  tranquil  sea,  in  which  the  image  of  the  divine  sun 
can  be  ever  reflected,  clear  and  unruffled.  He  who  thus  conquers 
himself,  is  mightier  than  though  he  besieged  and  conquered  strongly 
fortified  cities  (Prov.  xvi.  32.),  and  will  without  doubt  receive  this 
earth,  as  well  as  heaven,  as  an  inheritance,  enjoying  eternally  in 
heaven  the  peace  (Ps.  xxxvi.  11.),  which  is  already  his  on  earth. 

III.  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn,  for  they. shall  be  comforted. 

The  mourners  here  mentioned,  are  not  those  who  weep  and 
lament  over  the  death  of  relatives  and  friends,  or  over  misfortune 
or  loss  of  temporal  riches,  but  those  who  mourn,  that  God  is  so 
often  offended,  so  little  loved  and  honored  by  men,  that  so  many 
souls,  redeemed  by  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  are  lost.  Among 
these  mourners  are  also  they  who  lead  a  strict  and  penitential 
life,  and  patiently  endure  all  distress ;  for  sin  is  the  only  evil,  the 
only  thing  to  be  lamented,  and  those  tears  only,  which  are  shed 
on  account  of  sin,  are  useful  tears,  that  are  recompensed  with 
everlasting  joy  and  eternal  consolation. 

IV.  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  justice,  for 
they  shall  have  their  fill. 

They  hunger  and  thirst  after  justice,  that  is,  for  those  virtues 
which  constitute  Christian  perfection,  wrho  if  not  already  just, 
try  to  become  so ;  and  if  they  are  so,  continue  day  after  day  to 


762  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  EIGHT  BEATITUDES. 

advance  in  piety,  striving  with  all  their  strength  for  the  perfection 
of  the  love  of  God  and  their  neighbor.  He  who  seeks  such  per- 
fection with  ardent  desire  and  earnest  striving,  will  be  filled,  that 
is,  will  be  adorned  by  God  with  the  most  beautiful  virtues,  and 
will  be  abundantly  rewarded  in  heaven. 

V.  Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 

They  are  merciful,  who  assist  the  poor  according  to  their 
means,  who,  practise  every  possible  spiritual  and  corporal  work 
of  mercy,  who  as  far  as  they  can,  patiently  endure  the  faults  of 
others,  strive  always  to  excuse  them,  and  willingly  forgive  the  in- 
juries they  have  received.  They  especially  are  truly  merciful, 
who  are  merciful  to  their  enemy,  and  do  good  to  him,  as  written: 
Love  your  enemies,  and  do  good  to  them  that  persecute 
you.  (Matt.  v.  44.)  Well  is  it  for  him  who  is  merciful,  the  greatest 
rewards  are  promised  him,  but  a  judgment  without  mercy  shall 
be  given  him,  who  is  not  merciful. 

VI.  Blessed  are  the  clean  of  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God. 

They  are  clean  of  heart,  who  carefully  preserve  the  innocence 
which  they  received  in  baptism,  and  keep  their  heart  and  con- 
science free  not  only  from  all  sinful  words  and  deeds,  but  from 
all  sinful  thoughts  and  desires,  and  in  all  their  omissions  and  com- 
missions think  and  desire  only  good.  These  while  yet  on  earth  see 
God  in  all  His  works  and  creatures,  because  their  thoughts  are 
directed  always  to  the  Highest  Good,  and  in  the  other  world  they 
will  see  God  from  face  to  face,  enjoying  in  this  contemplation  a 
peculiar  pleasure  which  is  reserved  for  pure  souls  only;  for  as 
the  eye  that  would  see  well,  must  be  clear,  so  those  must  be  im- 
maculate souls,  which  are  to  see  God. 

VII.  Blessed  are  the  peace  makers,  for  they  shall  be  called  the 

Children  of  God. 

Those  are  peace  makers  who  reign  over  their  improper  desires, 
who  are  careful  to  have  peace  in  their  conscience  and  all  their 
actions  ordered  in  quiet,  who  neither  quarrel  with  themselves  nor 
with  their  neighbors,  are  submissive  to  God's  will.  These  are  in 
a  spiritual^manner  called  Children  of  God,  because  they  follow 
God  who  is  a  God  of  peace  (Rom.  xv.  33.)  and  who  even  gave  His 
only  Son  to  reconcile  the  world,  and  bring  upon  earth  that  peace 
which  the  world  does  not  know  and  cannot  give.  (Luke  ii.  14.; 
John  xiv.  27.) 

VIII.  Blessed  are  they  who  suffer  persecution  for  justice  sake, 

for  their  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Those  suffer  persecution  for  justices'  sake  who  by  their  words, 
writings,  or  by  their  life  defend  the  truth,  the  faith,  and  Christian 
virtues;  who  cling  firmly  to  God,  and  permit  nothing  to  turn  them 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  ALL  SOULS'  DAY.  763 

from  the  duties  of  the  Christian  profession,  from  the  practice 
of  their  holy  religion,  but  on  its  account  suffer  hatred,  contempt, 
disgrace,  injury,  and  injustice  from  the  world.  If  they  endure  all 
this  with  patience  and  perseverance,  even,  like  the  saints,  with 
joy,  then  they  will  become  like  the  saints  and  like  them  receive 
the  heavenly  crown.  If  we  wish  to  be  crowned  with  them,  we 
must  suffer  with  them:  And  all  who  live  piously  in  Christ 
Jesus,  shall  suffer  persecution,  (ii.  Tim.  iii.  12.) 

SUPPLICATION.  How  lovely,  0  Lord,  are  Thy  taber- 
nacles! My  soul  longs  for  Thy  courts.  My  body  and  soul 
rejoice  in  Thee,  Most  Loving  God,  Thou  crown  and  reward 
of  all  the  saints,  whose  temporal  pains  and  sufferings  Thou 
dost  reward  with  eternal  joy,  filling  them  with  good.  How 
blessed  are  they  who  have  faithfully  served  Thee,  for  they 
carry  Thy  name  on  their  forehead,  and  reign  with  Thee  for 
all  eternity.  Grant  us,  we  beseech  Thee,  0  God,  at  their 
intercession,  Thy  grace  that  we  after  their  example  may 
serve  Thee  in  sanctity  and  justice,  in  poverty  and  humility, 
in  meekness  and  repentance,  in  the  ardent  desire  for  all 
virtues,  by  mercy,  perfect  purity  of  heart,  in  peacefulness 
and  patience,  following  them,  and  taking  part,  one  day,  with 
them  in  heavenly  joy  and  happiness.  Amen. 

[The  Instruction  on  the  Veneration  of  Saints  at  the  beginning  of 
the  second  part  of  this  book,  may  be  read  with  profit  on  this  day.] 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  ALL  SOULS'  DAY. 

[November  2.J 

What  is  All  Souls'  day  ? 

T  is  the  day  set  apart  by  the  Catholic  Church 
for  the  special  devout  commemoration  of  those 
of  its  members,  who  have  departed  this  life  in 
the  grace  and  friendship  of  God,  for  whom  we 
pray,  that  they  may  soon  be  released  by  God 
from  the  prison  of  purgatory. 
What  is  purgatory  ? 
Purgatory  is  that  place  in  which  the  souls  of  the  deceased 
faithful,  who  though  dying  in  the  grace  of  God,  are  yet  burdened 
with  some  small  sins  not  yet  atoned  for,  suffer  temporal  punish- 
ment, and  become  purified  from  all  sin.  It  is  called  the  place  of 
purification  or  purgatory,  because  in  it  those  souls,  which  are  not 
perfectly  unsullied,  are  purified  by  fire  as  gold  in  the  furnace.  St. 
Paul  writes  to  the  Corinthians:  And  the  fire  shall  try  every 
man's  work  of  what  sort  it  is.  If  any  man's  work  abide 


764  INSTRUCTION  OF  ALL  SOULS'  DAY. 

which  he  had  huilt  thereupon,  he  shall  receive  a  rew- 
ard; if  any  man's  work  burn,  he  shall  suffer  loss;  but 
he  himself  shall  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire.  (i.  C0r.iii.23.) 
"And  when  St.  Paul,"  says  St.  Ambrose  [Serin.  20.  in  Ps.  cxviii.), 
"says,  yet  so  as  by  fire,  he  shows  that  such  a  man  indeed 
becomes  happy,  having  suffered  the  punishment  of  fire,  having 
been  cleansed  by  the  blessed  fire,  but  not  being,  like  the  wicked, 
continually  tormented  in  eternal  fire."  St.  Paul's  words,  then,  can 
only  be  understood  to  refer  to  the  fire  of  purification,  as  the  in- 
fallible Church  has  always  explained  them. 

Are  the  heretics  right  in  denying,  that  there  is  such  a  place  of 
purification  as  purgatory? 

By  no  means,  for  by  such  denial  they  oppose  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures, tradition,  and  reason.  The  holy  Scriptures  teach,  that  there 
is  a  purgatory :  it  is  related  in  the  Second  Book  of  the  Macha- 
bees,  that  Judas  Machabeus  sent  twelve  thousand  drachms  of 
silver  to  Jerusalem,  to  be  used  in  the  temple  to  obtain  prayers  for 
those  who  fell  in  battle,  for  he  believed  it:  a  good  and  whole- 
some thought  to  pray  for  the  dead,  that  they  may  be 
loosed  from  their  sins.  But  for  what  dead  shall  we  pray? 
Those  in  heaven  do  not  require  our  prayers;  to  those  in  hell  they 
are  of  no  avail ;  we  must  then  pray  for  those  who  are  in  the  place 
of  purification.  Christ  speaks  of  a  prison  imthe  future  life,  from 
which  no  man  comes  out  until  he  has  paid  the  last  farthing.  (Malt, 
v.  25,  26.)  This  prison  cannot  be  hell,  because  from  hell  there  is. 
never  any  release;  it  must  be,  then,  a  place  of  purification.  Again 
Christ  speaks  of  sin  which  shall  be  forgiven  neither  in  this  world 
nor  in  the  next  (Matt.  xii.  32.),  from  which  it  follows,  there  is 
remittance  of  some  sins  in  the  next  world ;  but  this  can  be  neither 
in  heaven  nor  in  hell,  consequently  in  purgatory.  As  the  Con- 
sistory of  Trent  says  (Sess.  6.  c.  30.),  the  Church  has  always 
taught,  according  to  the  old  tradition  of  the  fathers,  in  all  her 
councils,  that  there  is  a  purgatory,  and  all  centuries  show  proofs 
of  the  continual  belief  of  all  true  Christians  in  a  purgatory.  Fin- 
ally, man's  unblinded  reason  must  accept  a  purgatory ;  for  how 
many  depart  this  earth  before  having  accomplished  the  great 
work  of  their  own  purification?  They  cannot  enter  heaven;  for 
St.  John  tells  us:  There  shall  not  enter  into  it  any  thing 
defiled.  (Apoc.  xxi.  27.)  The  simple  separation  of  the  soul  from 
the  body  does  not  make  the  sinful  soul  pure,  and  yet  God  cannot 
reject  them  as  the  hardened  sinners  in  hell ;  there  must  then  be 
a  middle  place,  a  purgatory,  where  those  who  have  departed 
not  free  from  stain,  must  be  purified.  See  how  the  doctrine  of  the 
Church,  reason,  and  the  holy  Scriptures  all  agree,  and  do  not  let 
yourself  be  led  away  by  false  arguments  from  those  who  not  only 
believe  in  no  purgatory,  but  even  in  no  hell,  so  that  they  may  sin 
with  so  much  more  impunity. 


INSTRUCTION  ON  ALL  SOULS'  DAY.  761) 

What,  how  much,  and  for  how  long  must  we  suffer  in  purgatory? 

Concerning  this  the  Church  has  made  no  decision,  though 
much  has  been  written  by  the  fathers  of  the  Church  on  the  sub- 
ject. Concerning  the  severity  of  the  punishment  in  purgatory,  St. 
Augustine  writes:  "This  fire  is  more  painful  than  any  that  man 
can  suffer  in  this  life."  This  should  urge  us  to  continual  sancti- 
fication  and  atonement,  so  that  we  may  escape  the  fearful  judg- 
ment of  God. 

How  can  we  aid  the  suffering  souls  in  purgatory  ? 

Of  this  St.  Augustine  writes:  "It  is  not  to  be  doubted,  that 
we  can  aid  the  souls  of  the  departed  by  the  prayers  of  the  Church, 
by  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  and  by  the  alms  which  we  offer 
for  them."  The  Church  has  always  taught,  that  prayers  for  the 
faithful  departed  are  useful  and  good,  and  she  has  always  offered 
Masses  for  them. 

What  should  urge  us  to  aid  the  suffering  souls  in  purgatory? 

1.  The  consideration  of  the  belief  of  the  Church  in  the  com- 
munion of  saints,  by  which  all  the  members  of  the  Church  upon 
earth,  in  heaven,  and  in  purgatory  are  joined  together  by  the 
bonds  of  love,  like  the  members  of  one  body,  and  as  the  healthy 
members  of  a  body  sympathize  with  the  suffering  members,  seek- 
ing to  aid  them,  so  should  we  assist  our  suffering  brothers  in 
purgatory.  2.  The  remembrance  that  it  is  God's  will,  that  we 
should  practise  charity  towards  one  another,  and  that  fearful 
judgments  are  threatened  those  who  show  no  charity  to  a  brother 
in  need,  together  with  the  recollection  of  God's  love  which  desires, 
that  all  men  should  be  happy  in  heaven.  3.  We  should  be  urged 
to  it  by  love  for  ourselves,  for  if  we  should  be  condemned  to  the 
pains  of  purification,  we  would  assuredly  desire  our  living  brothers 
to  pray  for  us  and  perform  good  works  for  our  sake,  while  the 
souls  who  through  our  prayers  have  perhaps  found  redemption, 
will  not  fail  to  reward  our  aid  by  interceding  for  us. 

Can  we  aid  the  souls  in  purgatory  by  gaining  indulgences? 

Yes,  for  as  indulgences,  as  explained  in  the  Instruction  for 
the  Eighteenth  Sunday  after  Pentecost,  are  a  complete  or  a  partial 
remittance  of  the  temporal  punishment  due  to  sin,  bestowed  by 
the  Church  to  penitent  sinners  from  the  treasury  of  the  merits  of 
Christ  and  His  saints.  If  we  gain  such  a  remittance,  we  can  apply 
it  to  the  souls  in  purgatory.  But  it  is  to  be  remembered,  that  such 
an  indulgence  can  be  transferred  only  to  one  soul. 

For  which  souls  should  we  pray? 

We  should  certainly,  especially  on  this  day,  offer  prayers  and 
good  works  for  all  the  faithful  departed,  and  since  we  are  more 
under  obligation  to  some,  some  are  more  pleasing  to  God,  some 
need  assistance  more,  some  deserve  it  more  than  others,  we 


766  INSTRUCTION  FOR  ALL  SOULS'  DAY. 

should  strive  to  pray  most  earnestly  for  our  parents,  relations, 
friends,  and  benefactors;  for  those  who  are  most  acceptable  to 
God ;  for  those  who  have  suffered  the  longest,  or  who  have  the 
longest  yet  to  suffer;  for  those  who  are  most  painfully  tormented; 
for  those  who  are  the  most  forsaken ;  for  those  who  are  nearest 
redemption;  for  those  who  are  suffering  on  account  of  us;  for 
those  who  hope  in  our  prayers ;  for  those  who  during  life  have 
injured  us,  or  been  injured  by  us;  for  our  spiritual  brothers  and 
sisters. 

When  and  by  which  means  was  this  yearly  commemoration  of  the 
■<    departed  introduced  into  the  Church? 

The  precise  time  of  its  introduction  cannot  be  told.  Tertullian 
(A.  D.  160)  writes,  that  the  early  Christians  held  a  yearly  com- 
memoration of  the  faithful  departed.  Towards  the  end  of  the  tenth 
century  St.  Odilo,  Abbot  of  the  Benedictines  at  Cluny,  directed 
that  the  yearly  commemoration  of  the  faithful  departed,  should 
be  observed  on  the  Second  of  November  with  prayers,  alms,  and 
the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  which  time  and  manner  of  celebration 
spread  through  various  dioceses,  and  was  officially  confirmed  by 
Pope  John  XIX.  And  this  day  was  appointed,  that,  having  the 
day  previously  rejoiced  at  the  glory  of  the  saints  in  heaven,  we 
might  on  this  day  most  properly  pray  for  those  who  are  yet  doing 
penance  for  their  sins  and  sigh  in  purgatory  for  their  redemption. 

The  Intro  it  of  this  day's  Mass  as  for  all  Masses  of  the  deads 
reads:  Grant  them  eternal  rest,  0  Lord;  and  let  perp  e- 
tual  light  shine  on  them.  (Ps.  lxiv.)  A  hymn  becometh 
thee  0  God,  in  Sion;  and  a  vow  shall  be  paid  to  thee 
in  Jerusalem.  0  hear  my  prayer:  all  flesh  shall  come 
to  thee.    Grant  them,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  the  Creator  and 
Redeemer  of  all  the  faithful,  give  to  the  souls  of  Thy  servants 
departed  the  remission  of  their  sins :  that  through  the  help 
of  pious  supplications,  they  may  obtain  the  pardon  they  have 
always  desired.  Who  livest. 

The  Epistle  and  Gospel  of  this  day  speak  of  the  resurrection 
of  all  men  and  of  the  judgment,  when  every  one  accordingly  as 
he  has  lived,  sinful  and  impenitent,  or  pure  and  innocent,  will 
receive  an  eternally  miserable  or  an  eternally  happy  life.  Purga- 
tory will  then  end  and  there  will  be  only  heaven  and  hell.  It 
remains  with  us  to  choose  by  our  life,  which  of  these  two  we 
shall  possess. 

At  the  Offertory  of  the  Mass,  the  priest  prays : 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  King  of  Glory,  deliver  the  souls  of  all  the 
faithful  departed  from  the  flames  of  hell,  and  from  the  deep  pit. 
Deliver  them  from  the  lion's  mouth,  lest  hell  swallow  them,  lest 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  LEONARD,  &c.  767 

they  fall  into  darkness :  and  let  the  standard  bearer,  St.  Michael, 
bring  them  into  the  holy  light:  which  thou  promisedst  of  old  to 
Abraham  and  his  posterity.  We  offer  thee,  0  Lord,  a  sacrifice  of 
praise  and  prayers:  accept  them  in  behalf  of  the  souls  we  com- 
memorate this  day :  and  let  them  pass  from  death  to  life. 

y.  From  the  gates  of  hell, 

it  Deliver  their  souls,  0  Lord. 

y.  Eternal  rest  give  unto  them,  0  Lord, 

Bf.  And  let  perpetual  light  shine  upon  them. 

y.  May  they  rest  in  peace, 

^.  Amen. 

y.  May  the  souls  of  all  the  faithful  departed  by  the  mercy  of 
God  rest  in  peace, 

^.  Amen. 
[We  may  profitably  and  devoutly  repeat  this  versicle  as  often 
as  we  pass  a  graveyard.] 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
LEONARD,  HERMIT  AND  ABBOT. 

[November  6 J 


T.  Leonard  was  born  in  France  of  noble  parents; 
he  was  baptized  by  St.  Remigius,  Bishop  of  Rheims ; 
Clovis,  the  first  Christian  King  of  France,  was 
his  god-father.  Clovis  offered  him,  at  the  proper 
age,  a  position  of  high  honor,  but  Leonard  had  set 
his  heart  on  something  higher  still.  He  was  ordain- 
ed a  priest  by  Remigius,  and  passing  through  the 
provinces  of  the  broad  lands  of  France,  preached  of  Christ  the 
Crucified  to  the  people,  who  for  the  most  part  worshipped  idols. 
The  miracles  which  he  worked,  added  such  force  to  his  words, 
that  thousands  and  thousands  were  converted  to  the  faith.  He 
was  one  day  journeying  through  a  thick  forest  in  which  the  king 
and  his  queen  were  hunting,  when  the  queen  was  suddenly  taken 
ill.  Help  was  urgently  needed.  At  this  very  moment,  through  God's 
providence,  Leonard  came  to  the  place  where  the  queen  was,  and 
as  soon  as  he  saw  the  sad  circumstances,  threw  himself  on  his 
knees  in  prayer,  while  the  queen  gave  birth  to  a  finely  formed 
prince.  Highly  pleased  the  king,  wished  to  reward  Leonard  in  a 
princely  manner  for  his  prayers.  The  saint  implored  the  king  to 
give  his  gifts  as  alms  to  the  poor;  this  the  king  promised,  only  in- 
sisting that  Leonard  should,  at  least,  accept  the  forest  as  a  present. 
But  he  would  take  only  that  part  of  it,  in  which  the  queen  so  un- 
expectedly found  help,  and  where  he  could  built  huts  for  himself 
and  his  companions,  together  with  a  chapel  to  be  dedicated  to  the 
Queen  of  heaven,  Mary.    The  king  soon  had  one  built  for  him, 


768  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  LEONARD,  &c. 

and  thus  was  commenced  the  afterwards  famous  Monastery  of  St. 
Leonard  at  Noblac. 

The  miraculous  power  which  God  gave  to  the  saint,  drew  the 
farmers  of  the  neighborhood  around  him;  they  came  to  obtain 
help  from  him  in  all  their  necessities  and  no  one  ever  left  his 
presence  unaided  and  unconsoled.  The  king  granted  him  at  times 
the  favor  to  release  prisoners,  for  whom  Leonard  had  always 
the  greatest  compassion.  Thus  it  often  happened,  that  by  the 
saint's  aid  poor  prisoners  found  the  beloved  liberty.  Others  prayed, 
that  God  would  help  them  to  be  released  through  the  merits  of 
His  servant  St.  Leonard,  and  suddenly  the  chains  fell  from  their 
hands  and  feet,  the  doors  of  the  prisons  opened  of  itself,  and  they 
were  free.  Many  thus  freed  brought  their  bonds  and  chains  to 
the  saint,  thanking  him.  But  he  surprised,  humbled  himself  be- 
fore God,  and  used  the  opportunity  to  give  them  touching  admo- 
nitions to  penance,  that  they  might  be  also  loosed  from  the  bonds 
of  sin.  They  who  were  sincerely  converted  and  loved  solitude, 
he  received  into  his  monastery. 

Living  in  strict  penance  and  in  the  continual  practice  of  works 
in  honor  of  God,  Leonard  reached  an  advanced  age,  and  had  the 
happiness  of  seeing  the  best  fruits  ripen  from  the  seed  which 
he  had  planted.  Where  idolatry,  ignorance,  coarseness,  and  hor- 
rible vices  had  their  previously  own  way,  there  now  reigned  the 
pure  law  of  the  gospel.  The  Monastery  of  Noblac  spread  its  bless- 
ings far  around,  and  many  who  would  have  been  lost  in  the  world, 
found  in  it  peace  for  their  souls,  and  a  happy  death. 

Leonard  now  weary  of  live,  and  longing  to  see  the  face  of 
Christ,  at  last  received  this  grace.  God  called  him  to  Himself  by 
a  quiet  death  in  the  year  559. 

The  Introit  of  Mass,  the  Lesson,  and  the  Gospel  as  on  the 
Feast  of  St.  Wendelin,  October  20. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  May  the  intercession,  0 
Lord,  of  Thy  blessed  servant  St.  Leonard  commend  us  to 
Thee,  that  those  things  which  we  cannot  hope  for  through 
our  own  merits,  we  may  obtain  by  his  prayers.  Through. 


769 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
MARTIN,  BISHOP. 


~*~&£/3k\&&^~ 


[November  11.] 


E  who  loves  God  with  a  filial  fear,  will  conti- 
nually endeaver  to  do  good.  (Eccl.  xv.  1.)  This 
was  the  fruitful  love  of  St.  Martin,  this  the 
summary  of  his  whole  life.  His  life  was  a  con- 
tinual love  of  God  and  his  neighbor,  and  it  was 
therefore  replete  with  good  works.  He  was 
,  born  in  Hungary  of  pagan  parents,  but  a  secret 
instinct  of  his  soul  urged  him  from  childhood  to  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  only  true  God  and  to  the  acceptance  of  the  Christian 
religion.  In  his  tenth  year  he  was  placed  among  the  catechumens, 
that  is,  those  who  were  preparing  to  receive  the  holy  Sacrament 
of  Baptism.  His  pagan  father  sought  to  restrain  him,  but  vainly; 
he  had  him  placed  in  a  company  of  soldiers,  but  the  fear  of  God 
kept  him  in  this  position  not  only  free  from  the  excesses  common 
to  it,  but  gave  him  opportunities  to  practise  the  love  of  his  neigh- 
bor by  distributing  his  pay  among  the  poor.  Once  he  was  met  at 
the  gate  Of  the  city  of  Tours  by  a  beggar  without  clothes,  and 
having  nothing  else  to  give  him,  Martin  with  his  sword  cut  his  own 
cloak  in  two,  and  gave  half  to  the  beggar.  The  following  night 
our  Lord  appeared  to  him  with  this  part  of  the  cloak  wrapped 
around  him,  and  said:  "With  this  mantle  has  Martin,  the  catechu- 
men, clothed  me."  Moved  by  this  consoling  vision,  Martin  no 
longer  delayed  receiving  baptism ;  he  left  the  army  and  went  to  St. 
Hilary,  Bishop  of  Poitiers,  and  under  his  direction  made  wonder- 
ful progress  in  Christian  virtue.  But  however  much  he  labored  for 
his  salvation,  he  did  not  forget  to  strive  equally  for  the  salvation 
of  others,  especially  of  his  parents  and  relations,  for  whose  con- 
version he  undertook  a  long  and  perilous  journey  back  to  his  native 
country.  Returning  from  there  he  built  a  monastery,  in  which  he 
and  a  number  of  other  monks  led  a  very  strict  and  virtuous  life. 
His  great  faith  and  his  ardent  love  made  him  equal  in  miracles 
some  of  the  deeds  of  the  apostles ;  his  first  miracle  was  the  raising 
to  life  of  a  catechumen,  who  had  died  without  baptism.  The  fame  of 
his  sanctity  and  of  the  miracles,  which  he  wrought,  led  to  his  election 
to  the  bishopric  of  Tours,  in  spite  of  his  determined  resistance  to 
the  acceptance  of  the  position.  This  new  dignity  changed  nothing 
in  his  maimer  of  life,  except  that  it  increased  his  humility,  his 
zeal  for  God's  honor,  and  his  love  for  his  neighbor.  Thus  he  took 
charge  of  his  diocese  for  twenty  six  years.  When  over  eighty  years 
old,  he  settled  a  quarrel  which  had  broken  out  at  Cande,  but  re- 
turning home  his  strength  left  him ;  he  called  his  disciples  together, 
and  said:  "My  children,  I  am  dying!"  To  which  they  responded: 


49 


770  INSTRUCTION  FOE  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MARTIN,  BISHOP. 

"Alas,  father,  wilt  thou  leave  us?  To  whom  wilt  thou  leave  thy 
orphans  ? "  Touched  by  this,  the  saint  prayed :  "  Lord !  If  I  am 
still  necessary  to  Thy  people,  I  refuse  not  the  work."  But  he  had 
toiled  enough,  his  end  was  approaching;  when  the  priests  surround- 
ing him,  asked  him  to  change  his  position  in  order  that  he  might 
be  easier,  he  replied:  "Let  me  rather  look  towards  heaven,  my 
brothers,  than  turn  again  to  earth,  that  my  spirit  which  is  already 
on  its  way  to  the  Lord,  may  not  be  disturbed  from  the  straight 
way  to  Him."  He  saw  Satan  near  him,  and  said:  "What  dost 
thou  here,  thou  wild  beast?  Miserable  fiend,  thou  canst  not  harm 
me!  Abraham's  bosom  will  receive  me."  With  these  words  he 
yielded  up  his  spirit,  which  the  angels,  singing  hymns  of  praise, 
carried  to  heaven. 

0  that  we  may  learn  from  St.  Martin's  life  to  love  God  and  to 
care  not  for  our  own  salvation  only,  but  also  for  the  spiritual  and 
corporal  welfare  of  others,  then  indeed  would  we,  at  the  hour  of 
death,  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  temptations  of  the  evil  one. 

[The  Introit  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Peter's  Chair  J 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God  who  seest,  that  of 
our  own  strength  we  can  do  nothing,  graciously  grant,  that 
by  the  intercession  of  Thy  holy  Bishop  and  Confessor  Martin, 
we  may  be  protected  from  all  adversities.  Through. 

LESSON.  (JEccl.  xliv.  and  xlv.)  Behold  a  great  priest, 
who  in  his  time  pleased  God,  and  was  found  just:  and  in  the 
time  of  wrath  became  an  atonement.  There  were  none  found 
like  him  in  observing  the  law  of  the  Most  High.  Therefore, 
by  an  oath,  did  the  Lord  make  him  great  amongst  his  people. 
He  gave  him  the  blessing  of  all  nations,  and  established  his 
covenant  on  his  head.  He  acknowledged  him  in  his  blessings: 
he  stored  up  his  mercy  for  him:  and  he  found  favour  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord.  He  exalted  him  in  the  sight  of  kings :  and 
gave  him  a  crown  of  glory.  He  made  with  him  an  eternal 
covenant:  and  bestowed  on  him  a  great  priesthood:  and 
rendered  him  blessed  in  glory.  To  perform  the  priestly  of- 
fice, to  sing  praises  to  the  name  of  God ;  and  to  offer  him 
precious  incense  for  an  odour  of  sweetness. 

EXPLANATION.  This  lesson,  taken  from  the  forty  fourth 
and  forty  fifth  chapters  of  Ecclesiasticus,  speaks  of  the  great  men 
of  the  Old  Testament  (Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Moses, 
and  Aaron),  and  the  Church  applies  the  description  of  them  to 
the  expression  of  the  dignity,  honor,  and  happiness  of  the  high 
priest  or  bishop  of  the  New  Law,  of  whom  these  men  were  the 
prototype.    A  bishop  or  priest  should  strive  with  all  his  strength 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  MARTIN,  BISHOP.  771 

to  imitate  those  men  so  acceptable  to  God,  and  so  anxious  for  the 
salvation  of  man,  and  as  he  shares  their  honor  and  dignity,  he 
should  also  like  them  walk  before  God  in  sanctity  and  justice, 
seeking  in  all  things  to  please  Him,  that  He  may  be  reconciled  in 
His  anger  with  the  people  by  the  priestly  offerings  and  prayers; 
for  it  is  not  enough  for  the  priest  to  make  the  people  acquainted 
with  the  laws  of  God,  he  must  practise  that,  which  he  preaches. 
This  St.  Martin  did,  and  when  a  priest  follows  his  example,  he 
may  expect  that  God  will  not  only  shower  blessings  abundantly 
upon  him,  but  upon  his  people  also,  and  make  him  great  upon 
earth  as  well  as  in  heaven. 

GOSPEL.  {Luke  xi.  33 — 36.)  At  that  time:  Jesus  said 
to  the  multitude :  No  man  lighteth  a  candle  and  putteth  it  in 
a  hidden  place,  nor  under  a  bushel,  but  upon  a  candlestick, 
that  they  that  come  in,  may  see  the  light.  The  light  of  thy 
body  is  thy  eye.  If  thy  eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body  will 
be  lightsome:  but  if  it  be  evil,  thy  body  also  will  be  dark- 
some. Take  heed  therefore,  that  the  light  which  is  in  thee, 
be  not  darkness.  If  then  thy  whole  body  be  lightsome,  having 
no  part  of  darkness,  the  whole  shall  be  lightsome  and  as  a 
bright  lamp  shall  lighten  thee. 

What  is  the  light  which  is  put  not  in  a  hidden  place  put  on  a 
candlestick  ? 

Christ  Himself  who  by  His  doctrine  and  example,  like  a  light 
in  a  high  place,  lights  all  who  walk  in  darkness,  and  whoever 
follows  this  light,  cannot  go  wrong.  It  shines  for  every  man  that 
comes  into  this  world,  and  if  any  one  does  not  recognize  it,  he  may 
blame  his  own  blindness  and  hardness  of  heart.  Such  lights  are 
also  teachers,  heads  of  families,  parents,  and  especially  the  clergy, 
whom  God  has  placed  on  a  candlestick,  so  to  speak,  for  the  good 
of  those  under  them.  Such  persons  must  strive  earnestly  to  shine 
lor  the  good  of  their  children  and  those  placed  under  their  care, 
by  giving  good  instruction,  but  still  more  by  the  example  of  a 
pious  and  edifying  life,  and  not  to  mislead  them,  like  an  ignis  fa- 
tuus,  by  scandalous  words  and  actions,  into  evil.  Every  Christian 
should  shine,  in  accordance  with  his  faith,  by  good^vorks  for  his 
fellowmen,  that  is,  he  should  guide,  exhort,  and  warn  them  to  the 
right  by  good  example,  and  not  lead  them  in  wrong  paths  by  an 
indolent,  unchristian,  and  sinful  life.  Finally,  this  light  represents 
our  conscience,  the  light  which  God  has  signed  upon  us  (Ps.  iv.  7.), 
and  is  kindled  within  us,  that  it  may  shine  to  us  in  all  our  actions 
and  make  clear  to  us  what  is  right  and  just.  We  must  strive  to 
keep  this  light  ever  on  its  candlestick,  that  is,  be  always  guided 
by  it,  and  never  darken  or  extinguish  it  by  carelessly  sinning. 


49* 


772    INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  PRESENTATION  OF  MARY. 

What  are  we  to  understand  by  the  eye  and  the  body? 
By  the  eye  is  understood  our  good  intention,  or  the  feelings  of 
the  heart  directed  always  to  God  and  His  honor,  and  by  the  body 
the  works  and  actions  of  our  life.  The  simile  therefore  means: 
"As  a  clear,  healthy  eye  controls  the  body  and  directs  its  course, 
so  the  mind,  turned  towards  God,  guides  our  conduct  and  renders 
it  acceptable  to  God."  Be  careful,  therefore,  to  have  always  a 
single  eye,  that  is,  a  sincere  intention,  turned  to  God's  honor,  in 
your  thoughts  and  actions,  and  not  an  evil  eye,  that  is,  a  mind 
set  only  upon  this  world,  its  vanities  and  false  pleasures. 

PRAYER  TO  ST.  MARTIN.  0  blessed  St.  Martin,  so 
zealous  for  God's  honor,  that  neither  in  word  nor  deed  wouldst 
thou  permit  thyself  to  be  overcome,  whereat  the  angels  so 
rejoiced,  that  they  carried  thy  soul  with  hymns  of  praise  to 
the  throne  of  God,  I  implore  thee  to  obtain  for  me  by  thy 
powerful  intercession  a  compassionate  heart  for  all  sufferers, 
true  apostolic  zeal  for  all  pastors,  and  for  all  on  their  death- 
bed the  grace  to  enter,  like  thee,  from  this  miserable  life 
into  the  joy  of  the  Lord,  which  thou  as  a  good  and  faithful 
servant,  dost  already  possess.  Through. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE 
PRESENTATION  OF  MARY. 

[November  21] 

What  is  this  festival? 
T  is  a  festival  set  apart  by  the  Church  for  the 
commemoration  of  the  day  on  which  the  blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  then  in  her  most  tender  childhood, 
was  offered  by  her  pious  parents  to  the  Lord  in 
the  temple,  and  on  which  Mary  consecrated 
herself  forever  to  God's  service. 

How  did  this  take  place? 

The  parents  of  the  blessed  Virgin  had  promised,  as  we  learn 
by  tradition,  to  offer  the  child  which  God  would  give  them,  to  His 
service  in  the  temple.  Mary,  at  the  same  time,  child  as  she  was, 
enlightened  by  divine  inspiration  had  offered  herself  wholly  to  the 
Lord,  consecrating  herself  unreservedly  to  His  love  and  service. 
She  knew  also,  that  her  parents  had  made  a  vow  to  dedicate  her 
to  the  service  of  God,  for  it  was  an  old  custom  with  the  Jews  to 
place  their  daughters  in  one  of  the  rooms  surrounding  the  temple, 
there  to  be  well  educated  by  saintly  women,  as  now  did  Joachim 
and  Anne  their  holy  child.   As  Mary,  though  only  three  years  of 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  PRESENTATION  OF  MARY.  773 

age,  knew  of  her  parents'  vow,  she  intended,  as  St.  Germanus  and 
Epiphanius  testify,  to  solemnly  dedicate  herself  to  God  in  the 
temple;  she  therefore  entreated  her  parents  to  take  her  to  the 
temple  and  fulfil  their  promise  to  God,  after  which,  as  St.  Gregory 
of  Nyssa  tells  us,  St.  Anne  no  longer  delayed  accompanying  her 
to  the  temple  and  offering  her  to  God.  Mary,  like  a  graceful 
dove,  hastened  on  the  wings  of  desire  in  advance;  simple  and 
without  external  show  was  her  entrance  into  the  temple,  but  in- 
numerable heavenly  spirits  celebrated  this  festival,  and  the  Most 
High  looked  down  with  pleasure  upon  this  purest  and  holiest 
sacrifice  ever  offered  in  His  temple.  The  three  holy  persons  fell 
on  their  faces  and  adored  the  living  God;  the  parents  in  deepest 
humility,  adoration,  and  reverence  offered  Him  their  daughter, 
and  Mary  gave  thanks  to  the  God  of  Israel,  that  He  had  given 
her  the  grace  to  serve  Him,  and  to  give  herself  to  Him  to  be  His 
handmaid  forever.  Then  Joachim  and  Anne  gave  their  beloved 
child  to  the  priest  Zacharias  (S.  Germ.  Greg,  de  Nicom)  who  pre- 
sided over  the  holy  service,  who,  having  offered  prayers  and 
sacrifices  for  her,  led  her  to  that  part  of  the  temple  where  the 
maidens  dedicated  to  God's  service  were  educated.  Here  Mary 
shone  as  a  model  for  all  the  maidens  who  were  with  her  in  the 
temple,  and  she  shines  still  for  all  who,  like  her,  consecrate  their 
virginity  to  the  Lord,  and  devote  themselves  wholly  and  entirely 
to  this  service. 

[The  lntroit,  Epistle,  and  Gospel  as  on  the  Festival  of  the 
Rosary.] 

INSTRUCTION.  I.  How  wonderfully  noble  were  the  minds  of 
Mary's  parents,  which  enabled  them  to  deprive  themselves  of  their 
beloved  child  for  the  love  of  God,  offering  her  to  Him,  the  Most 
High,  willingly  leaving  her  in  the  temple  for  His  holy  service! 
True  love  of  God  is  ready  for  any  sacrifices,  prepared  to  do 
whatever  He  requires. 

Parents !  God  does  not  require  from  all  of  you,  that  you,  like 
Joachim  and  Anne,  should  dedicate  your  children  in  a  special 
manner  to  Him,  but  He  does  require  of  you  all,  that  you  see  in 
your  children  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  that  you  should 
guard  them  from  every  stain  of  sin.  From  their  earliest  youth 
you  should,  if  you  wish  for  joy  in  your  children,  train  them  for 
God'  service,  changing  your  dwelling  into  God's  temple  by  a 
Christian  life. 

II.  Mary,  even  in  her  tenderest  childhood,  offers  up  and  con- 
secrates herself;  she  gives  herself  unreservedly  and  irrevocably 
to  God.  When  shall  we  give  ourselves  in  earnest  to  God?  We 
are  offered  to  Him  in  baptism,  it  is  true,  and  made  His  consecrat- 
ed temple ;  we  then  renounced  the  world  and  the  devil ;  we  then 
bound  ourselves  to  live  for  God  only,  and  we  have,  since  then, 


774  INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  THE  PRESENTATION  OF  MARY. 

renewed  our  baptismal  covenant  with  God.  But  have  we  kept 
to  it?  Have  we  not  with  one  hand  stolen  that,  which  with  the 
other  we  offered  to  God?  Have  we  not  profaned  with  shameful 
desires  the  temple  of  our  heart?  Have  we  not  lived  more  for  our- 
selves, for  the  world,  for  vanity  than  for  God?  When  then  will 
we  truly  give  ourselves  to  God?  In  our  old  age  perhaps?  But  will 
God,  after  we  have  spent  our  youth  and  strength  in  the  service  of 
the  world,  sin,  and  the  devil,  accept  the  offering  of  our  weak,  feeble 
body,  of  our  sinbound  soul?  Will  He  be  satisfied  to  have  us  willing 
to  serve  Him,  when  we  can  no  longer  serve  the  world?  if  we  com- 
mence to  live  for  God,  only  when  we  commence  to  die?  God  is  a 
jealous  God,  He  is  not  satisfied  with  a  heart  divided  between  Him 
and  creatures.  He  wishes  to  be  loved  with  the  whole  heart,  with 
the  whole  soul,  and  with  all  one's  strength.  And  thus  He  deserves 
to  be  loved;  it  is  only  such  perfect  love  as  this  that  He  can  reward, 
for  He  wishes  to  give  Himself  entirely  to  us,  as  we  give  ourselves 
entirely  to  Him,  without  reserve,  for  Christ  says:  If  any  one 
love  me,  my  father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  to 
him,  and  will  make  our  abode  with  him.  {John  xiv.  23.) 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  hast  pleased 
that  blessed  Mary,  ever  a  Virgin,  become  an  abode  for  the 
Holy  Ghost,  should  this  day  be  presented  to  Thee  in  the 
temple:  grant,  by  her  intercession,  that  we  may  be  presented 
before  Thy  divine  Majesty  in  the  temple  of  God.  Thro1. 

PRAYER  TO  MARY.  0  Mary,  most  pleasing  offering  in 
the  sight  of  God,  prepare  my  heart  to  be  a  worthy  and  ac- 
ceptable offering  to  God.  Obtain  for  me,  that  from  hence- 
forth there  may  arise  no  thought  of  my  heart,  no  word  of 
my  mouth,  no  action  of  mine,  which  may  not  tend  to  my 
neighbor's  good.  Obtain  for  me,  that  my  heart  may  be  at 
all  times  turned  towards  God,  and  that  I  may  do  nothing 
negligently  that  concerns  God's  honor  and  my  own  salvation. 
Take  from  me  my  own  perverted  will,  and  obtain  me  a  will 
like  thine,  that  I  may  satisfactorily  perform  all  my  duties, 
and  in  everything  be  obedient  to  the  commands  of  God. 
Amen. 


775 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST. 
CATHARINE,  VIRGIN  AND  MARTYR. 

[November  25  J 

Atharine,  a  noble  maiden  of  Alexandria,  labored 
diligently  and  energetically,  even  in  her  child- 
hood, to  learn  the  Christian  religion  as  well  as 
worldly  sciences.  In  this  she  was  so  successful 
that,  in  her  eighteenth  year,  she  put  to  shame  the 
erroneous  doctrines  of  the  greatest  philosophers 
of  Alexandria.  The  occasion  for  this  was  given 
by  the  Emperor  Maxentius,  a  cruel  persecutor  of  the  Christians. 
When  he  learned,  that  the  young  and  beautiful  Catharine  upheld 
the  divinity  of  the  Christian  religion  in  the  strongest  manner,  he 
ordered  the  wisest  philosophers  to  meet  at  Alexandria,  promising 
them  great  rewards,  if  they  would  vanquish  the  maiden  in  argu- 
ment, and  prevail  upon  her  to  become  an  idolater.  But  the  con- 
trary effect  was  produced,  for  Catharine  proved  with  such  power- 
ful arguments,  that  the  Christian  is  the  only  true  religion,  the  one, 
only  one  necessary  for  eternal  life,  that  the  philosophers  accepted 
it  without  delay,  and  afterwards  defended  it  with  their  blood. 
The  emperor,  exasperated  by  this  unexpected  result  of  the  debate, 
sought  in  other  ways  to  move  her,  using  all  possible  persuasions, 
offering  himself  to  her  in  marriage,  promising  to  make  her  queen 
of  this  world  if  she  would  renounce  her  faith ;  but  finding  all  una- 
vailing he  had  recourse  to  threats  and  tortures.  He  caused  her  to 
be  tortured  for  eleven  days  in  prison  by  blows,  hunger,  and  thirst, 
but  with  no  other  success  than  that  the  empress,  his  wife,  and 
the  general  Porphyrius,  who  visited  Catharine  in  prison,  were  con- 
verted to  the  faith  and  prepared  to  die  as  martyrs.  Still  more 
enraged  by  this,  the  emperor  commanded,  that  Catharine  should 
be  placed  on  a  wheel  of  knives  and  sharp  iron  hooks,  which  would 
tear  her  body  into  pieces.  But  what  happened?  She  made  the 
sign  of  the  cross  on  the  wheel,  and  instantly  the  fearful  instru- 
ments of  torture  flew  apart,  and  an  immense  number  of  spectators 
were  converted  by  the  miracle.  The  tyrant  dared  not  try  new  tor- 
tures, lest  still  more  should  be  converted.  He  therefore  ordered, 
that  she  should  be  beheaded.  The  saint  received  her  death-blow 
joyously,  and  her  pure  soul  flew  to  heaven  there  to  receive  the 
double  crown  of  virginity  and  martyrdom.  Her  body  was  buried 
by  angels  on  Mount  Sinai,  where  in  the  eight  century  it  was 
found  by  the  Christians,  and  is  still  venerated  with  the  greatest 
devotion. 

What  will  be  thought,  reading  this  biography,  by  those  young 
girls  who  instead  of  gaining  many  souls  for  God  by  piety  and 
modesty,  draw  many  from  Him  and  lead  them  to  hell  by  their 


776 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  CATHARINE, 

fi 


reckless  conduct,  the  freedom  of  their  manners,  their  improper 
bearing,  their  shameful  dress,  and  their  unblushing  exposure? 

At  the  Introit  the  Church  sings:  I  spoke  of  thy  testimo- 
nies before  kings,  and  I  was  not  ashamed:  I  meditated 
also  on  thy  commandments,  which  I  loved  exceedingly. 
Blessed  are  the  undefiled  in  the  way,  who  walk  in  the 
law  of  the  Lord.   (Ps.  cxviii.)  Glory,  &c. 

PRAYER  OF  THE  CHURCH.  0  God,  who  gavest  the 
law  to  Moses  on  Mount  Sinai,  and  didst  wonderfully  trans- 
late the  body  of  blessed  Catharine,  Thy  virgin  and  martyr, 
thither  by  the  ministry  of  holy  angels:  mercifully  grant,  by 
her  merits  and  prayers,  that  we  may  safely  come  to  the 
mount  which  is  Christ.   Who  liveth. 


V IRGIN  AND  MARTYR.  777 

LESSON.  (Eccl.  li.  1—8.)  I  will  give  glory  to  thee,  0 
Lord,  my  king,  and  I  will  praise  thee,  0  God,  my  Saviour. 
I  will  give  glory  to  thy  name,  for  thou  hast  been  a  helper 
and  protector  to  me,  and  hast  preserved  my  body  from  des- 
truction, from  the  snare  of  an  unjust  tongue,  and  from  the 
lips  of  them  that  forge  lies,  and  in  the  sight  of  them  that 
stood  by,  thou  hast  been  my  helper.  And  thou  hast  delivered 
me,  according  to  the  multitude  of  the  mercy  of  thy  name, 
from  the  roaring  lions,  that  were  ready  to  devour  me.  Out 
of  the  hands  of  them  that  sought  my  life,  and  from  the  gates 
of  afflictions,  which  compassed  me  about ;  from  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  flame  which  surrounded  me,  and  in  the  midst  of 
the  fire  I  was  not  burnt.  From  the  depth  of  the  belly  of  hell, 
and  from  an  unclean  tongue,  and  from  lying  words,  from  an 
unjust  king,  and  from  a  slanderous  tongue :  my  soul  shall 
praise  the  Lord  even  to  death,  because  thou  succourest  those 
that  trust  in  thee,  and  deliverest  them  from  the  hands  of  the 
Gentiles,  0  Lord  our  God. 

APPLICATION.  The  Church  on  this  day  praises  God  in  the 
words  of  the  wise  man,  for  the  graces,  which  He  bestowed  on  St. 
Catharine,  but  especially  for  the  protection  of  her  purity  against 
the  temptations  and  dangers  of  tins  world.  God  is  indeed  the  most 
faithful  defender  and  the  most  powerful  protector  of  pure  and  un- 
sullied souls,  and  does  not  permit  those  who  trust  in  Him,  to  be 
confounded.  He  does  indeed  sometimes  allow  them  to  be  assailed 
by  great  temptations,  dangers,  and  trials,  but  this  only  in  order 
to  give  them  occasion  for  victory  and  more  conspicuously  to  mani- 
fest His  help.  For  in  the  midst  of  their  trouble,  He  is  with  them, 
and  the  greater  the  danger  is  the  more  wonderful  is  His  protection. 
But  this  protection  cannot  be  claimed  by  those,  who  carelessly, 
unnecessarily  and  uselessly  rush  into  the  greatest  dangers,  who 
intentionally  seek  occasions  for  sin,  and  thrust  themselves  into 
the  fire  of  the  greatest  temptations.  For  such  as  these  God  surely 
will  not  renew  the  miracle  of  the  children  in  the  fiery  furnace,  but 
leave  them  to  perish  in  the  danger,  which  they  have  loved.  (Eccl. 
iii.  27.) 

The  Gospel  as  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Rose  of  Lima. 
What  does  Christ  teach  us  by  this  parable? 

He  teaches  us  to  be  at  every  moment  prepared  for  the  judg- 
ment which  will  come  after  death,  when  He  will  take  those  who 
are  ready  with  Him  to  the  wedding,  that  is,  to  heaven,  and  will 
exclude  those  who  are  not  prepared.  Therefore  He  says  at  the 
end:  Watch  ye  and  be  every  moment  prepared,  because 
you  know  not  the  day  nor  the  hour. 


778      INSTRUCTION  FOR  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  CATHARINE, 

What  is  to  be  understood  by  the  wedding  and  the  persons 
present  at  it? 
By  the  wedding  is  understood  the  eternal  possession  and  enjoy- 
ment of  God,  by  the  bridegroom  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  bride  the 
Church  on  earth,  by  the  wedding  feast  the  union  of  Christ  and 
His  Church  in  heaven,  which  is  the  wedding  hall ;  by  the  ten 
virgins  all  who  are  invited  to  the  Lamb's  wedding  and  the  proud 
eternal  banquet. 

Why  are  the  faithful  compared  to  virgins? 

Because  in  the  designs  of  God  all  the  faithful  should  be  as 
virgins,  that  is,  that  they  should  lead  pure  and  unsullied  lives,  by 
the  proper  use  of  their  senses,  by  employing  the  powers  of  their 
soul  in  a  right  manner,  and  by  avoiding  all  improper  attachments 
to  creatures,  a  St.  Paul  says:  For  I  am  jealous  of  you  with 
jealousy  of  God,  for  I  have  espoused  you  to  one  hus- 
band, that  I  may  present  you  as  a  chaste  virgin  to 
Christ,  (iii.  Cor.  xi.  2.) 

What  do  the  lamps,  the  oil,  and  the  vessels  represent? 

As  the  holy  fathers  explain  it,  by  the  lamps  faith  is  understood, 
by  oil  love,  good  works,  charity,  and  by  the  vessels  the  hearts 
and  consciences  of  men. 

What  is  meant  by  the  tarrying  of  the  bridegroom,  the  virgin's  sleep, 
and  the  cry  by  which  they  were  awakened? 
The  tarrying  of  the  bridegroom  represents  the  uncertainty  of 
death  and  the  judgment;  the  virgin's  sleep  the  negligence  in 
which  Christians  continue  to  live,  without  good  works,  until  un- 
expectedly another  sleep,  the  sleep  of  death,  comes  over  them, 
from  which  they  are  aroused  and  summoned  to  judgment  by  the 
sound  of  trumpets  and  the  cry,  Arise,  ye  dead,  and  come  to 
judgment. 

Why  did  the  foolish  virgins  ask  the  wise  ones  for  oil? 

Because  they  had  not  provided  themselves  with  any,  that  is, 
because  they  were  contented  to  have  the  lamp  of  faith  or  of 
virginity,  and  did  not  supply  themselves  with  oil  of  charity  and 
good  works.  They  will,  therefore,  be  obliged  at  the  judgment  to 
seek  from  the  prudent  virgins,  that  is,  from  those  who  combined 
faith  with  love,  and  so  supplied  themselves  with  good  works,  for 
oil,  that  is,  for  a  share  in  their  merits.  But  they  obtain  nothing, 
for  as  St.  Jerome  says,  at  the  judgment  the  virtues  of  the  just 
cannot  supply  the  deficiency  of  the  unjust. 

Why  did  the  prudent  virgins  tell  the  others  to  go  to  them 
.    that  sell? 
In  these  words,  says  St.  Bernard,  a  severe  rebuke  is  contained 
to  those  hypocrites  who  all  their  lives  have  sought  to  please  men 


VIRGIN  AND  MARTYR.  779 

and  buy  their  praise ;  let  them  look  to  these  after  death  for 
reward ! 

Why  did  the  bridegroom  say  to  the  foolish  virgins:   I  know 

you  not? 

To  teach  us,  that  it  is  not  enougli  in  order  to  enter  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  that  we  should  believe,  but  that  moreover  we 
must  have  a  living  faith,  a  faith  productive  of  good  works,  and 
causing  us  in  all  our  actions  to  seek  sincerely  to  promote  God's 
honor.  For,  as  St.  Chrysostom  says,  even  the  virgins  who  bring 
no  fruits  of  good  works,  will  be  cast  away  with  those  who  are  not 
virgins,  on  the  judgment  day. 

Why  does  Christ  say:  Watch? 

St.  Gregory  says,  "Were  a  man  to  know  the  time  of  his  death, 
he  could  give  a  part  pf  his  life-time  to  the  joys  of  this  world, 
and  a  part  to  penance ;  but  as  we  know  not  the  hour,  we  should 
expect :  nd  be  ready  for  the  end  of  our  life  at  any  moment." 

ASPIRATION.  0  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Teacher  of  eternal 
life!  we  thank  Thee  for  having  taught  us  how  circumspectly, 
vigilantly,  and  with  what  preparation  we  should  live  and 
expect  Thy  coming.  But  as  we  cannot  do  this  of  our  own 
strength,  strengthen  us  with  Thy  grace,  that  the  fire  of  Thy 
love  may  burn  day  and  night  in  our  hearts,  and  that  we 
may  enter  with  Thee  into  the  joys  of  the  eternal  wedding 
feast.  0  do  not  permit  us,  at  the  last  judgment,  to  hear 
those  terrible  words  from  Thy  lips:  I  know  you  not,  but 
the  joyous  words :  Come,  blessed  of  my  Father,  and 
take  possession  of  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world.  0  do  Thou  grant  us 
this  grace,  Thou  who  hast  bought  us  at  such  costly  price, 
and  hast  redeemed  us  by  Thy  blood.  To  Thee  be  honor, 
praise,  and  thanks  forever.  Amen. 


780 


INSTRUCTION 

ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 


He  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  the  most  im- 
portant part,  indeed  the  central  point  of  the 
whole  service  of  the  Catholic  Church.  "What 
the  sun  is  to  the  stars,"  says  St.  Francis  of 
Sales,  "the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  to 
the  other  exercises  of  religion."  The  Catholic 
•  should,  therefore,  esteem  this  Sacrifice  above 
all,  and  by  devout  participation  in  it  endeavor  to  draw  from  it 
the  greatest  possible  good.  With  this  purpose  he  should  consider  : 
I.  The  necessity  of  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass ;  II.  its  institu- 
tion and  continuance;  III.  its  substance  and  its  aim;  IV.  its  value 
and  strength ;  V.  its  constituent  parts  and  ceremonies ;  VI.  and, 
finally,  the  way  in  which  he  should  attend  it. 

I.  The  Necessity  of  the  Mass. 

When  St.  Paul  says  {Hebr.  ix.  11,  12.),  that  Christ  being 
come  a  high  priest  of  the  good  things  to  come,  by  his 
own  blood  entered  once  into  the  Holies,  having  obtain- 
ed eternal  redemption,  for  the  redemption  of  many 
transgressions,  he  means  to  say,  that  Christ  by  His  sufferings 
on  the  cross  of  Calvary  atoned  enough  to  God  for  our  sins,  per- 
fectly cancelled  all  our  debts,  and  fulfilled  and  supplied  all  offer- 
ings of  the  Old  Law,  which  were  prototypes  of  His  sacrifice  and 
were  to  end  with  it.  But  it  does  not  follow,  that  there  can  be  no 
other  sacrifice  than  the  sacrifice  on  the  cross,  and  none  other  be 
necessary  in  the  Christian  Church  which  He  founded;  for  there 
can  be  no  religion  without  sacrifice.  Cod  is  the  infinite, 
highest  Lord,  and  all  rational  creatures,  the  works  of  His  hands, 
owe  Him  the  greatest  reverence,  adoration,  and  self-sacrifice;  He 
is  infinitely  good  to  us,  and  we  own  Him  the  greatest  gratitude ; 
He  is  infinite  purity  and  holiness,  we  stand  in  His  presence  sin- 
ners, stained  with  sin.  We  do  indeed  show  Him  our  reverence, 
our  thanks,  our  sorrow  by  prayers  and  by  loving,  contrite  hearts, 
but  we  have  within  us  the  urgent  need  of  expressing  the  feelings 
of  our  heart  externally  also,  by  gifts  and  presents  of  the  most 
precious,  most  valuable,  and  dearest  of  our  possessions,  which 
we  offer  and  consecrate  to  God.  This  presentation  of  anything 
entirely  dedicated  to  God,— usually  something  killed  and  con- 
sumed in  order  to  show  that  the  Lord,  our  God,  is  above  us  and 
all  our  goods,  and  is  Lord  of  life  and  death — we  call  an  offer- 
ing, and  such  offerings  are  as  old  as  the  world.  At  all  times  and 
in  all  places  men  have  felt  and  owned,  that  prayer  alone  is  not 


INSTKUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS.  78 1 

sufficient,  that  they  need,  to  be  permitted  to  appear  before  God 
in  their  sinfulness  and  needs,  to  have  a  support  to  their  prayers ; 
and  they,  therefore,  add  an  external  gift,  a  present  to  supply  their 
own  weakness  and  unworthiness,  and  we  mid  among  the  rudest 
people  sometimes  bloody,  sometimes  unbloody  offerings.  Should 
not  the  Christian  religion,  then,  bring  an  offering  by  which  Chris- 
tian people  can  show  the  homage  due  to  God?  But  the  sacrifices 
of  the  Old  Law  are  abolished  by  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross,  and 
Christ  Himself  has  announced,  that  the  blood  of  slaughtered  ani- 
mals is  not  pleasing  to  Him  (Hebr.  x.  5—7.),  and  that  He  will 
accept  no  other  offering  than  a  sacrifice  worthy  of  His  majesty, 
and  that  this  pure  sacrifice,  worthy  of  His  majesty,  must  in  future 
be  offered  to  Him  in  every  place  upon  the  earth.  (Mai.  i.  10,  11.) 
But  what  sacrifice  worthy  of  God,  can  the  Christian  offer,  if  not 
Christ,  our  Saviour  and  our  Head,  with  whom  God  has  given  us 
everything,  and  made  us  by  and  in  Christ  members  of  His  body? 
And  that  this  might  be  done,  "Christ,  at  the  Last  Supper,  the 
night  when  He  was  delivered  up,  in  order  to  leave  to  His  beloved 
bride,  the  Church,  in  accordance  with  the  needs  of  human  nature, 
a  visible  sacrifice  by  means  of  which  the  bloody  sacrifice,  which 
had  to  be  offered  up  on  the  cross,  might  be  always  present,  His 
own  remembrance  remain  until  the  end  of  time,  and  we  use  its 
powerful  strength  for  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  as  we  daily  need  to 
do,  declared  Himself  the  Eternal  High  Priest  according  to  the 
Order  of  Melchisedech,  and  offered  His  body  in  the  form  of  bread 
and  wine  to  God  the  Father,  and  under  the  same  appearance  He 
gave  it  as  food  to  His  apostles,  whom  He  at  that  time  constituted 
priests  of  the  New  Testament,  commanding  them  and  their  suc- 
cessors to  offer  the  same  in  their  priesthood."  (Cotic.  1 rid.  Sess. 
22.  cap.  1.  2.  3.) 

The  necessity  of  a  continuing  sacrifice  in  the  Christian 
Church,  is  further  manifested  by  this:  that  the  sacrifice  of  the 
cross,  which  Christ  perfectly  accomplished  in  relation  to  Him- 
self, must  also  be  accomplished  in  relation  to  us,  that  is, 
appropriated  to  us.  To  understand  this,  we  must  remember 
that  the  victims  in  the  Old  Law  were  slaughtered,  burnt,  and  a 
part  eaten  by  the  priests  and  the  people,  in  order,  so  to  speak, 
that  by  and  through  this  offering  they  might  become  one  with 
God.  The  sacrifices  of  the  Old  Testament  were  prototypes  of  the 
New,  and  the  faithful  should  now  take  part  in  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ,  and  thus  pass  to  union  with  God ;  but  this  can  be  done 
only  by  uniting  in  the  sacrifice.  As  Christ  who  offered  Himself  on 
the  cross,  cannot  now  be  united  with  us,  the  Saviour  instituted 
the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  New  Testament,  in  which  He  gives  Him- 
self under  the  form  of  bread  and  wine  to  all  His  members  for 
food,  unites  them  with  Himself  and  His  Heavenly  Father,  and 
bestows  upon  them  all  His  merits,  all  fruits  of  His  death  upon  the 
cross,  the  price  of  the  blood,  which  he  shed.   Thus  St.  Augustine 


782  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 

writes :  "  The  one  and  the  same  sacrifice  is  offered  on  our  altars  and 
on  Mount  Calvary,  with  this  difference  only:  on  Mount  Calvary  it 
was  offered  simply,  on  our  altars  it  is  offered  and  distribut- 
ed." And  St.  Ambrose  adds:  "On  the  altar  the  offering  of  the 
cross  is  accomplished,  for  Christ  there  daily  nourishes  us  with  the 
Sacrament  of  His  sufferings.  In  this  way  Christ,  by  the  sacrifice 
of  the  cross,  paid  our  ransom,  and  by  the  sacrifice  of  the  altar 
distributes  to  us  the  fruits  of  that  payment." 

Christ  is  the  Eternal  High  Priest.  (Ps.  cix.  4;  Hebr.y. 
10.,  vi.  19.)  He  has  commenced  and  accomplished  the  sacrifice 
of  the  cross,  but  not  ended  it,  it  shall  continue  as  an  offering 
which  is  accomplished,  for  all  times.  Therefore  Christ  was  the 
sacrifice  not  only  while  He  hung  upon  the  cross,  but  He  remains 
for  all  times  the  sacrifice  for  this  sinful  world  and  offers  it  at  all 
times  as  Eternal  High  Priest.  How,  if  His  offering  was  not  con- 
tinuous, could  the  prophets  call  Him  a  Priest  according  to  the 
Order  of  the  King  of  Priests,  Melchisedech,  who  offered  bread 
and  wine,  prototypes  of  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass?  All  per- 
sons born  into  the  world,  should  have  part  in  it,  should  partici- 
pate in  its  merits,  not  by  faith  only,  but  by  receiving  in  themselves 
the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  the  only  true,  perfect  sacrifice  of 
heaven  and  of  earth. 

Without  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  the  point 
of  union  of  a  common  external  divine  service  would 
be  lacking  in  the  Christian  Church,  by  which  to  renew  the 
remembrance  of  the  offering  of  the  cross  and  venerate  it  as  it 
ought  to  be.  At  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross,  there  was  present 
no  one  except  Mary,  John,  and  some  pious  women,  who  under- 
stood the  sufferings  and  bloody  death  of  Christ,  to  unite  with 
Him  and  give  due  honor  to  this  most  holy  sacrifice;  the  others 
who  surrounded  the  cross,  joined  in  insulting,  degrading  and 
outraging  this  offering.  This  sacrifice  was  indeed  accomplished  by 
the  aid  of  men,  but  of  men  who  aided  only  by  their  crimes.  There 
wras  no  one  there,  except  Mary,  who  would  have  made  the  cross 
the  altar  on  which  Christ  offered  Himself,  no  congregation  was 
there  to  take  part  in  the  sacrifice  of  the  altar.  It  became  neces- 
sary then,  that  this  offering  should  at  some  future  time  receive 
the  homage  due  to  it,  and  that  those  for  whose  salvation  the 
offering  was  made,  should  have  the  opportunity  to  unite  in  offer- 
ing it,  and  thus  to  celebrate  in  common  a  divine  service  worthy 
of  Divine  Majesty.  And  this  is  done  in  the  holy  Sacrifice  of 
the  Mass,  where  the  faithful  are  invited  to  venerate  that  bloody 
sacrifice  of  the  cross,  being  urged  to  gratitude  for  it,  and  being 
invited  to  participation  in  it,  by  means  of  holy  Communion.  If 
this  were  not  so,  there  would  be  no  external  visible  service  in 
the  Christian  Church,  and  there  could  be  no  true  divine  service ; 
that  which  should  be  divine  worship,  would  be  only  school 
lessons ;  the  Church  in  which  Christ  ought  to  be  solemnly  ador- 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS.  783 

ed,  would  be  only  a  lecture-room;  there  would  be  no  mention 
of  an  altar  there,  no  true  communion  of  Christ  and  the  faith- 
ful, and  of  the  faithful  among  themselves;  the  means  of  partici- 
pating in  the  fruits  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross,  of  offering  and 
uniting  ourselves  with  Christ,  would  be  lacking.  How  true  this 
is,  we  see  from  the  condition  of  the  heretics,  who  deny  the  con- 
tinuance of  Christ's  sacrifice  in  His  Church,  the  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass.  Their  service  is  but  a  sermon,  their  Churches  assembly- 
rooms,  the  altar  left  standing  is  but  a  continual  reminder  of  their 
inconsistency,  because  that  is  no  altar  on  which  there  is  no  offer- 
ing; their  ministers  of  religion  have  ceased  to  be  priests,  for  as 
we  cannot  think  of  an  altar  without  an  offering,  so  also  of  no  priest 
without  sacrifice. 

In  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  must  be  fulfilled 
all  the  prototypes  and  prophecies  in  regard  to  Christ's 
offering,  which  were  ordered  by  God  in  the  Old  Testament,  or 
were  spoken  by  the  inspired  prophets. 

A  true  and  unquestionable  prototype  of  the  holy  Sacrifice  of 
the  Mass,  was  the  Offering  ot  Melchisedech.  This  king  of 
peace  and  justice,  this  high  priest  who  had  neither  predecessor 
nor  successor  in  his  priesthood,  who  offered  bread  and  wine,  and 
then  administered  it  to  Abraham  and  his  servants  {Gen.  xiv.  8.), 
was  a  special  prototype  of  Christ  who  offered  Himself  to  His 
Heavenly  Father  under  the  form  of  bread  and  wine  as  the  fountain 
of  all  peace  and  justice,  and  gave  Himself  to  His  apostles. 

Another  prototype  of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  was  in  the 
show -breads  (Lev.  xxiv.  5-9.)  which  were  baked  from  fine  flour, 
kept  continually  before  the  Lord  in  the  sanctuary  as  a  sacrifice, 
and  at  the  end  of  eight  days  were  eaten  by  the  priests. 

Another  was  in  the  offering  of  bread  and  wine,  which 
was  united  with  the  sacrifice  of  slaughtered  animals.  Thus  there 
was  always  an  unbloody  offering,  of  bread  and  wine,  united  with 
a  bloody  offering,  representing  the  united  offering  of  the  bloody 
Sacrifice  of  the  Cross  and  the  unbloody  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

To  the  offerings  of  the  Old  Testament  belonged  oil  and  in- 
cense. The  oil  referred  to  Christ,  the  Anointed  One,  who  offers 
Himself  in  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  Mass,  being  at  the  same  time  our 
High  Priest,  symbolized  by  the  incense. 

In  regard  to  the  prophecies,  we  have  the  holy  Sacrifice  of 
the  Mass  plainly  announced  by  the  prophet  Malachias  {Mai.  i. 
10,  11.),  when  God  turning  to  the  Jewish  people,  says:  I  have 
no  pleasure  in  you,  and  I  will  not  receive  a  gift  of  your 
hand.  For  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  to  the  going 
down,  my  name  is  great  among  the  gentiles,  and  in 
every  place  there  is  sacrifice,  and  there  is  offered  to 
my  name  a  clean  oblation:  for  my  name  is  great  among 
the  gentiles.     In  this  prophecy  is  clearly  announced,  first. 


784  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 

that  the  sacrifices  in  use  among  the  Jews,  will  cease ;  secondly, 
that  in  their  place  will  be  offered  a  clean  oblation ;  thirdly,  by  all 
nations  and  in  all  places  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  of  the  sun. 
By  this  oblation  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross  cannot  be  meant,  for 
this  was  offered  only  once  and  at  only  one  place,  at  Jerusalem ; 
nor  can  it  mean  the  inward  offering  of  love,  as  asserted  by  the 
heretics  who  reject  the  Mass,  because  the  sacrifice  of  love  is  no 
new  sacrifice,  it  was  offered  by  the  saints  of  the  Old  Testament 
also,  and  it  is  not  entirely  pure,  for  human  failings  were  con- 
tained in  it ;  nor  yet  is  it  the  offering  of  prayer  and  praise,  for 
this  prophecy  does  not  speak  of  a  sacrifice  of  sweet  odor,  by 
which  the  offering  of  prayer  and  praise  might  well  be  understood, 
but  of  an  external,  material  thing,  an  oblation ;  consequently  we 
must  understand  by  it  the  clean  oblation  of  the  New  Testament, 
the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  which  never  becomes  unclean,  even 
though  the  priest  who  offers,  or  the  congregation  present  at  it, 
be  as  impure  as  ever.  For  these  reasons  the  Council  of  Trent 
(Sess.  22.  c.  1.)  declares,  "that  this  prophecy  of  Malachias  obtains 
its  fulfilment  in  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass;"  and  the  fathers 
of  the  Church  have  understand  it  in  the  same  manner. 

II.  On  the  Institution  and  Continual  Celebration  of  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  in  the  Catholic  Church. 

All  that  the  sacrifices  of  the  Old  Testament  so  plainly  repre- 
sented and  the  sacred  prophecies  so  clearly  announced,  Christ 
fulfilled  on  the  day  before  His  passion.  In  that  great  last  hour, 
which  He  had  awaited  with  such  longing,  that  He  might  accom- 
plish the  work  of  redemption  and  consummate  His  offering,  He 
gathered  His  disciples  around  Him.  The  solemnity  of  His  whole 
mien,  the  pathos  in  His  countenance  and  in  His  voice,  drew  their 
attention  and  made  them  feel,  that  He  intended  something  grand. 
The  paschal  lamb  was  eaten,  the  feet  of  the  disciples  were  washed, 
they  were  gathered  at  the  table,  around  the  Saviour,  full  of  ex- 
pectation. Then,  says  the  gospel,  he  took  bread,  blessed 
it,  gave  thanks,  and  said:  This  is  my  body  which  is 
given  for  you;  in  like  manner  the  chalice  also,  saying: 
This  is  the  chalice  of  the  New  Testament  in  my  blood. 
(Luke  xxii.  19,  20. ;  Matt  xxvi.)  Here  then  Christ  as  High  Priest 
according  to  the  Order  of  Melchisedech,  offers  Himself:  This  is 
my  body  which  is  given  for  you,  this  is  my  blood  which 
shall  be  shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sin.  If  then  the 
body  and  blood  of  Christ  in  the  blessed  Sacrament  is  the  same 
body  and  blood  as  that  offered  and  shed  upon  the  cross,  then  it 
is  certainly  a  sacrifice  of  body  and  blood,  and  as  Christ  wished 
this  sacrifice  to  continue  in  His  Church,  He  added:  Do  this  in 
commemoration  of  me,  which  was  giving  authority  and  com- 
mand to  His  apostles  and  their  successors,  to  do  that  which  He 
had  done.    These  travelled  and  offered  also,  breaking  bread 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS.  787 

which  the  world's  salvation  is  bound."  "The  earth,"  adds  St. 
Timothy  of  Jerusalem,"  is  under  obligations  to  the  Mass  for  its 
preservation;  but  for  the  Mass,  the  sins  of  men  would  long  ago 
have  annihilated  it."  "The  Sacrifice  of  the  Altar,"  says  St.  Tho- 
mas, "is  as  effectual  as  the  offering  on  Mount  Calvary."  "A 
Mass,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "is  of  as  much  value  as  the  offering 
on  Calvary."  Like  that  offering,  the  Mass  has  in  itself  power 
enough  to  satisfy  God's  justice,  always  to  effect  our  reconciliation 
with  Him,  and  make  us  participators  in  grace  for  forgiveness  of 
sins ;  for  He  who  offers  the  sacrifice,  is  the  same  who  is  offered, 
He  is  the  Son  of  God,  equal  to  His  Father ;  He  is  one  with  those 
for  whom  He  offers  the  sacrifice,  for  He  is  man  like  to  us  in  all 
but  sin ;  He  is  Himself  both  High  Priest  and  Victim,  of  whom  St. 
John  says:  He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not 
for  ours  only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world, 
(i.  John  ii.  2.)    From  this  it  follows : 

1)  That  the  sacrifice  does  not  lose  its  efficacy,  even  though 
offered  by  a  bad  priest,  for  Christ  is  not  only  the  victim  but  th  e 
Priest  and  High  Priest  who  offers  it ;  as  an  alms  loses  none  of  its 
power  and  worth,  even  though  dispensed  by  a  bad  servant ; 

2)  that  the  efficacy  of  the  Mass  extends  to  all  men,  that  it  can 
be  offered  and  is  offered  for  both  the  living  and  the  dead,  when 
they  belong  to  the  communion  of  the  Catholic  Church,  for  the 
conversion  of  sinners,  heretics,  and  idolaters,  and  for  obtaining 
corporal  and  spiritual  help.  Concerning  sacrifice  for  the  departed, 
Mass  for  the  dead,  Tertullian  (f  A.D.220)  writes,  "that  prayer 
for  the  dead  is  a  very  old  custom,  confirmed  by  tradition ; "  and 
St.  Chrysostom  adds:  "The  apostle  did  not  say  without  meaning, 
that  when  celebrating  the  mysteries,  he  thought  of  those  who  had 
passed  away  from  us."  The  fruits  of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass 
are  bestowed  upon  the  souls  in  purgatory  as  intercession  for  them, 
that  their  sufferings  may  be  lessened,  and  they  released  from 
them; 

3)  that  the  faithful  should  pray  zealously,  especially  at  the 
celebration  of  the  holy  Sacrifice.  Then  they  will  be  easier  heard, 
for  Christ,  the  head  of  the  living  members  of  the  Church  which 
is  His  body,  here  offers  Himself  as  our  only  mediator,  and  prays 
for  graces  for  us.  Shall  the  prayers  of  the  faithful,  united  with 
the  prayers  of  Jesus,  fail  to  reach  the  throne  and  be  heard? 
Therefore  it  is,  that  pious  Christians  love  most  of  all  to  present 
their  petitions,  homage,  and  thanks  to  God  at  Mass,  and  while 
praying  Him,  that  He  will  accept  them  for  the  sake  of  Christ, 
their  Redeemer  and  their  Head,  they  perform  that  which  we  call 
attending  or  hearing  Mass; 

4)  that  it  is  permissable  and  very  profitable  to  pray  at  Mass 
for  our  fellowmen,  since  Christ  especially  requires,  that  we  should 
intercede  for  one  another,  and  it  is  certainly  pleasing  to  Him  if 


50* 


788  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 

we  commend  to  Him  there,  where  He  is  offered  on  our  altars  in 
purest  love  for  all,  our  parents,  friends,  those  who  are  sick,  in 
distress  or  in  affliction,  so  that  they  may  find  help  and  consolation; 

5)  that  if  the  Mass  is  offered  in  honor  of  the  blessed  Virgin 
or  any  of  the  saint,  this  is  not  to  be  understood  to  mean,  that  the 
Mass  is  offered  to  them,  but  merely,  as  the  Church  teaches,  that 
it  is  offered  in  commemoration  of  their  victory  over  themselves 
and  the  world,  and  is  simply  a  Mass  of  thanksgiving  for  the 
graces  which  God  bestowed  upon  them  and  the  glory  which  He 
has  imparted  to  them;  and  a  Rogatory  Mass  by  which  we  be- 
seech the  saints,  the  glorified  members  of  Christ's  body,  to  inter- 
cede for  us  thatwe  may  work  out  our  salvation.  Thus  St.  Augustine 
says:  "We  do  not  raise  our  altars  to  martyrs,  but  to  God  Himself, 
though  on  the  graves  of  martyrs.  No  one  of  our  predecessors 
has  ever  said :  We  offer  to  thee,  0  Peter  or  Paul.  Whatever  is 
offered,  is  offered  to  God  who  crowns  the  saints."    Finally, 

6)  that  it  is  a  superstitious  belief  to  ascribe  to  some  Masses, 
to  those  of  the  Heavenly  Court  or  the  Gregorian,  &c,  greater  effi- 
cacy than  to  others.  For  in  every  Mass  there  is  the  same  Victim 
and  the  same  Priest,  Jesus  Christ,  eternally  blessed. 

V.   The  Constituent  Parts  and  Ceremonies  of  the  Mass. 

The  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  in  its  nature  ever  the  same, 
whether  celebrated  with  singing  and  many  assistants  on  the  altar 
(high  Mass,  grand  high  Mass),  or  quietly  without  singing  and  with 
only  one  or  two  assistants  (low  Mass),  whether  some  of  the  faith- 
ful receive  holy  Communion  or  not,  as  the  Consistory  of  Trent 
expressly  declares.  (Sess.  22.  c.  6.) 

The  name  Mass  was  given  to  the  holy  Sacrifice  in  the  be- 
ginning of  Christianity  and  means  dismissal;  in  the  early  Chris- 
tian times  the  people  were  formally  dismissed  by  the  deacon, 
hence  the  name.  There  were  properly  two  dismissals  by  the 
deacon :  the  first  after  the  gospel  and  sermon,  and  was  addressed 
to  the  Catechumens  and  the  public  penitents  who  were  obliged 
to  leave  the  Church  before  the  Offertory ;  the  second  was  at  the 
end  of  the  sacrifice,  when  the  deacon  dismissed  all  with  the 
words:  IteMissaest,  "Go,  Mass  is  ended;"  this  latter  dismissal 
is  still  in  use. 

The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  consists  of  three  principal  parts: 
the  Offertory,  the  Consecration,  and  the  Communion  or 
the  reception  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  besides  which  there 
is  the  before  and  after  Mass. 

The  Church  has  surrounded  the  celebration  of  the  holy  Sacri- 
fice of  the  Mass  with  various  ceremonies,  in  accordance  with  its 
dignity  and  efficacy,  which  are  divided  into  the  ceremonies  of  the 
altar,  of  the  priestly  dress,  and  of  the  manner  of  offering  the 
sacrifice. 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS.  7&y 

I.  The  altar,  at  the  time  of  the  persecutions  of  the  Chris- 
tians a  four-cornered  table  of  wood,  afterwards  of  stone,  repre- 
sents Mount  Calvary  where  Christ  was  crucified,  the  cross  upon 
which  He  consummated  His  bloody  sacrifice,  and  especially  Christ 
Himself  who,  as  the  apostle  expresses  it  {Matt.  xxi.  42. ;  Eph.  ii. 
21,  22.),  is  the  head- corner-stone  of  the  Church,  the  one  who 
offers,  the  sacrifice,  and  the  altar.  The  altar-cloth  which  covers 
the  altar,  represents  the  linen  cloth  in  which  Christ'  body  was 
wrapped.  • 

II.  The  priestly  vestments  consist  of  several  articles: 

1.  The  veil  or  amict,  which  served  originally  to  cover  the 
neck  which  the  dress  of  the  times  left  uncovered,  and  should 
remind  the  priest  and  the  faithful  of  the  Son  of  God  who,  when 
He  came  down  from  heaven,  veiled  His  divinity  under  His  humi- 
lity; of  the  contest  which  the  priest  has  always  to  sustain  against 
the  temptations  of  the  evil  one,  wherefore  he  prays  when,  putting 
it  on:  "0  Lord,  place  upon  my  head  the  helmet  of  salvation  for 
protection  against  the  temptations  of  the  devil;"  and  of  the  cloth 
with  which  the  Saviour  was  blindfolded,  when  the  soldiers  mocked 
Him. 

2.  The  alb,  a  long,  white  robe,  which  reminds  us  by  its  white- 
ness of  interior  purity,  by  its  length  of  the  perseverance  in  good 
works  with  which  the  priest  should  be  clothed;  of  that  white  robe 
in  which  the  faithful  servants  in  heaven,  who  followed  the  Lamb, 
are  arrayed,  as  seen  by  St.  John,  whence  the  prayer:  "Purify 
my  heart,  0  Lord,  and  make  me  wholly  pure,  that  I  may  be 
washed  clean  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  and  receive  eternal  hap- 
piness;" and  of  that  garment,  which,  in  mockery,  was  put  upon 
Christ  at  the  command  of  Herod. 

3.  The  cincture  or  girdle,  used  to  keep  the  robe  in  place, 
reminds  the  priest,  that  in  celebrating  the  holy  Sacrifice  he  must 
throw  away  the  last  vestige  of  sensual  and  worldly  life,  on  which 
account  he  says :  "  Gird  me,  0  Lord,  with  the  girdle  of  purity, 
and  extinguish  in  me  every  attraction  to  improper  desires;"  it 
also  recalls  to  our  remembrance  the  ropes  with  which  Christ  was 
bound. 

4.  The  maniple  which  the  priest  wears  on  his  left  arm,  was 
originally  a  little  handkerchief  serving  to  free  the  face  from  per- 
spiration; it  still  reminds  the  priest,  that  he  can  enter  heaven 
only  by  evangelical  labors,  sweat,  and  tears,  hence  the  prayer: 
"  Make  me  worthy,  0  Lord,  to  carry  the  band  of  pain  and  tears, 
that  I  may  reap  their  harvest  in  joy."  It  also  represents  the 
handkerchief  with  which  our  Lord  dried  His  blood-stained  face. 

5.  The  stole  is  the  symbol  of  the  priestly  power  and  dignity, 
reminding  the  wearer,  in  the  first  place,  of  the  spiritual  vesture 
of  justice  and  innocence,  lost  by  original  sin,  but  regained  by 
Christ's  death.  The  priest,  therefore,  prays  when  putting  it  on : 
"  Give  me  once  more  the  vesture  of  immortality  which  we  lost  by 


790  INSTRUCTION  ON  TILE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 

the  sin  of  the  first  man;"  and  secondly,  of  the  chains  which  Christ 
carried  in  order  to  break  the  chains  of  the  first  sin. 

6.  The  chasuble,  formely  made  like  a  round  cloak  without 
opening  at  the  sides,  represents  the  sacred  love  with  which  the 
priest,  like  His  divine  master,  should  embrace  all  mankind  and 
shelter  them  as  in  the  folds  of  a  cloak;  the  yoke  of  Christ,  that  is 
His  doctrine,  which  he  should  bear  all  through  life,  wherefore  he 
prays:  "0  Lord,  who  hast  said:  My  yoke  is  sweet  and  my  burden 
light,  grant  that  I  may  so  bear  them  as  to  obtain  Thy  grace."  It 
also  represents  the  cross  carried  by  Christ,  which  the  priest  by 
mortification  of  the  flesh  should  bear  in  His  footsteeps. 

7.  The  beretta  which  the  priest  wears  on  his  head,  reminds 
him  of  the  recollection  with  which  he  should  offer  the  holy  sacri- 
fice, and  of  the  crown  of  thorns  with  which  his  Lord  and  Master 
was  crowned. 

The  color  of  the  vestments  varies  according  to  the  occasion 
upon  which  they  are  used.  White  is  worn  in  token  of  joy  and 
praise  on  festivals  of  our  Lord,  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  and  of  con- 
fessors, and  represents  the  innocence  and  purity  of  our  Lord,  His 
Mother,  and  the  saints.  Red  is  worn  at  Pentecost  and  on  the 
festivals  of  martyrs,  and  is  a  sign  of  the  fire  of  love  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  kindles  in  hearts  upon  earth.  Violet,  which  shows 
the  necessity  of  a  penitential  life,  is  used  on  days  of  penance  in 
Lent  and  Advent.  Green,  the  emblem  of  the  hope  and  happiness, 
which  Christ  has  obtained  for  us,  is  worn  on  Sundays  upon  which 
no  particular  festival  is  celebrated.  Black,  the  token  of  death 
and  sorrow,  is  used  at  proper  Masses  for  the  dead. 

III.  The  manner  of  offering  the  holy  Sacrifice,  is  included  in 
the  ceremonies  which  the  Church,  according  to  tradition  and 
ancient  direction,  has  ordered  for  the  celebration  of  the  holy 
mysteries ;  for,  as  the  Consistory  of  Trent  says  (Sess.  22.  c.  5.), 
"  the  nature  of  man  requires  external  signs  by  which  to  elevate 
the  spirit  to  the  contemplation  of  the  divine  mysteries,  and  to  in- 
crease the  majesty  of  the  manner  of  offering." 

As  has  been  already  said,  the  Mass  consists  of  three  principal 
parts,  exclusive  of  the  introduction  or  preparation  for  Mass 
which  consists  of  the  part  from  the  beginning  to  the  Offertory, 
and  the  After-Mass  or  thanksgiving,  consisting  of  the  portion 
from  the  end  of  the  Communion  to  the  Last  Gospel. 

THE  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  MASS, 

or  the  more  remote  preparation  for  the  holy  Sacrifice  itself,  com- 
prises the  prayers  on  the  altar-steps  and  the  Introit. 

The  prayers  on  the  steps  are  so  called,  because  the  priest  at 
the  foot  of  the  altar  makes  the  sign  of  the  cross,  says  the  psalm 
Judica,  some  short  verses,  and  makes  a  general  confession  of 
sin,  by  which  he  confess  himself  with  the  faithful  unworthy  to 
ascend  the  altar,  until  he  and  they  have  first  asked  forgiveness 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS.  791 

of  sin.  The  priest  then  and  often  afterwards  makes  the  sign  of 
the  cross,  and  at  the  Dominus  vobiscum,  "The  Lord  be  with 
you  "  raises  his  hands  to  heaven,  because  he  expects  all  salvation 
from  Christ,  the  Crucified,  who  now  sits  at  the  right  hand  of  His 
Father.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  prayers  at  the  foot  of  the  altar, 
the  priest  ascends  the  altar-steps,  praying  that  God  will  take 
from  him  and  the  people  all  their  sins;  he  then  reverently  kisses 
the  part  of  the  altar  in  which  the  relics  of  the  saints  are  kept,  in 
reverence  for  Christ  whom  the  altar  represents,  and  for  the  saints 
whose  relics  are  enclosed  within  it.  The  kissing  of  the  altar, 
which  occurs  often  during  Mass,  is  the  expression  of  the  priest's 
desire  to  become  united  with  Christ,  as  the  Head,  and  with  the 
saints,  as  members  of  the  Christian  communion.  The  priest  now 
goes  to  the  right  of  the  altar  and  says  the  Introit,  which  is 
usually  a  passage  from  the  psalms  or  from  the  prophets,  appro- 
priate to  the  day,  and  closes  with  the  Gloria  Patri,  or  "Glory 
be  to  the  Father." 

The  priest  then  goes  to  the  middle  of  the  altar,  and  in  alter- 
nation with  his  assistants  says  nine  times  the  Kyrie  eleison,  or 
"Lord,  have  mercy  on  us,"  three  times  invoking  for  mercy  each 
of  the  Three  Divine  Persons  of  the  Blessed  Trinity,  the  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ;  this  prayer  may  be  called  a  continuation 
of  the  prayers  at  the  foot  of  the  altar.  This  is  followed  by  the 
Gloria,  that  hymn  of  praise  which  commences  with  the  words 
sung  by  the  angels  at  Christ's  birth,  to  which  the  Church  has 
made  some  additions.  This  hymn  follows  immediately  upon  the 
Kyrie  eleison,  because  the  Church  intends  that  the  faithful  shall 
be  encouraged  to  trust,  that  the  cry  for  mercy  has  not  been  in 
vain,  for  Christ  is  appearing,  at  whose  birth  the  angels  sung: 
Glory  be  to  God  and  peace  to  men! 

The  priest  then  turns  to  the  people  with  the  words  Dominus 
vobiscum,  then  turning  back  says  the  Oration  or  Collect, 
that  is,  a  collected  prayer,  because  in  it  the  prayers  and  wishes 
of  all  the  faithful  are  gathered  in  one  and  delivered  to  God.  The 
collect  is  different  in  almost  every  Mass,  but  always  contains  a 
petition  for  spiritual  benefits. 

After  this  prayer  or  oration  follows  the  Lesson  or  Epistle, 
which  is  generally  from  the  Epistles  of  the  apostles ;  at  the  end 
of  this  the  clerk  responds  Deo  gratias,  "Thanks  be  to  God" 
(for  having  so  beautifully  and  advantageously  taught  us  by  the 
apostles  and  prophets). 

Next  come  the  Gradual,  the  Alleluia,  the  Tract,  and  the 
Sequence.  The  Gradual,  or  the  singing  at  the  altar-steps,  so 
called  because  in  early  times  it  was  sung  by  a  lector  on  the  steps 
of  a  desk,  on  which  the  Epistle  was  read,  consists  of  some  verses 
from  the  psalms.  The  Alleluia,  "Praise  to  God,"  is  a  song  of  joy, 
omitted  in  Lent.  In  its  place  during  penitential  seasons  the  Tract, 
a  grave,  earnest  song,  also  from  the  psalms,  is  sung  to  a  mourn- 


792  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 

ful  air.  The  Sequences  are  hymns  of  the  Church,  which  are 
used  on  certain  occasions,  as  Easter,  Pentecost,  Corpus  Christi, 
and  in  Masses  for  the  dead. 

The  priest  next  repeats  at  the  mittle  of  the  altar  the  short 
prayer:  Munda  cor  meum,  "Cleanse  my  heart,"  in  which  he 
entreats  God  to  grant  him  the  grace  to  properly  announce  the 
gospel  which  he  then  proceeds  to  read  or  to  sing,  beginning  with 
the  words:  Sequentia  sancti  Evangelii,  "The  continuation 
of  the  holy  gospel  according  to....",  to  which  the  assistant 
replies,  Gloria  tibi  Domine,  "Glory  be  to  Thee,  0  Lord,"  and 
at  the  conclusion,  Laus  tibi  Christe,  "Praise  be  to  Thee,  0 
Christ. "  After  reading  the  gospel,  the  priest  kisses  the  book  in 
reverence  for  the  word  of  God,  and  says:  "May  our  sins  be 
blotted  out  by  the  words  of  the  gospel."  *) 

The  Gospel  is  followed  by  the  Credo,  "I  believe,"  which  is 
the  creed  established  by  the  fathers  of  the  Council  of  Nice  in  the 
year  323,  in  contradiction  to  the  Arian  heresy  which  denied 
Christ's  divinity,  and  has  since  been  said  on  all  Sundays,  festivals 
of  the  Lord,  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  of  the  apostles  and  fathers  of 
the  Church. 

"With  the  creed  ends  the  preparation  for  Mass,  and  the  first 
of  the  principal  parts  of  the  Mass  begins  : 

THE  OFFERTORY  OR  OFFERING  OF  THE  SACRIFICE. 

The  priest  now  takes  the  bread  and  wine,  which  in  early  times 
was  brought  by  the  people  to  the  Church  and  laid  on  the  altar, 
but  is  now  previously  prepared,  and  offers  it  to  God,  supplicating 
Him  to  accept  this  gift  or  offering  and  let  it  be  acceptable  in  His 
sight.  The  priest  then  washes  his  hands  as  a  sign  of  that  perfect 
purification  which  is  necessary  for  the  offering  of  the  most  holy 
Sacrifice,  and  having  at  the  middle  of  the  altar  said  a  short  prayer 
to  the  Most  Holy  Trinity,  turns  to  the  people,  asks  them  in  these 
words  to  join  with  him  in  prayer:  Orate  fratres,  "Brethren, 
pray."  The  assistants  answer  in  the  name  of  the  people  with  a 
prayer,  that  God  may  accept  this  offering  from  his  hands,  the 
priest  responds  Amen  and  repeats  the  Seer  eta,  the  prayers 
asking  for  spiritual  grace,  which  are  said  in  a  low,  subduced 
1  voice;  the  Secreta  is  followed  by  the  Preface,  that  is,  the  Introit 
or  Introduction  to  the  proper  Mass,  the  Canon. 

THE  CANON. 

With  tlie  preface  commences  the  second  principal  part  of  the 
Mass,  which  is  ended  with  the  Consecration,  and  is  called  the 
Canon  or  rule,  because  it  aids  in  the  worthy  celebration  and  ac- 
complishment of  the  holy  Sacrifice,  and  is  for  the  priest  an  un- 

*)  For  Explanation  of  the  Sign  of  the  Cross  which  the  priest  makes  before 
and  after  the  gospel,  see  Instruction  for  the  "Finding  of  the  holy  Cross". 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS.  793 

alterable  law.  The  Canon  consists  of  prayers  said  before  and 
after  the  Consecration,  and  at  the  Consecration  itself,  until  Pater 
noster  when  the  Canon  ends,  in  a  low  voice  from  reverence 
towards  the  most  holy  Sacrifice.  Before  the  Consecration  the 
priest  standing  at  the  middle  of  the  altar,  raises  his  eyes  and 
hands  to  heaven  in  acknowledgment  of  being  now  on  the  point  of 
advancing  nearer  to  the  throne  of  the  Almighty.  Conscious  of  his 
unworthiness  he  then  rests  his  folded  hands  on  the  altar,  bows 
down  his  head,  and  prays  with  down  cast  eyes,  standing  like 
Moses  between  God  and  the  people,  to  the  Heavenly  Father,  be- 
seeching Him  graciously  to  accept  and  receive  these  offered  gifts, 
which  are  appointed  for  this  holy,  unspotted  Sacrifice,  and  gra- 
ciously to  remember  the  pope,  the  bishop,  the  whole  Church,  and 
all  who  are  present  at  the  sacrifice ;  for  which  graces  the  priest 
implores  the  saints  to  intercede  with  him,  and  once  more  makes 
the  often  repeated  petition,  that  God  may  bless  the  offering  and 
make  it  acceptable  in  His  sight.  Then  placing  his  hands  over 
the  chalice  and  the  host,  in  sign  that  he  lays  his  own  and  the 
people's  sins  upon  the  Sacrifice  of  Christ,  the  Lamb  of  God  who 
takes  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  the  priest  commences 

THE  CONSECRATION, 

in  which  he  repeats,  not  in  his  own  name  but  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  in  deepest  reverence  and  humility  the  mysterious  words 
of  Consecration  of  the  bread  and  wine,  which  are  changed  by 
these  words,  in  a  wonderful  and  mysterious  manner,  into  the  real 
body  and  blood  of  Jesus.  As  soon  as  this  is  done,  the  priest 
raises  for  adoration  the  holy  consecrated  Host  and  the  sacred  Blood 
in  the  chalice.  After  the  Elevation  the  priest  prays  God, 
graciously  to  accept  the  changed  gifts,  the  Sacrifice  of  the  New 
Testament,  as  He  was  graciously  pleased  to  accept  the  first  gifts 
of  Abel  and  the  typical  sacrifices  of  Abraham  and  Melchisedech ; 
then  makes  a  Memento  fortheDead,  and  next  remembering 
himself  and  all  unworthy  sinners,  strikes  his  breast,  beseeching 
God  to  permit  him  and  all  the  faithful  to  participate  in  the  glory 
of  the  chosen  ones,  through  Jesus  Christ  by  whom  alone  is  given 
all  true  life  and  salvation. 

With  this  ends  the  Canon,  which  is  followed  by  the  prayers 
which  are  said  in  the  third  part  of  the  mass  or 

THE  COMMUNION. 

The  priest  says  aloud  the  Lord's  prayer,  adding  to  the  peti- 
tion "Deliver  us  from  evil",  the  supplication  that  God  would 
deliver  him  and  all  the  people  from  all  evil  past,  present,  and  to 
come,  and  give  true  peace  in  Our  days  by  the  intercession  of  the 
saints ;  he  breaks  the  Host  in  commemoration  of  the  breaking 
of  bread  at  the  Last  Supper,  and  in  recollection  of  the  violent 
death  of  the  Saviour,  and  lets  a  small  portion  of  it  drop  into  the 


7*J4  INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 

chalice,  because  though  the  bread  and  wine  were  separately 
changed,  each  is  as  much  as  the  other  the  whole  and  undivided 
God-Man,  Jesus  Christ. 

The  priest  then  bows  down  before  Christ,  the  true  paschal 
Lamb,  and  striking  his  breast  three  times  in  acknowledgment  of 
his  sinfulness,  he  says  three  times  the  A  gnus  Dei,  "Lamb  of  God, 
who  takest  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  have  mercy  on  us;"  the 
last  time  instead  of  "have  mercy  on  us",  "grant  us  peace."1  With 
bowed  head  he  then  asks  for  peace  for  the  whole  Church,  for  the 
grace  worthily  to  receive  Christ,  our  Lord,  says  three  times  Do- 
mine,  non  sum  dignus,  "Lord,  I  am  not  worthy,  that  thou 
shouldst  enter  under  my  roof,"  receives  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ,  and  administers  holy  Communion  to  the  faithful  who  wish 
to  receive  it. 

THE  AFTER-MASS 

from  the  Communion  to  the  Last  Gospel,  consists  of  several 
prayers  and  thanksgiving,  the  Ite  Missa  est,  the  last  blessing, 
and  the  Gospel  of  St.  John:  In  the  beginning  was  the  word. 

VI.  Manner  of  Hearing  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  Mass. 

In  order  to  hear  Mass  profitably  in  the  sense  and  spirit  of  the 
Church,  we  should  know,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  Mass  is  that 
sacrifice,  which  we  should  offer  with  our  whole  being,  with  all 
that  we  are  or  have,  to  God  the  Almighty  for  His  glory,  in  satis- 
faction for  our  sins,  in  thanksgiving  for  graces  received  and  in 
supplication  for  those  still  necessary,  a  sacrifice  which  we  our- 
selves, because  of  our  wretched  sinfulness,  cannot  offer  and  there- 
fore Christ  Himself  offers  for  us;  we  should  be  united  with  God 
by  the  most  intimate  participation  in  the  Sacrifice  of  Jesus,  and 
we  should  understand,  that  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  also  a  re- 
presentation of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ.  Thus  we  must 
hear  Mass  in  a  threefold  manner. 

First,  by  remembering  at  the  beginning  of  Mass,  that  we 
ourselves  should  be  the  offering  of  reconciliation  to  God's  justice, 
but  that  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  out  of  infinite  love,  gave  Himself 
to  us  as  an  offering  by  which  we  could  become  reconciled  with 
His  Father,  incline  Him  to  us,  perfectly  glorify  and  thank  Him ; 
and  though  the  priest  stands  alone  on  the  altar,  alone  speaking, 
and  with  his  hands  offers  the  sacrifice,  we  must  unite  ourselves 
with  him  and  offer  the  sacrifice  with  him.  The  first  way  of  hear- 
ing Mass  is  to  perform  the  sacrifice  with  the  priest,  doing  as  far  as 
we  can,  in  spirit,  that  which  he  does,  remembering  that  we  have 
met  together  not  only  to  hear  Mass,  but  at  the  same  time  to  per- 
form and  offer  the  sacrifice  with  the  priest. 

To  do  this,  we  should  humble  ourselves  with  the  priest  at 
the  foot  of  the  altar,  as  poor  sinners  before  God,  imploring  mercy; 
at  the  Gloria  praise  God  with  the  priest,  at  the  Epistle  and 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS.  795 

Gospel  thank  God  for  His  sacred  word,  resolving  to  live  faith- 
fully in  accordance  with  it;  at  the  Credo  make  a  profession  of 
faith  with  heart  and  lips,  earnestly  promising  to  live  and  die  in 
the  holy  Catholic  Church;  at  the  Offertory  offer  our  heart  with 
all  its  desires  and  inclinations,  a  sacrifice  to  God;  at  the  Sanctus 
praise  God  with  all  the  angels  and  saints.  Before  the  Eleva- 
tion we  should  be  sincerely  sorry  for  our  sins,  consider  that  we 
are  unworthy  to  appear  in  the  sight  of  God,  remember  that  we 
must  make  satisfaction  for  our  sins,  and  at  the  Memento  for 
the  living,  make  a  memento  with  the  priest.  We  can  here  follow 
St.  Francis  Borgia,  who  vividly  represented  to  himself,  during 
the  holy  Sacrifice,  the  bloody  Sacrifice  of  Jesus  on  the  cross  and 
meditated  in  his  memento  upon  the  five  wounds'  of  Jesus.  At 
the  thought  of  the  wound  of  the  right  hand,  he  commended  to 
God  the  pope,  bishops,  and  priests ;  at  the  wound  of  the  left 
hand,  officers  of  justice,  and  heads  of  the  civil  power;  at  the 
wound  of  the  right  foot,  all  spiritual  orders ;  at  the  left,  all  re- 
lations, friends,  benefactors,  and  all  who  had  commended  them- 
selves to  his  prayers.  The  wound  in  the  side  he  reserved  for 
himself,  in  this  he  entered  and  hid  himself  with  all  his  wishes  and 
anxieties.  He  made  the  memento  for  the  dead  in  the  same  way, 
commending  his  departed  friends,  benefactors  and  all  for  whom 
he  intended  to  pray,  and  all  forsaken  souls,  through  the  wounds 
of  Jesus,  offering  them  with  Him  to  God.  At  the  Elevation, 
we  should  with  the  priest,  in  deepest  reverence,  adore  Jesus, 
offering  Him,  the  true  Lamb  of  Sacrifice,  to  God  the  Father,  for 
His  glory,  in  thanksgiving  for  graces  received,  in  satisfaction  for 
our  sins  and  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  for  help  in  our  needs 
and  our  weakness,  and  in  supplication  for  new  graces,  offering 
ourselves  also  entirely  for  the  same  objects.  After  the  Eleva- 
tion, we  should  adore  the  Saviour  present  on  the  altar,  thank 
Him  for  His  gracious  condescension,  arousing  in  ourselves  the 
ardent  desire  for  a  sincere  union  with  Him  and  through  Him  with 
His  Heavenly  Father.    And  herein  consists 

the  Second  Form  of  Devotion  at  Mass,  belonging  to  the 
third  principal  part,  reaching  from  the  Pater  noster  to  the  end, 
which  includes  the  priest's  reception  of  the  holy  Communion. 
For  the  Church  desires  that  the  faithful  should  unite  themselves 
at  every  Mass  with  Jesus  by  Communion,  and  through  Him  with 
His  Heavenly  Father,  becoming  one  with  Him,  which  is  the  great 
end  of  the  Sacrifice  of  Jesus.  But  as  actual  Communion  at  every 
Mass  is  not  possible,  we  should  receive  Communion  spiritually, 
that  is,  inflame  in  ourselves  the  fervent  desire  to  be  spiritually 
united  with  Christ;  spiritually  because  we  can  then  receive  only 
the  spiritual  fruit,  that  is  a  very  intimate  union  with  Christ,  and 
a  share  in  the  spiritual  gifts  and  graces  given  to  those  who  re- 
ceive Him  sacramentally.  If  we  desire  to  make  a  spiritual  Com- 
munion with  the  priest  at  Mass,  then  we  should,  after  the  Pater 


796 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 


noster,  sincerely  repent  of  our  sins,  awaken  in  ourselves  a  vivid 
faitlr  in  Christ's  presence,  a  firm  confidence  in  His  merits,  and  a 
fervent  love  for  Him,  and  then  at  the  priest's  Communion  excite 
an  ardent  desire  to  receive  Christ  and  be  united  to  Him.  When 
this  is  done,  we  should  thank  God  for  the  graces  we  have  received 
and  recall  to  ourselves,  during  the  day,  the  goodness  and  love  of 
this  divine  Saviour,  whose  pleasure  it  is  to  be  with  the  children 
of  men,  to  enrich  them  with  His  blessings. 

The  Third  Form  of  Devotion  consists  in  placing  before 
our  minds,  that  this  holy  Sacrifice  is  a  commemoration  of  Christ's 
sufferings,  and  of  that  great  love  which  He  has  shown  us.  Christ 
foresaw:  that  if  we  assisted  at  this  sacrifice,  it  would  be  a  con- 
tinual recollection  of  what  He  had  suffered  for  us,  a  powerful 
incentive  to  the  soul  to  love  Him  and  serve  Him,  and  for  the  vivid 
conception  of  this,  the  representation  of  the  ceremonies  of  the 
Mass  is  a  great  aid.  By  meditating  upon  the  ceremonies  of  Mass 
we  are  reminded  of  the  whole  passion  of  Christ,  and  are  able 
to  walk,  so  to  speak,  the  way  ot  His  sufferings,  as  seen  by  the 
following 


REPRESENTATION  IN  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF 
MASS  OF  THE  SUFFERINGS  OF  CHRIST. 


THE 


The  Priest. 

1.  Goes  to  the  altar. 

2.  Commences  Mass. 

3.  Says  the  Confiteor. 

4.  Goes  up  and  kisses  the  altar. 

5.  Goes  to  the  Epistle  side. 

6.  Reads  the  Introit. 

7.  Goes  to  the  middle  of  the 
altar  and  says  the  Kyrie 
eleison. 

8.  Says  the  Dominus  vobiscum. 

9.  Reads  the  Epistle. 

10.  Says  the  Munda  cor  meum 
at  the  middle  of  the  altar. 

11.  Reads  the  Gospel. 

12.  Uncovers  the  chalice. 

13.  Offers  bread  and  wine. 

14.  Covers  the  chalice. 

15.  Washes  his  hands. 


Christ. 


9. 
10. 

11. 

12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 


Goes  to  Mount  Olivet. 
Begins  to  pray. 
Falls  down  and  sweat  blood. 
Is  betrayed  by  Judas  with  a 
kiss. 

Is  captured,  bound,  and  tak- 
en to  Annas. 

Is  falsely  accused  by  Annas 
and  blasphemed. 
Is  brought  to  Caiphas  and 
there  three  times  denied  by 
Peter. 

Looks  at  Peter  and  converts 
him. 

Is  brought  to  Pilate. 
Is  taken  to  Herod  and  mock- 
ed. 

Is  taken  back  to  Pilate  and 
again  mocked. 
Is  shamefully  exposed. 
Is  cruelly  scourged. 
Is  crowned  with  thorns. 
Is  declared  innocent  by  Pi- 
late. 


INSTRUCTION  ON  THE  HOLY  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 


797 


16.  Says  the  Orate  Fratres. 


17.  Prays  in  a  low  voice. 

18.  Says  the  preface  and  the 
Sanctus. 

19.  Makes  the  Memento  for  the 
living. 

20.  Continues  to  pray  in  a  low 
voice. 

21.  Blesses  the  bread  and  wine 
with  the  sign  of  the  cross. 

22.  Elevates  the  sacred  Host. 

23.  Elevates  the  chalice. 

24.  Prays  in  a  low  voice. 


25. 
26. 


27 


Says  aloud,  Nobis  quoque 

peccatoribus. 

Says  aloud  the  Pater  noster. 


30.  Administers   holy  Commu- 
nion. 

31.  Cleanses  the  chalice. 

32.  Prepares  the  chalice  again. 

33.  Says  the  Dominus  vobiscum. 

34.  Says  the  last  prayers. 

35.  Says  the  last  Dominus  vo- 
biscum. 

36.  Gives  the  benediction  to  the 
people. 

37.  Says  the  Ite  Missa  est  and 
the  last  gospel. 


16.  Is  shown  by  Pilate  to  the 
people  with  the  words,  Ecce 
homo. 

17.  Is  mocked  and  spit  upon. 

18.  Is  kept  instead  of  Barrabas 
and  condemned  to  cruci- 
fixion. 

19.  Carries  the  cross  to  Mount 
Calvary. 

20.  Meets  His  Mother  and  other 
pious  women. 

21.  Is  nailed  to  the  cross. 

22.  Is  raised  on  the  cross. 

23.  Sheds  blood  from  the  five 
wounds. 

24.  Sees  His  afflicted  Mother  at 
the  cross. 

25.  Prays  on  the  cross  for  men. 


26. 


Breaks  and   separates   the   27. 
Host. 

28.  Lets  a  small  portion  of  the  j  28. 
sacred  Host   fall   into   the 
chalice. 

29.  Says  the  Agnus  Dei. 


Says  the  seven  words  on  the 

cross. 

Gives  up  His  spirit  and  dies. 


Descends 
limbo. 


in 


His   soul    to 


29.  Is  acknowledged  on  the  cross 
as  the  Son  of  God  by  many 
bystanders. 

30.  Is  laid  in  the  sepulchre. 

31.  Is  anointed  by  pious  women. 

32.  Arises  from  the  dead. 

33.  Appears  to  His  Mother  and 
the  disciples. 

34.  Teaches  for  forty  days. 

35.  Takes  leave  of  His  disciples 
and  ascends  to  heaven. 

36.  Sends  down  the  Holy  Ghost. 


37.  Sends  the  apostles  into  all 
parts  of  the  world  to  preach 
the  gospel. 

In  this  manner  we  can  make  Christ's  passion  present  before 
our  eyes  and  unite  ourselves  with  the  sufferings  of  our  divine 
Saviour,  which  is  the  leading  idea  of  the  holy  Mass.  We  should 
not  fail  at  every  representation  to  make  short  acts  of  love,  re- 


798  A  GENERAL  CONFESSION  OF  SIN. 

pentance,  humility,  submission,  and  thanksgiving,  to  all  which 
this  mystery  incites  us. 

Whoever  assists  at  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  Mass  in  the  ways  de- 
scribed, and  performs  this  devotion  with  deep  reverence  and 
attention,  with  recollection  and  fervent  contrition,  will  surely 
not  go  away  empty  of  graces ;  for  if  God  is  always  prepared  to 
share  His  grace  with  us,  then  will  He  not  most  willingly  give 
them  there  where  His  only  begotten  Son  is  the  true  Lamb  of 
Sacrifice  and  makes  our  petitions  His  own?  At  the  same  time  it 
is  seen  from  this,  that  those  who  wish  the  Mass  to  be  said  in 
their  own  language  instead  of  Latin,  complain  unnecessarily,  for 
every  one  can  unite  himself  with  the  priest  and  make  his  offering 
in  his  own  language,  since  with  God  it  does  not  depend  upon  the 
language,  and  there  is  in  most  prayer-books  an  explanation  of 
the  ceremonies  connected  with  suitable  prayers.  The  Catholic 
Church  has  very  wisely  retained  the  Latin  as  the  language  of  the 
Mass,  as  a  means  of  preserving  ecclesiastical  unity,  and  Catholics 
can  everywhere  acknowledge  themselves  as  such,  when  they  find 
in  every  land  the  same  divine  service  in  the  same  language.  The 
holy  Sacrifice  would  besides  be  endangered  by  the  introduction 
of  the  different  languages  of  the  countries  in  which  it  is  said,  be- 
cause the  vernacular  is  always  subjected  to  changes,  would  give 
rise  to  false  interpretations,  diminish  reverence  for  the  most  holy 
Sacrifice,  and  might  endanger  the  faith  itself,  while  the  Latin 
language  is  peculiarly  suited  to  the  dignity  and  majesty  of  Mass; 
for  it  is  truly  a  royal  language  and  is  the  language  of  the  missio- 
naries who  subjected  the  world  to  the  cross.  The  celebration  of 
the  Mass  is  not  for  the  instruction  of  the  people  somuch  as  for 
their  edification,  and  this  easily  results  if  each  one  of  the  faithful 
assists  with  heart  and  lips,  as  he  best  can,  at  the  holy  Sacrifice, 
having  the  sincere  desire  to  share  in  all  its  fruits, 
which  our  loving  Saviour  obtained  for  us  on  the  cross  and  wishes 
to  bestow  upon  us,  so  that  we  are  enriched  by  His  merits,  puri- 
fied by  His  most  precious  blood,  nourished  and  strengthened 
in  the  way  of  virtue  by  His  most  sacred  body,  and  are  changed 
from  children  of  wrath  to  children  of  God  and  chosen  heirs  of 
heaven. 


A  GENERAL  CONFESSION  OF  SIN. 

I,  a  poor,  sinful  man,  renounce  the  evil  enemy,  all  his  sug- 
gestions, works,  and  temptations.  I  believe  in  God  the  Father, 
in  God  the  Son,  and  in  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  also  fully  believe 
every  thing  that  the  universal  Christian  Church  instructs  me  to 
believe.  In  this  faith  I  confess  to  God  the  Almighty,  to  Mary, 
His  most  blessed  Mother,  and  to  all  the  saints,  that  from  the 
days  of  my  childhood  to  this  very  hour,  I  have  sinned  often  and 


A  PRAYER  FOR  THE  UNIVERSAL  NEEDS  OF  CHRISTIANITY.        799 

much  in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  and  in  the  neglect  of  good 
works,  and  all  this  either  publicly  or  secretly,  voluntarily  or  un- 
voluntarily  against  the  Ten  Commandments,  by  the  seven  deadly 
sins,  the  five  senses  of  my  body,  against  God,  against  my  neigh- 
bor, against  the  salvation  of  my  own  poor  soul.  For  these  and 
all  my  sins  I  am  sorry  from  my  heart.  Therefore  I  humbly  be- 
seech Thee,  Eternal,  Merciful  God,  to  grant  me  Thy  divine 
graces,  to  prolong  my  life  until  I  have  confessed  and  done  pen- 
ance for  my  sins  and  obtained  Thy  divine  mercy,  receiving  after 
this  miserable  life  eternal  joy  and  happiness.  I  strike  my  sinful 
breast  and  say  with  the  publican :  0  Lord,  have  mercy  on  me, 
a  poor  sinner.    Amen. 


A  PRAYER  FOR  THE  UNIVERSAL  NEEDS  OF 
CHRISTIANITY. 

ALmighty  and  Eternal  God,  Lord  and  Heavenly  Father! 
Look  with  eyes  of  boundless  mercy  on  our  misery,  distress, 
and  necessity.  Have  mercy  upon  all  faithful  Christians,  for  whom 
Thy  only  begotten  Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ, 
willingly  came  into  the  hands  of  sinners  and  shed  His  precious 
blood  on  the  tree  of  the  cross.  For  the  sake  of  this  Jesus,  0  most 
gracious  Father,  avert  well  deserved  punishment,  present  and 
future  dangers,  injurious  rebellions,  famines,  diseases,  afflictions, 
and  bad  seasons.  Enlighten  and  strengthen  in  all  good  our  spiri- 
tual and  civil  rulers  and  superiors,  that  from  henceforth  all  things 
may  redound  to  Thy  divine  honor,  to  our  salvation,  and  to  the 
universal  peace  and  welfare  of  Christianity. 

Grant  us,  0  God  of  peace,  a  strong  union  in  faith  without 
discord  or  separation.  Turn  our  hearts  to  true  penance  and 
amendment  of  life;  inflame  us  with  the  fire  of  Thy  love;  give  us 
an  ardent  zeal  for  all  justice,  that  we  may  become  acceptable  to 
Thee,  as  obedient  children,  in  life  and  death. 

We  beseech  Thee  also,  0  God,  as  Thou  dost  desire  we  should, 
for  all  our  friends  and  enemies,  for  the  well  and  the  sick,  for  all 
afflicted  and  distressed  Christians,  for  the  living  and  the  dead. 
To  Thee,  0  Lord,  we  commend  all  our  actions  and  all  our  omis- 
sions, our  employment,  our  life  and  death.  Let  us  enjoy  Thy 
grace  here,  and  afterwards  receive  with  the  elect  eternal  joy  and 
happiness,  praising  and  honoring  Thee. 

This  grant  us,  0  Lord,  our  Heavenly  Father,  through  Jesus 
Christ,  Thy  Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  who  lives  and  reigns  with 
Thee  and  The  Holy  Ghost,  One  God  forever.  Amen. 


800 

ACTS  OF  THE  DIVINE  VIRTUES. 

MAct  of  Faith. 
Y  God,  I  believe  in  Thee,  that  Thou  art  single  in  nature 
and  threefold  in  person,  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 
I  believe,  that  Thou  dost  reward  the  good  and  punish  the  wicked. 
I  believe,  that  the  Son  of  God  became  man,  died  on  the  cross  for 
us,  and  is  present  in  the  holy  Sacrament  of  the  Altar.  I  believe, 
that  man's  soul  is  immortal,  and  God's  grace  is  necessary  for 
salvation.  This  and  all  that  the  Catholic  Church  teaches,  I  firmly 
believe,  because  Thou,  0  God,  who  art  infinite  truth  and  wisdom, 
hast  revealed  it.    In  this  faith  I  will  live  and  die. 

Act  of  Hope. 
I  hope  from  Thee,  0  most  gracious  God,  through  the  merits 
of  Christ,  my  Redeemer,  and  by  my  cooperation  with  them,  for 
all  things  good,  the  forgiveness  of  my  sins,  Thy  grace  and  eternal 
life,  because  Thou,  0  almighty,  infinitely  gracious  and  faithful 
God,  hast  promised  this.  In  this  hope  may  I  live  and  die. 

Act  of  Lore. 
I  love  Thee,  0  most  amiable  God,  with  my  whole  heart  above 
all  created  things,  not  only  because  Thou  hast  loved  me  and 
heaped  innumerable  favors  upon  me,  but  especially  because  Thou 
art  infinitely  worthy  of  all  love  for  Thy  own  sake,  because  Thou 
art  infinitely  good.  I  love  my  neighbors,  my  friends,  and  my 
enemies  as  myself  for  love  of  Thee,  and  Thee  in  them.  In  this 
love  I  will  live  and  die. 

Imperfect  and  Perfect  Contrition. 
I  grieve  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  0  my  God,  for  all  the 
sins  of  my  whole  life,  because  by  them  I  have  offended  Thee,  my 
greatest  Benefactor  and  strict  Judge,  and  have  deserved  to  be 
punished  by  Thee.  I  am  sorry  for  all  the  sins  of  my  whole  life, 
above  all  because  by  them  I  have  offended  God,  the  highest  and 
only  perfect  Good,  whom  I  have  lost  by  my  sins.  I  hope  for  for- 
giveness through  the  merits  of  Jesus,  my  Saviour,  and  would 
rather  die  than  again  offend  Him. 


ALL  FOR  THE  GREATER  HONOR  OF  GOD  AND  OF  THE 
BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY! 


801 


MANNER  OF  HEARING  MASS  AT  HOME 

for  those  who  on  account  of  sickness,  old  age,  or  for  other 

proper  reasons  cannot  assist  at  holy  Mass,  especially  on 

Sundays  and  Holidays. 


PREFATORY  REMARKS. 

Ear  in  mind,  0  Christian  soul,  that  those 
who  would  with  pleasure  be  present  at  the 
holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  if  it  were  possible, 
such  as  the  sick,  the  infirm,  the  aged,  fathers 
,  and  mothers  who  must  remain  at  home  with 
the  little  children,  and  for  other  reasons,  are  all  included  in 
the  holy  Sacrifice,  that  is,  take  part  in  the  prayers  of  the 
Church,  in  the  blessings  and  merits  of  the  Sacrifice,  if  they 
have  a  sincere  desire  for  it,  and,  include  themselves  in  the 
holy  Sacrifice. 

The  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  does  not  belong  to  any 
one  person,  but  is  offered  for  all  the  faithful.  As  Christ 
offered  Himself  for  all  men  on  the  cross,  so  He  now  offers 
Himself  in  an  unbloody  manner  for  all  in  the  holy  Mass,  and 
as  He  offers  the  blessing  and  merits  of  His  sacrifice  on  the 
cross  to  all  men,  all  also  have  a  part  in  them,  who  by  faith, 
by  hearty  desire,  by  penitent  sentiments,  and  by  a  life 
pleasing  to  God  assist  at  the  holy  Sacrifice.  And  if  you  are 
kept  at  home,  the  priest  prays,  the  Church  prays,  you  Sa- 
viour Jesus  Christ  offers  Himself,  and  the  merits  and  blessing 
of  the  holy  Sacrifice  flow  to  you,  if  you  only  heartily  desire 
it,  and  unite  your  prayers  at  home  with  the  prayers  of  the 
priest  and  the  whole  congregation.  Therefore  kneel  in  spirit 
before  the  altar  and  devoutly  make  a 

GOOD  INTENTION. 

My  Father  and  my  God,  Thou  knowest  how  sincerely  I 
would  like  to  assist  at  the  Sacrifice  of  Thy  beloved  Son,  my 
Redeemer,  which  is  now  being  offered  to  Thee  upon  the  altar 
by  the  hands  of  the  priest ;  but  obstacles  as  Thou  knowest, 


m 


802  MANNER  OF  HEARING  MASS  AT  HOME,  &c. 

prevent  me.  Because  I  cannot  now  be  present  in  Thy  holy- 
house,  do  Thou  graciously  look  down  upon  the  desire  of  my 
heart,  and  let  me  have  part  in  the  prayers  of  Thy  holy 
Church  and  in  the  blessing  and  merits  of  Thy  divine  Son, 
who  died  for  me  on  the  cross,  and  again  offers  Himself  in  an 
unbloody  manner  upon  the  altar.  With  the  same  intention 
with  which  the  priest  accomplishes  the  holy  Sacrifice  on  the 
altar,  I  also  offer  it  to  Thee  for  Thy  praise  and  glory,  in 
thanksgiving  for  all  gifts  and  graces  which  Thou  hast  granted 
me,  to  reconciliate  Thee  with  me,  a  poor  sinner,  and  for  for- 
giveness of  my  sins,  and  with  the  most  fervent  petition,  that 
Thou  wilt  be  to  me  in  my  cares  and  afflictions  a  gracious 
Father,  and  for  the  sake  of  Thy  Son  Jesus  not  refuse  me 
Thy  aid. 

0  my  holy  Guardian  Angel,  do  thou  stand  by  my  side 
and  unite  thy  prayers  with  mine,  that  they  may  be  accept- 
able to  God's  Majesty,  and  do  thou,  my  beloved  Mother 
Mary,  assist  me  that  I  may  attend  in  spirit  to  the  unbloody 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  with  the  same  intention  as  thou  didst 
have,  when  thou  didst  assist  at  the  bloody  Sacrifice  of  the 
cross.  Amen. 

FROM  THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  MASS  TO  THE 
GOSPEL. 

My  Lord  and  my  God !  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,  the 
highest  Majesty!  how  can  I  presume  to  raise  my  hands  and 
pray  to  Thee1?  Thou  art  infinite  holiness,  in  whose  sight 
even  the  angels  are  not  pure,  '^hou  art  the  Almighty,  before 
whom  even  the  blessed  spirits  veil  their  faces,  and  I,  what 
am  I  ?  Nothing  but  a  poor  sinner,  a  little  dust  and  ashes, 
who  long  ago  deserved  punishment.  But  Thou  art  also  in- 
finitely gracious  and  merciful.  In  the  spirit  of  the  deepest 
contrition  and  humility,  behold,  I  prostrate  myself  before 
Thee  with  the  priest  and  confess  my  fault,  my  great  fault, 
my  greatest  fault.  From  my  inmost  heart  I  grieve  for  all 
my  sins  and  crimes,  earnestly  beseeching  Thee,  0  my  good 
God  and  Father,  to  bestow  forgiveness  upon  me.  With  the 
priest  I  penitently  call  upon  Thee,  have  mercy  on  me,  0 
Lord,  have  mercy  on  me!  Thy  mercy  is  indeed  infinitely 
great,  and  a  contrite  heart  Thou  wilt  never  despise.   And  if 


MANNER  OF  HEARING  MASS  AT  HOME,  &c.         §03 

my  sorrow  and  contrition  are  not  sufficient,  0  Father  in 
heaven,  then  graciously  accept  the  penitent  tears  of  all  the 
holy  penitents,  the  dolors  of  my  beloved  Mother  Mary  under 
the  cross,  and  the  grief  of  Thy  most  tender  heart  for  the  sins 
of  men.  Graciously  accept  the  homage  which  the  Church 
offers  Thee,  to  which  I  also  add  my  poor  adoration.  To  Thee, 
0  God  on  high,  be  glory!  Would  that  Thou  mightest  be 
everywhere  glorified!  Would  that  Thy  most  holy  name  might 
be  everywhere  honored  and  praised!  For  this  Thou  didst 
send  Thine  only  begotten  Son  upon  earth,  for  this,  that  all 
men  might  acknowledge  Thee,  love  Thee,  learn  to  serve  Thee; 
and  for  this  Thy  divine  Son  sent  His  apostles  over  the  whole 
earth  to  lead  all  men  to  the  truth.  0  give  me  the  grace  to 
always  acknowledge  the  truth  which  Thy  Son  brought  to 
earth,  and  ever  more  faithfully  observe  His  sacred  precepts, 
that  I  may  be  acceptable  to  Thee  and  eternally  happy.  Amen. 

FROM  THE  GOSPEL  TO  THE  CONSECRATION. 

Most  heartfelt  thanks  to  Thee,  0  God!  for  the  Catholic 
faith  in  which  I  was  born,  and  which  as  a  little  child  I  re- 
ceived, without  any  merit  of  mine,  from  Thy  hands.  0  how 
unfortunate  would  I  be,  if  like  so  many  others  I  were  left  to 
wander  in  heresy  or  unbelief,  never  finding  the  light  of  the 
true  faith,  which  shines  only  in  the  Catholic  Church,  to  lead 
me  to  heaven !  With  joy  I  profess  this  my  holy  faith,  and 
beseech  Thee,  0  my  God,  with  all  my  heart  to  grant  me  the 
grace  to  live  always  in  accordance  with  it.  For  what  would 
it  avail  me  if  I  should  fully  believe  every  truth  the  Catholic 
Church  teaches,  if  I  did  not  also  faithfully  obey  it?  0  my 
God,  do  not  permit  this  ever  to  happen,  do  not  permit  me  to 
give  ear  to  false  and  evil  doctrines,  which  are  everywhere 
spread  by  vicious  men ;  do  not  permit  me  to  become  weak 
in  faith,  do  not  permit  me  to  be  faithless  to  the  promises  I 
have  made  Thee  in  Baptism  and  holy  Communion.  I  desire 
to  be  and  to  remain  a  child  of  Thy  holy  Church,  for  in  this 
Church  alone  can  I  be  happy;  for  she  only  has  all  the  means 
of  grace  for  happiness,  she  alone  possesses  the  fountain  of  all 
grace,  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  in  which  Thine  only 
Son,  Jesus,  offers  Himself  to  Thee,  in  order  to  bestow  upon 
us  all  that  His  blood  won  for  us  on  the  cross.    I  see  now,  in 


51' 


804         MANNEE  OF  HEARING  MASS  AT  HOME,  &c. 

spirit,  the  priest  standing  on  the  altar  with  bread  and  wine 
in  his  hands,  praying  to  the  Holy  Ghost  to  bless  these  gifts, 
that  they  may  be  fitted  to  be  changed  into  the  body  and 
blood  of  Thy  beloved  Son.  I  unite  my  heart  to  these  conse- 
crated gifts  of  sacrifice,  and  lay  it  upon  the  altar.  I  possess 
nothing  which  I  could  give  to  Thee,  but  a  heart  which  can 
and  will  love  Thee.  0  take  this  poor  heart  of  mine,  purify 
it  from  all  sins  and  stains,  inflame  it  with  the  fire  of  Thy 
love,  and  draw  it  near  to  Thee,  0  infinite  Goodness,  that  it 
may  be  never  more  separated  from  Thee.  At  the  same  time 
I  offer  to  Thee  with  my  heart  all  its  cares  and  anxieties. 
Nothing  that  weighs  upon  it,  is  unknown  to  Thee,  0  my 
God,  plain  before  Thy  eyes  lie  all  my  heart's  desires.  0  do 
not  permit  it  to  desire  anything  displeasing  to  Thee,  turn  it 
entirely  to  Thee,  and  by  Thy  grace  make  it  ever  one  with 
the  most  loving  heart  of  Thy  most  loving  Son,  who,  as  long 
as  He  was  upon  earth,  sought  only  that  Thy  will  should  be 
done  upon  earth  as  in  heaven.  Amen. 

BEFORE  THE  ELEVATION. 

Holy,  holy,  holy  art  Thou,  0  Triune  God,  and  because 
Thou  art  infinitely  holy,  no  offering  can  please  Thee  as  that 
infinitely  holy  Sacrifice  of  Thy  Son  Jesus,  and  because  Thou 
art  infinitely  just,  no  other  Sacrifice  can  satisfy  Thee  but 
this  one  stainless  Sacrifice,  which  Thy  beloved  Son  accom- 
plished on  the  cross,  and  now  in  an  unbloody  manner  renews 
upon  the  altar.  For  the  sake  of  this  holy  Sacrifice  now  being 
accomplished  on  the  altar,  I  beseech  Thee,  0  God  in  heaven, 
to  graciously  look  down  upon  all  true  Christians  and  pre- 
serve them  in  the  unity  of  faith  and  love;  permit  the  light 
of  truth  to  shine  for  all  unbelievers  and  heretics,  give  Thy 
good  Spirit  to  the  pope,  our  common  father  and  head,  to 
the  bishops  and  priests,  that  they  may  lead  the  souls  en- 
trusted to  them,  in  the  way  of  salvation  to  heaven,  give  the 
grace  of  conversion  to  all  poor  sinners,  console  the  afflicted, 
strengthen  the  weak,  guide  the  erring,  steady  the  wavering, 
and  graciously  hear  the  prayers  of  those  who  supplicate  Thee. 
Remember,  0  best  Father,  my  poor  soul,  also,  bought  by 
Thy  divine  Son  with  His  blood.  I  confess  in  deepest  humi- 
lity and  most  profund  sorrow,  that  I  have  often  stained  that 


MANNER  OF  HEARING  MASS  AT  HOME,  &c  805 

soul  with  sin  and  by  transgressing  Thy  holy  commandments; 
give  me  but  one  drop  of  that  Most  Precious  Blood,  and  it 
will  become  pure  and  pleasing  to  Thee.  Thou  knowest  my 
desire  to  serve  Thee  with  all  faithfulness,  0  give  me  Thy 
grace,  always  to  do  Thy  holy  will;  assist  me,  that  I  may 
always  follow  the  beautiful  virtues  of  Thy  beloved  Son,  His 
humility,  His  peacefulness,  and  become  thus  always  more 
and  more  pleasing  to  Thee.  Do  not  forsake  me,  0  merciful 
Father,  in  my  crosses  and  afflictions,  and  in  the  heavy  cares 
which  weigh  upon  my  heart.  Give  me  strength  to  bear 
them,  and  cause  all  to  redound  to  Thy  honor  and  the  salva- 
tion of  my  own  poor  soul.  Aid  me  now,  0  most  blessed 
Virgin  and  Mother  of  God,  and  all  you  saints  in  heaven,  in 
this  most  solemn  hour,  when  Jesus,  the  Lamb  of  God,  offers 
Himself  with  your  petitions,  that  my  prayers  may  be  heard 
at  the  throne  of  God,  before  which  you  stand,  singing  hymns 
of  praise.  You  have  won  and'  are  now  happy,  we  must  yet 
suffer  and  fight,  aid  us,  that  through  Christ,  our  Saviour, 
we  may  conquer  the  enemies  of  our  salvation  and  meet  with 
you  in  heaven.   Amen. 

AT  THE  ELEVATION. 

Most  merciful  Heavenly  Father!  Thou  hast  given  us  Thy 
beloved  Son  Jesus,  and  with  Him  all.  He,  Thine  only  Son, 
is  now  my  possession,  He  is  now  present  on  the  altar,  and  I 
presume  to  draw  near  to  Him,  presume  to  offer  Him  to  Thee 
for  Thy  glory,  in  thanksgiving  for  all  Thy  graces,  for  for- 
giveness of  my  sins,  and  for  the  obtaining  of  new  graces 
which  I  so  much  need.  A  thousand  thanks  to  Thee  for 
having  given  us  Thy  beloved  Son,  through  whom  we  poor 
sinners  have  access  to  Thee;  through. Him,  my  Jesus,  I  offer 
to  Thy  great  Majesty  my  heart,  my  body,  my  soul,  every- 
thing that  I  am  or  have.  I  offer  Thee  His  infinite  merits  for 
my  poverty,  His  infinite  virtues  for  my  sinfulness,  the  holi- 
ness of  His  life  upon  earth  for  my  crimes,  His  Most  Precious 
Blood  as  my  appeal  for  mercy.  Have  mercy  on  me,  0  Father 
in  Heaven,  have  mercy  on  me!  Forgive  me  all  my  offences, 
and  permit  to  be  and  remain  Thy  child.  Amen. 


$06  MANNER  OF  HEARING  MASS  AT  HOME,  &c. 

AFTER  THE  ELEVATION. 

How  infinitely  great,  0  my  most  loving  Jesus,  how  per- 
fectly incomprehensible  is  Thy  love  for  us  weak  men  who 
can  do  nothing  but  sin!  It  was  not  enough  for  Thee  to  die 
on  the  cross  with  unutterable  agonies  for  us,  and  by  that 
bloody  Sacrifice  reconcile  us  sinners  with  Thy  just  Father, 
opening  heaven  to  us,  but  Thou  wouldst  daily  renew  it  on 
our  altars,  wouldst  daily  descend  from  heaven,  changing  the 
bread  into  Thy  Sacred  Body  and  the  wine  into  Thy  most 
Precious  Blood,  presenting  to  our  eyes  Thy  death  upon  the 
cross  and  giving  us  all  its  merits.  0  who  can  comprehend 
this  Thine  infinite  love*?  And  how  ungrateful  we  are  to  Thee 
for  it !  Instead  of  loving  Thee  in  return,  instead  of  doing 
everything  which  is  pleasing  to  Thee,  instead  of  following 
Thee  and  becoming  always  more  like  Thee,  we  insult  Thee, 
nail  Thee  anew  by  our  sins  to  the  cross,  drive  Thee  from  us, 
and  follow  the  broad  way  of  the  world,  which  leads  to  de- 
struction. I  also,  0  my  most  loving  Saviour,  am  one  of  these 
ingrates;  0  forgive  me,  for  I  am  indeed  sorry  from  my  whole 
heart  for  having  acted  so  ungratefully  towards  Thee.  In 
deepest  humility  I  fall  down  before  Thee,  confessing  my 
offences,  give  me  but  a  drop  of  Thy  most  Precious  Blood, 
that  I  may  be  purified.  Look  upon  me  with  the  eyes  of  Thy 
boundless  mercy,  and  give  me  the  grace  to  love  Thee  with 
my  whole  heart  and  faithfully  to  serve  Thee.  Yes,  I  love 
Thee,  0  Jesus,  I  love  Thee,  and  will  always  love  Thee. 
Remember  also,  0  most  faithful  Jesus,  those  who  have  de- 
parted from  this  world  in  faith  in  Thee  and  Thy  most  holy 
Church,  remember  my  (parents,  relations)  friends,  bene- 
factors; let  them  share  in  the  merits  of  Thy  most  Precious 
Blood,  that  they  may  obtain  consolation  and  comfort  in  the 
tortures  of  purgatory  and  soon  arrive  at  redemption.  Amen. 

AT  THE  PRIEST'S  COMMUNION. 

0  Jesus,  how  unutterable  is  Thy  love  for  man!  Thou  art 
not  only  willing  to  bestow  upon  him  the  merits  of  Thy  holy 
Sacrifice,  but  desirest  to  give  Thyself  entirely  to  him,  to 
nourish  and  strengthen  his  soul  by  Thy  most  Sacred  Body 
and  Blood,  uniting  Thyself  wholly  with  him.  How  infinitely 


MANNER  OF  HEARING  MASS  AT  HOME,  &c.  g()7 

great  is  Thy  condescension  to  us,  Thy  poor  creatures!  Thou 
who  art  infinite  Holiness,  the  Almighty,  the  Creator  of 
heaven  and  earth,  the  Lord  of  legions,  desirest  to  come  to 
us  and  dwell  with  us !  Who  could  believe  it,  if  Thou  h'adst 
not  said  it?  Since  it  is,  then,  certain  and  true,  that  Thou 
dost  visit  us  and  dwell  in  our  hearts,  I  will  presume,  poor 
sinner  though  I  am,  to  draw  near  to.  Thee,  to  unite  myself 
with  the  priest  and  earnestly  pray  and  beseech  Thee,  0 
Jesus!  Come  to  me!  I  am  not  worthy,  but  Thy  great  good- 
ness, Thy  great  mercy  permits  me  to  hope,  that  Thou  wilt 
not  refuse  to  deign  to  come  into  my  poor  heart.  I  cannot, 
it  is  true,  now  actually  receive  Thee,  Thy  Sacred  Body  and 
Blood,  with  the  priest,  but  Thou  canst  come  to  me  with  Thy 
effective  grace  to  console,  strengthen,  purify,  and  sanctify 
my  soul.  Come,  then,  0  Jesus,  sole  desire  of  my  heart! 
Behold,  I  dedicate  my  heart  to  Thee,  may  it  love  only  Thee! 
I  dedicate  my  soul  to  Thee,  may  it  think  only  of  Thee  and  be 
acceptable  to  Thee!  I  dedicate  my  body  and  all  its  members 
to  Thee,  that  they  may  be  used  only  in  doing  good.  Come, 
0  Jesus,  and  make  me  entirely  Thine,  for  Thee  I  desire  to 
live  and  to  die.  Amen. 

FROM  THE  COMMUNION  TO  THE  BENEDICTION. 

Thou  hast  now,  0  most  tender  Jesus,  finished  Thy  most 
holy  Sacrifice,  Thou  hast  given  Thyself  for  the  honor  and 
glory  of  Thy  Heavenly  Father,  and  called  at  His  throne  for 
grace  and  mercy  for  us.  Thou  hast  permitted  the  merits  of 
Thy  most  holy  Sacrifice  to  flow  into  our  souls.  How  can  I 
thank  Thee  enough  for  it  ?  For  if  I  had  the  tongues  of  all 
the  angels,  I  could  not  sufficiently  praise  Thee.  Since  I  have 
not  the  power,  I  offer  Thee  the  praise,  adoration,  and  thanks 
of  Thy  holy  Mother  Mary  and  of  all  the  saints,  earnestly 
beseeching  Thee  to  supply  from  Thy  own  loving  heart  all 
that  I,  in  my  poverty,  cannot  give  Thee.  Thou  hast  given 
me  the  grace,  0  Heavenly  Father,  to  offer  Thee  Thy  divine 
Son  in  union  with  the  priest  and  the  congregation,  to  adore 
and  praise  Thee,  and  to  presume  to  offer  Thee  the  price  of 
the  forgiveness  of  my  sins.  Thanks  be  to  Thee  for  this  grace. 
May  I  stand  always  firmly  in  faith  in  Thee  and  in  Him,  Thy 
only  begotten  Son,  whom  Thou  hast  sent,  may  my  trust  in 


808         MANNER  OF  HEARING  MASS  AT  HOME,  &c 

Thee  never  become  weakened  and  may  I  never  cease  to  love 
Thee  as  long  as  I  live!  Amen. 

AT  THE  BENEDICTION. 

May  f  God  the  Father,  f  the  Son,  and  f  the  Holy  Ghost 
bless  me.  Strengthened  by  this  blessing,  I  will  seek  to-day 
and  at  all  times  to  do  Thy  will,  0  Holy  Trinity.  1  desire 
not  only  to  be  called  Thy  child,  0  Heavenly  Father,  but  to 
be  Thy  child,  always  and  at  all  times  to  fulfil  Thy  command- 
ments with  filial  obedience.  I  desire  not  only  to  be  Thy  dis- 
ciple, 0  Jesus,  but  to  be  Thy  faithful  disciple.  I  wish  to  be 
humble  and  meek,  like  Thee,  at  peace  with  all  men,  always 
preserving  purity  of  body  and  soul,  and  merciful  to  all  my 
fellowmen,  friends,  and  enemies  alike.  I  will  cheerfully 
follow  Thy  inspirations,  0  Divine  Spirit,  faithfully  use  the 
graces,  with  which  Thou  overloadest  me,  depart  from  sin, 
and  live  for  virtue.  0  Mary,  blessed  Mother  of  my  Saviour, 
pray  for  me  and  assist  me  to  keep  my  resolutions.  Take  me, 
and  all  for  whom  I  am  bomid  to  pray  and  all  my  friends, 
under  thy  protection  and  lead  us  to  the  heaven,  where  thou 
livest  in  splendor,  that  with  thee  and  the  saints  we  may 
always  love  and  praise  the  Triune  God.    Amen. 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX 

of  the 

Most  Important  Explanations  and  Instructions  on  Doctrines  of 
Faith,  and  of  the  Moral  Lessons  contained  in  this  Book. 


Advent,  Instruction  on  9;  Christ's 
first  and  second  9. 

Alleluia,  Meaning  of  271. 

All  Saints,  Feast  of  757. 

All  Souls,  Festival  of  763. 

Almsgiving,  its  fruits  403. 

Aloys ius,  Feast  of  St  651;  Imita- 
tion of  St.  652. 

Altar,  Meaning  of  789 ;  Sacrament 
of  the  354;  why  draped  in  violet  134. 

Andrew,  F>ast  of  St.  533. 

Angels,  why  God  has  no  mercy  on 
the  fallen  51;  why  rejoicing  at  a 
sinner's  conversion  379. 

Angel  Guardians,  Consolation  de- 
rived from  their  presence  725;  Feast 
of  the  724;  Office  of  the  724;  what 
we  owe  them  725. 

Angelic  Salutation,  Explanation 
of  it  625. 

Anger,  Instruction  concerning  387; 
Means  to  prevent  389. 

Anne,  Life  of  St    682. 

Anthony,  Feast  of  St.  572. 

Apostles,  chosen  by  Christ,  their 
reward  591;  who  left  all  for  Christ 
C91. 

Apostolic  men,  how  respected  680. 

Archbishop,  Office  for  585. 

Ashes,  Explanation  of  blessed  133. 

Ash -Wednesday,  why  so  called  133. 

Augustine,  Feast  of  St.  715. 

Ave  Maria,  Explanation  of  the  625. 

B. 

Baptism,  Effects  of  391;  Instruction 
on  the  holy  Sacrament  of  340. 

Baptismal  vows,  Revenal  of  344. 

Barbara,  Feast  of  St.  540. 

Bartholomew,  Feast  of  St.  712. 

Beatification,  Ceremony  of  530. 

Beatitudes,  Instruction  on  the  Eight 
761. 

Benedict,  Feast  of  St.  614 

Benno,  Feast  of  St.  649. 

Bernard,  Feast  of  St.  707. 

Bible  the,  does  it  lead  to  true  faith 
289;  how  it  should  be  read  17. 

Birth  Child,  Women  in  597. 


Birth  of  Christ,  according  to  na- 
ture 47,  55;  spiritual  47. 

Bishop,  Office  of  584. 

Blase,  Feast  of  St.  599. 

Blessings,  Instruction  concerning 
61,  393;  of  herbs  and  fruits  on  the 
Assumption  B.  V.  M.  702. 

Blessings,  ot  meat,  bread  and  eggs, 
on  Easter  Sunday  271;  of  palms 
231;  of  parents  171;  of  salt  395. 

Boniface,  Feast  of  St.  643. 

c. 

Can  a,  Marriage  at  82. 

Candlemas,  Festival  of  593;  why 
candles  are  blessed  and  processions 
formed  on  593. 

Canonization,  Explanation  of  the 
530. 

Catharine,  Feast  of  St.  77"). 

Centurion  and  Servant  at  Caphar- 
naum  95,  96. 

Ceremonies  concerning  423;  at  fu- 
nerals 451;  of  a  Church's  Dedication 
510;  of  Good  Friday  246;  of  Holy 
Thursday  240;  of  Holy  Saturday  266; 
of  the  Mass  788. 

Chalice  of  Suffering  163,  682. 

Charity  to  the  poor,  pleasing  to  God 
161. 

Chastity  concerning  565. 

Children  true  government  of,  ne- 
cessary 6  6. 

Choir  or  Church  Singing,  on  the 
105. 

Christ,  Ascension  of  311;  Circum- 
cision of  63;  Doctrine  of,  like  leaven 
111;  His  Incarnation  why  necessary 
623;  how  to  meditate  upon  the  suf- 
ferings of  250;  Resurrection  of  273, 
274;  Sanctifier  of  the  heart  385; 
the  First  Born  of  Mary  50;  the  Good 
Shepherd  294;  the  Way,  the  Truth 
and  the  Life  636*  Transfiguration 
of  158;  truly  God  254,  256;  truly 
man  580;  why  He  calls  Himself  the 
Son  of  Man  131;  why  His  doctrine 
so  rapidly  propagated  111 ;  why  poor 
50;  why  set  for  the  rise  and  the  fall 
of  many  60. 

Christianity,  Propagation  of  111. 


810 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


Christmas  Day,  Instruction  for  46. 

Christmas  Eve,  Instruction  for  46. 

Church.  Early  penances  imposed  by 
the  474;  Festival  of  the  Dedication 
of  a  509;  God's  house,  how  we 
should  act  in  the  zeal  of  the  149; 
manner  of  entering  416;  marks  of 
the  true  290;  no  salvation  out  of  the 
291;  the,  like  a  grain  of  mustard- 
seed  110. 

Commandments,  Doctrine  of  the 
Church  concerning  the  604. 

Confession,  a  part  of  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Penance  41. 

Confidence  in  man,  condemned  by 
God  164. 

Confirmation,  Sacrament  of  330. 

Consolation  in  calumniation  218; 
in  detraction  406;  in  poverty  199, 
445;  in  suffering  21;  in  trials  and 
adversities  299. 

Contest  against  the  enemies  of  our 
soul,  necessary  490. 

Corpus  Christi,  Feast  of  351. 

Covetous n ess,  a  mortal  sin  457. 

Cross,  Exaltation  of  the 732;  Find- 
ing of  the  637;  Instruction  on  the 
holy  641;  People  surrounding  the 
263 ;  Sign  of  the  642 ;  Way  of  the  733. 

Cursing,  a  mortal  sin  473,  iii. 

D. 

Dancing,  the  grave  of  innocence  2. 

David,  why  called  Father  of  Christ  624. 

Deaf  and  dumb,   Cure  of  the  421. 

Death,  Instruction  concerning  450; 
in  Christ's  all  salvation  163. 

Death-bed,  repentance  412. 

Desire  holy,  pleasing  to  Christ  15°> 

Detraction,  Moral  lessons  concern- 
ing 404. 

Devil,  how  Christ  casts  out  176; 
what  is  understood  by  a  dumb  176. 

Dominic,  Feast  of  St  695. 

Drunkenness,  Moral  lessons  con- 
cerning 376. 

E. 

Easter,  Feast  of  271;  Preparation 
for  200;  Monday  275;  Tuesday  279. 

Education  of  Children  as  Chris- 
tians 656. 

Ember-Days,  Meaning  of  6;  why 
instituted  6;  why  so  named  6. 

Enemies,  Love  of  our  138;  Manner 
of  avenging  ourselves  on  our  93. 

Envy,  Instruction  on  the  vice  of  167. 

Epiphany,  Festival  of  69. 

Evil,  on  inclination  to  108. 

Excommunication  585. 


F. 

Faith  alone  does  not  make  us  happy 
128;  Instruction  on  the  only  saving 
459;  Necessity  of  a  living  356;  Pro- 
pagation of  537;  true  and  merito- 
rious 289. 

Fast,  by  whom  instituted  and  why 
5;  Intentions  with  which  we  should 
8;  the  Forty  Days',  by  whom  in- 
stituted and  why  132;  who  are  ob- 
liged to  7;  who  sin  against  the  8. 

Fastdays,  Ember  6;  Meaning  of  4; 
the  most  important  6;  Vigil  7. 

Fasting  true  137. 

Father,  Explanation  of  the  our 307; 
the  real  of  Christ  624. 

Food,  when  it  defiles  a  man  185. 

Francis  of  Assisi,  Feast  of  St.  744. 

Francis  Xavier,  Feast  of  St.  536. 

G. 

Garment,  Explanation  of  the  wedd- 
ing 480. 

George,  Feast  of  St.  630. 

Ghost  Holy,  Effects  upon  man  325; 
fruits  of  the  326;  how  all  truth  will 
be  taught  by  the  303;  how  giving 
testimony  of  Christ  319;  how  con- 
vincing the  world  302;  what  effect 
upon  the  apostles  from  the  324; 
why  a  consoler  319;  why  appearing 
in  the  form  of  fiery  tongues  323; 
why  not  sent  until  after  the  ascen- 
sion 302;  why  holy  325. 

Gifts  of  God,  well  used  81;  not 
equally  distributed  545;  the  best  300. 

Gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  seven  325. 

God,  Love  of,  can  it  exist  with  fear 
464;  how  recognized  327;  its  prac- 
tice 464;  meaning  of  perfect  463; 
motives  for  the  328. 

God,  of  consolation  and  hope  18; 
how  merciful  493;  Providence  of  102. 

Grace,  Meaning  and  variety  417; 
not  equally  distributed  752. 

H. 

Habits,  Manner  of  overcoming  bad 

117. 
Heart  of  Jesus,  Explanation  andFeast 

of  the  sacred  363. 
Heaven,  Meaning  of  the  kingdom  of 

106;  to  what  compared  106. 
Hell,  Doctrine  concerning  481. 
Henry,  Feast  of  St.  672. 
Herod  King,  how  punished  for  his 

cruelty  569;  what  persons  resemble 

569;  why  seeking  Christ's  life  569. 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


Holidays,  by  whom  instituted  3; 
manner  of  observing  4 ;  meaning  of  3. 

Holy  Week,  Instruction  for  235. 

Honor,  Instruction  concerning  wound- 
ed 93. 

Hope,  Doctrine  of  295. 

Humility  by,  we  resemble  Christ 
232;  Necessity  of  447. 

Hymn,  Meaning  of  the  angels'  50. 

Hypocrites,  Warning  against  497. 

I. 

Idleness,  Instruction  concerning  117. 

Ignatius  of  Loyola,  Feast  of  St. 
685. 

Ignorance  not  always  excuse  for 
sin  754. 

Immaculate  Conception,  Expla- 
nation of  the  546. 

Images  miraculous  528. 

Impurity,  Moral  Lessons  concern- 
ing 373. 

Indulgences,  Instruction  on  473; 
Portiuncula  746. 

Innocents,  Feast  of  the  holy  567. 

Intention,  Instruction  on  a  good 
383. 

J. 

James  theGreater,  Feast  of  St.  679. 

James  the  Just,  Feast  of  St.  633. 

Jerusalem,  Destruction  of  the  city 
and  temple  of  410;  reasons  why  Je- 
sus wept  over  409;  who  may  be 
understood  by  the  city  of  409. 

Jesus  casts  the  buyers  and  sellers 
out  of  the  temple  148,  201;  cures 
the  sick  140;  eats  with  sinners  737 ; 
necessity  of  the  death  of  701 ;  pre- 
sented in  the  temple  59;  reasons  for 
permitting  Himself  to  be  found  there 
78;  remaining  three  days  in  the 
temple  76;  resurrection  of  269; 
tempted  by  the  devil  141;  walks 
upon  the  sea  139. 

Jesus,  Holy  Name  of,  Feast  of  the 
90;  meaning  of  65;  praying  in  the 
name  306;  remarks  of  St.  Bernard 
on  the  91;  strength  and  proper  pro- 
nunciation of  the  65. 

John  theBaptist,  Feast  of  St.  653 ; 
imprisoned  by  Herod  and  why  20; 
more  than  a  prophet  20 ;  preparing 
the  way  for  the  Lord  and  how  21, 
34;  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilder- 
ness and  baptism  of  25. 

John  the  Evangelist,  FeastofSt. 
564;  wine  of  566. 

Joseph,  Devotion  to  St.  613;  Feast 
of  St.  610. 


Joy,  of  heaven  482;  in  the  Lord, 
meaning  of  23. 

Jubilee,  Explanations  of  the  indul- 
gence of  475. 

Judas  Thaddeus,  Feast  of  St. 751. 

Judgment,  Commencement  and  man- 
ner of  the  general  15;  hatefulness 
of  rash  195;  of  men  of  little  value 
31 ;  sinfulness  of  rash  349. 

K. 

Kilian,  Feast  of  St.  670. 
Kings  the  three  wise 69;  meaning  of 
the  offerings  of  the  73. 


Lawrence,  Feast  of  St.  699. 

Lazarus,  Raising  of  210. 

Lent,  a  time  of  grace  141;  Instruc- 
tion for  132;  manner  of  passing  133. 

Leonard,  Feast  of  St.  767. 

Leper,  Cure  of  the  94,  95. 

Leprosy,  Meaning  of  spiritual  435. 

Light,  Meaning  of  eternal  362. 

Liguori  Alphons  Maria,  Feast  of  St. 
691. 

Love,  Manner  of  preserving  brother- 
ly 82;  of  God,  in  what  it  consists 
463;  the  bond  of  perfection  104. 

M. 

Magdalen  Mary,  Feast  of  St.  675; 
reasons  for  her  public  penance  678. 

Magnificat  of  Mary,  Explanation 
of  the  666. 

Man,  Instruction  on  the  fear  of  498. 

Mangers  inChurches,  Origin of56. 

Mark's  day,  Procession  on  St.  310. 

Mary,  B.  V .,  calling  herself  the  hand- 
maid of  the  Lord  625;  example  of 
obedience  596;  marriage  to  St.  Jo- 
seph 612;  noble  mind  of  772;  pover- 
ty of  596;  praise  of  546. 

Mary,  B.  V.,  Festivals  of:  Annun- 
ciation 621;  Assumption  702;  Birth 
728;  Candlemas  593;  Immaculate 
Conception  546;  Presentation  772; 
Seven  Dolors  628;  Visitation  663. 

Mary,  Sister  of  Martha  704,  705. 

Married  people,  childless,  may 
pray  for  children  655. 

Martin,  Feast  of  St.  769. 

Mass,  Full  Explanation  of  the  mean- 
ing, spirit,  substance  and  ceremo- 
nies 780;  for  those,  who  on  account 
of  sickness,  <fcc,  cannot  assist  manner 
of  hearing  it  801. 

Masters,  Instruction  for  98. 

Matins  in  Holy  Week,  Explanation 
of  244. 


812 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


Matthew,  Feast  of  St.  734. 

Matthias,  Feast  of  St.  600. 

Matrimony,  Sacrament  of  85. 

Meekness,  Practice  of  203. 

Men,  Praise  of,  not  to  be  sought  135. 

Ministry  of  the  Church,  the  infal- 
lible, the  foundation  of  faith  282, 285. 

Michael,  Archangel,  Feast  of  St.  738. 

Miracles,  Instruction  on  316;  still 
in  the  Catholic  Church  315. 

Miraculous  images  and  pictures  528. 

Mixed  marriages  88. 

Mortification,  Necessity  of  501. 

Murmuring  against  God,  a  sin  105, 
407;  excludes  from  heaven  118;  not 
in  heaven  118. 

Mysteries  of  the  rosary  742. 

N. 

Nairn,  Widow  of,  an  emblem  of  the 
Church  209;  young  man  of,  of  what 
a  representative  449. 

Neighbor,  Manner  of  showing  the 
love  of  our  428;  the  law  fulfilled  by 
the  love  of  our  99 ;  who  is  our  428. 

Nicholas,  Feast  of  St.  541. 

0. 

Obedience,  Virtue  of  78. 
Offerings  of  the  Old  Law,  emblems 

of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Cross  and  of 

the  Mass  783. 
Order  the  third  746. 
Orders  Holy,  Sacrament  of  437. 


Palms,  Blessing  and  procession  of  231. 

Palm  Sunday  231. 

Papacy,  Instruction  on  the  583. 

Palsy,  Cure  of  the  man  sick  with 
the  471. 

Parables,  why  Christ  spoke  in  112. 

Passion  of  Christ  251;  why  no  can- 
dles are  lighted  at  the  233 ;  manner 
of  contemplating  the  250. 

Passion  Sunday,  Ceremonies  of  215. 

Patience, Instruction  concerning 493. 

Patriarchs  in  the  Church,  Office  of 
585. 

Patrick,  Feast  of  St.  605. 

Paul,  Conversion  of  St.  588;  Feast 
of  St.  659;  why  he  so  often  mentions 
himself  121. 

Peace  of  God,  in  what  consists  the 
23;  its  reign  in  the  heart  104;  the 
greatest  good  281. 

Penance,  Full  Instruction  on  the 
Sacrament  of  34;  put  off  until  the 
end  of  life,  dangerous  412;  when  we 
should  perform413;  worthy  fruitsof26. 


Pentecost,  Feast  of  322;  Prepara- 
tion for  321. 

Peter,  Chair  578;  confesses  Christ's 
divinity  579 ;  Feast  of  St.  659 ;  how 
rewarded  581;  receives  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  power  to 
bind  and  to  loose  580,  582,  583 ;  rock 
of  the  Church  582. 

P  e  r  j  u  r y ,  Instruction  concerning  508. 

Piety  true  79. 

Pilgrimages,  Instruction  concern- 
ing 532;  places  of  528. 

Philip  and  James,  Feast  of  Sts.  633. 

Poverty,  Consolation  in  445. 

Prayer  for  all  common  Christian 
needs  799;  the  best  307;  when 
especial  need  of  306. 

Preachers,  by  whom  stoned  and 
killed  563. 

Pride,  Instruction  concerning  416. 

Priest,  Office  in  the  Church  31. 

Processions  309;  on  Corpus  Christi 
351;  Holy  Cross  Week  310;  St. 
Mark's  Day  310. 

Publicans,  why  hated  by  the  Jews 
736. 

Purgatory,  Explanation  of  763. 

Purity,  Instruction  concerning  565. 

Q. 

Quadragesima  and  Quinquage- 
sima,  Meaning  of  113. 

R. 

Reconciliation,  Manner  and  ne- 
cessity of  388. 

Renewing  of  the  spirit  477. 

Representation  of  Christ's  suffer- 
ings in  the  Mass  796. 

Resignation  to  God's  will,  on  97. 

Riches  often  unjust  403;  to  whom 
useful  444. 

Ridicule  and  derision,  Instruction 
concerning  503. 

Roman  Catholics,  why  so  called  584. 

Rorate  Masses,  Meaning  of  10. 

Rosary,  Explanation  of  the  740: 
Manner  of  saying  the  743;  Festival 
of  the  740. 

Rose  of  Lima,  Feast  of  St.  720. 

s. 

Sacrifice,  in  a  general  sense,  In- 
struction on  389. 

Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  Full  Ex- 
planation of  the  780. 

Saints,  Veneration  of  the  pictures 
and  relics  of  526;  veneration  and 
invocation  of  521. 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


813 


Scandal,  Moral  Lessons  concerning 
320. 

Scapular,  Feast  of  the  Fraternity 
of  the  674 

Scriptures  Holy,  Doctrine  of  the 
282;  whether  clear  enough  for  all  to 
understand  284;  is  the  whole  word 
of  God  contained  in  the  282;  use  of 
them  17 ;  value,  compared  with  tra- 
dition, of  the  i?84. 

Sebastian,  Feast  of  St.  586. 

Seed,  Meaning  of  the  good  106;  by 
whom  sown  107. 

Septuagesima,    Sexagesima, 
Meaning  of  113. 

Sermon,  Before,  during,  and  after 
the  125,  126. 

Servants,  Instruction  for  98. 

Service  divine,  wherein  consists  75. 

Sheep  Christ's,  how  recognized  225, 
294. 

Sick,  Care  of  the  488. 

Sickness,  Consolation  in  487. 

Signs  on  the  Day  of  Judgment,  why 
occurring  14. 

Simeon  in  the  temple  594,  597. 

Simon,  Feast  of  St.  751. 

Sins  of  thought  and  desire  407. 

Sleep,  in  a  spiritual  sense  12. 

Society  of  the  Holy  Childhood  57. 

Sorrow,  Comfort  and  relief  in  23. 

Soul,  what  it  is  to  hate  our  701. 

Stabat  Mater  629. 

Stephen,  Feast  of  St.  559. 

Stilling  of  the  storm  100,  101. 

Sunday,  Instruction  on  keeping  holy 
457;  what  is  1;  why  dedicated  to  God  1. 

Superiors,  Instruction  for  82. 

Superstition,  Instruction  concern- 
ing 557. 

Supper  the  Great,  a  picture  of  the 
Church  370;  the  Last  354. 

T. 

Talents,  Meaning  of  492;  how  bes- 
towed by  God  545. 

Tares,  Moral  meaning  of  106;  why 
God  does  not  root  up  the  108;  why 
so  much  among  the  good  seed  124. 

Taxes,  Obligation  to  pay  499. 

Temple,  Instruction  concerning  the 
spiritual  515. 

Temptations,  Instruction  on  143; 
of  Christ  by  the  devil  141,  143. 

Thomas,  Feast  of  St.  556. 

Tradition,  Instruction  concerning 
282,  283;  not  made  by  the  Pope  284. 


Trinity,  Doctrine  of  the  345;  Feast 

of  the  holy  337. 
Time,  how  precious  484;  how  bought 

484;  when  comes  the  harvest  108. 
Tongue,  Abuse  of  the  424. 

u. 

Ulric,  Feast  of  St.  666. 
UnctionExtreme,  Sacrament  of  429. 
Usury,  Instruction  concerning  446. 

V. 

Valentine,  Feast  of  St.  571. 
Value  of  the  soul,  Instruction  on  the 

499. 
Vice,  Manner  of  overcoming  117. 
Virgins,  the  wise  and  foolish  778. 
Virtues,  Practice  of  the  theological 

8i0. 

w. 

"Water  holy,  Explanation  of  267. 
Weapons,  of  light,  Meaning  of  12; 

of  the  devil  177;    who  takes  from 
.  him  177. 
Wendelin,  Feast  of  St.  747. 
Wife,  why  the  Patriarchs  had  more 

than  one  196. 
Willibald,  Feast  of  St.  "669. 
Wolfgang,  Feast  of  St.  755. 
Woman,  Model  of  a  true  684;  with 

the  issue  of  blood,  her  conduct  and 

cure  501,  502. 
Words,  God's  like  a  seed  123 ;  strength 

of  God's  124;  blessed  these  who  hear 

God's  179;  who  do  hear  God's  21». 
Work   in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord, 

Meaning  of  117. 
Works  good,    Instruction  on  399; 

of  no  avail  while  in  mortal  sin  129. 
Works  of  darkness,  Meaning  of  12. 
Wounds  Jesus',  why  He  showed  them 

to  His  disciples  281;  why  retained 

after  the  resurrection  281. 

X. 

Xavier  Francis,  Feast  of  536. 

Y. 

Year,  Explanation  of  the  Ecclesias- 
tical Year  1;  New,  why  so  called 
63 ;  why  wishes  of  a  happy  new  63. 

z. 

Zacheus,  the  Publican,  Conversion 
of  513. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Preface V 

Almanac VII 

PART  I. 

Short  Instruction  on  the  manner  of  using  this  book  .  .  .  XVI 
Explanations  and  Instructions  concerning  the  Ecclesiastical  Year  .  .  1 
Instructions  in  regard  to  the  Advent  and  the  time  of  Advent        .        .      9 

Instruction  for  the  first  Sunday  in  Advent 11 

11  "    second  "                              .......    16 

M     H    third     "  22 

"     "    fourth  u         "  30 

"   Christmas  Eve 46 

"Day 46 

M   the  Sunday  after  Christmas 58 

"   New  Year's  Day  .  .63 

"  the  Sunday  following  New  Year's  Day      .        .        .        .67 

"     "    Festival  of  the  Epiphany 69 

"     "    first  Sunday  after  Epiphany 74 

"     "    second  "  "  * 81 

"  "    Feast  of  the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus       .       .       .       .90 

"     "    third  Sunday  after  Epiphany 92 

M  "    fourth      "         "           tf              .....    99 

u     "    fifth         "  "  104 

h     "    sixth        "  "  109 

"  Septuagesima  Sunday          .        .        .        .        .        .        .  113 

"   Sexagesima         " 119 

"   Quinquagesima   " 127 

"   Lent 132 

"   Ash- Wednesday :       ...  133 

"  the  first  Sunday  in  Lent,  called  Invocabit       .        .        .  140 

"  "    second   "        "      "         "       Reminiscere  .        .        .  156 

"  "    third      "       '"      "         "       Oculi      .        .        .        .173 

M  "    fourth    "        "      "          "       Laetare          .        .       .195 

u  "    fifth       "        M      "         M       Judica    .        .        .        .215 

"  Palm-Sunday .       .        .231 

"   Holy  Week 235 

11   Holy  Thursday 239 

"   Good-Friday 245 

"   Holy  Saturday 266 

"   Easter 271 

"   Easter  Monday 275 

"  the  Tuesday  after  Easter 279 

-*     "    first  Sunday  after  Easter 285 

"     u    second    »         "         u 292 

u     "    third      "         "         " 296 

"     "    fourth     "         "         " 300 

*     "    fifth        "  "         " 303 


CONTENTS.                                                    815 

Page 

Instruction  for  the  Festival  of  the  Ascension  of  Our  Lord       .        .        .311 

"           "     "    sixth  Sunday  after  Easter    . 

.  317 

"          "     "    great  Festival  of  Pentecost  . 
"          "     "    Monday  after  Pentecost 

.  322 

.  326 

"     "    Tuesday      " 

.  330 

"     "    Feast  of  the  Holy  Trinity    . 

.  337 

"           "     "    first  Sunday  after  Pentecost 

.  346 

"           "   Corpus  Christi      .... 

.  351 

"           "  the  Feast  of  the  sacred  heart  of  Jesus 

.  363 

•"          "     "    second      Sunday  after  Pentecost 

.  369 

"     '•    third 

.  375 

u     u    fourtll 

.  380 

U        «      fifth 

.  385 

"     "    sixth 

.  390 

"     "    seventh 

.  395 

M     "    eighth 

.  400 

"     "    ninth 

.  406 

m     u    tenth 

.  413 

"     "    eleventh 

.  420 

"     "    twelfth 

.  425 

"     "    thirteenth 

.  433 

"     "    fourteenth      " 

.  441 

"     "    fifteenth 

.  446 

"     M    sixteenth 

.  453 

"     "    seventeenth    "         " 

.  459 

"     "    eighteenth      " 

.  470 

*     t4    nineteenth      " 

.  477 

"     "    twentieth 

.  483 

"     "    twenty  first     " 

.  489 

"          "     "    twenty  second"         "           * 

.  495 

"     "    twenty  third   " 

.  500 

1     "    twenty  fourth" 

, 

.  504 

"           "     u    Feast  of  the  dedication  of  a  Church 

.  509 

"           "     "    Monday  following  the  Feast  of  the  dedication 
Church 

•of  a 

.  517 

PART  II. 

Preliminary  Instructions  on  the  Veneration  and  Invocation  of  Saints    .  521 

Short  Intruction  on  Pilgrimages 532 

Instruction  for  the  Feast  of  St.  Andrew  Nov.  30.     . 

.  533 

St.  Francis  Xavier        ....      Dec.    3. 

.  536 

St.  Barbara 

"      4.     .        .  .     . 

.  540 

St.  Nicholas,  Bishop 

"      6.      . 

.  541 

Immaculate  Conception 

"      8.      . 

.  546 

St.  Thomas,  the  Apostle 

"    21.     .        . 

.  556 

St.  Stephen,  the  first  Martyr 

"    26.      .        . 

.  559 

St.  John,  the  Apostle    . 

"    27.      . 

.  564       * 

Holy  Innocents      .... 
St.  Valentine,  Bishop     . 

"    28.      . 

.  567 

Jan.  7.     . 

.  571 

St.  Anthony 

"    17.     . 

.  572 

St.  Peter's  Chair  at  Rome    . 

"    18.  and  Febr.  2 

2.      '. 

.  578 

St.  Sebastian,  Martyr  . 

"    20.     .        . 

.  586 

Conversion  of  St.  Paul,  the  Apostle 

"    25.     . 

.  588 

Purification  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary     Febr.    2.  . 

.  593 

St.  Blase,  Bishop  and  Martyr      .                   "       3.  . 

.  599 

St.  Matthias,  Apostle    ....           "24.  or  25. 
St.  Patrick,  Bishop  and  Apostle  of  Ireland  March  17. 

.  600 

.  605 

St.  Joseph 19. 

.  610 

, 

816                                                   CONTENTS. 

Page 

Holy  Abbot  Benedict     .               .        .      March  21. 

.  614 

Annunciation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary       "      25. 

.  620 

Seven  dolors     "     "          "            "          'k     on  the  Friday  before  Palm-Sunday  628 

St.  George,  Martyr         ....      April  23. 

.  630 

.        .        .  633 

Findii.g  of  the  Holy  Cross            .        .        "     3. 

.  637 

St.  Boniface,  Apostle  of  the  Germans  .      June   5.    . 

St.  Benno,  Bishop "    13.    .       . 

.  643 

.  649 

St.  Aloysius "    21.    . 

.  651 

St.  John,  the  Baptist      .        .       .        .         "    24.    .        . 

.  653 

St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  Apostles    .                 "    29.    .        . 

.  659 

Visitation  of  Mary July   2.    . 

.  663 

St.  Ulric "      4.    . 

.  666 

St.  Willibald,  Bishop      ....         "      7     . 

.  669 

St.  Kilian,  Bishop  and  Martyr                       "      8.    . 

.  670 

St.  Henry  and  his  spouse  St.  Cunigunde        "    15.  and  March  3.            .  672 

Festival  of  the  Scapular         .       .        .    third  Sunday  in  July       .        .  674 

St.  Mary  Magdalen         .        .        .        .      July  22.    . 

.  675 

St.  James,  the  Greater,  Apostle    .       .         "    25.    . 

.  679 

St.  Anne "    26.    . 

.  682 

St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola    .        .        .        .         "    31.    . 

.  685 

St.  Alphonsus  Maria  Liguori         .        .      Aug.  2.    . 

.  691 

St.  Dominic             "       4.    . 

.  695 

St.  Lawrence,  Martyr     .        .        .        .        "     10.    . 
Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary       "     15.    . 

.  699 

.  702 

St.  Bernard,  Abbot         .        .        .               "     20.    . 

.  707 

St.  Bartholomew,  Apostie       .        .        .        "     24.    . 

.  712 

St.  Augustine,  Bishop      .        .        .        .        "     28.    . 

.  715 

St.  Rose  of  Lima "     30.    .        . 

.  720 

Festival  of  the  holy  Guardian  Angels  .    the  first  Sunday  in  I 

September  724 

Mary's  Nativity Sept.  8.    . 

Exaltation  of  the  Holy  Cross        .                 '     14.    .       . 

.  728 

.  732 

St.  Matthew,  Apostle      .        .        .        .         "  21.  .. 

.  734 

St.  Archangel  Michael     ....          "    29.    .        . 

.  738 

Festival  of  the  holy  Rosary   .               .    on  the  first  Sunday 

n  October  710 

St.  Francis  of  Assisi       ....      Oct.    4.     . 

.  744 

St.  Wendelin "    20.     . 

.  747 

St.  Simon  and  St.  Judas  Thaddeus,  Apostles     "    28.     . 

.  751 

St.  Wolfgang,  Bishop     .        .        .        .         "    31.     . 

.  755 

Feast  of  All  Saints         .        .        .        .      Nov.  1.     . 

.  757 

All  Soul's  Day "      2.     .        . 

.  7(;3 

St.  Leonard,  Hermit  and  Abbot    .        .       "      6. 

.  767 

St.  Martin,  Bishop "    11.     . 

.  769 

Presentation  of  Mary      .        .        .        .        "    21.     . 

.  772 

St.  Catharine,  Virgin  and  Martyr  .        .       "    25.     . 

.  775 

Instruction  on  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  mass  . 

.  780 

A  General  Confession  of  sin 

.  798 

A  Prayer  for  the  universal  needs  of  Christianity 

.  799 

Acts  of  the  divine  virtues 

.  800 

GENERAL  LIBRARY  -  U.C.  BERKELEY 


B00Cns^L,3^ 


